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Mystery Team

  • 2009
  • R
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
10K
YOUR RATING
Mystery Team (2009)
Mystery Team: Gink
Play clip2:56
Watch Mystery Team: Gink
3 Videos
77 Photos
Bumbling DetectiveComing-of-AgeParodyWhodunnitComedyCrimeMystery

A group of former Encyclopedia Brown-style child-detectives struggle to solve an adult mystery.A group of former Encyclopedia Brown-style child-detectives struggle to solve an adult mystery.A group of former Encyclopedia Brown-style child-detectives struggle to solve an adult mystery.

  • Director
    • Dan Eckman
  • Writers
    • D.C. Pierson
    • Donald Glover
    • Dominic Dierkes
  • Stars
    • Donald Glover
    • D.C. Pierson
    • Dominic Dierkes
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    10K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Dan Eckman
    • Writers
      • D.C. Pierson
      • Donald Glover
      • Dominic Dierkes
    • Stars
      • Donald Glover
      • D.C. Pierson
      • Dominic Dierkes
    • 41User reviews
    • 34Critic reviews
    • 42Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos3

    Mystery Team
    Trailer 2:06
    Mystery Team
    Mystery Team: Gink
    Clip 2:56
    Mystery Team: Gink
    Mystery Team: Gink
    Clip 2:56
    Mystery Team: Gink
    Mystery Team: Interrogation
    Clip 1:01
    Mystery Team: Interrogation

    Photos77

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    + 72
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    Top Cast40

    Edit
    Donald Glover
    Donald Glover
    • Jason
    D.C. Pierson
    D.C. Pierson
    • Duncan
    Dominic Dierkes
    Dominic Dierkes
    • Charlie
    Aubrey Plaza
    Aubrey Plaza
    • Kelly
    Glenn Kalison
    Glenn Kalison
    • Robert
    Peter Saati
    • Leroy
    Kay Cannon
    Kay Cannon
    • Destiny
    Bobby Moynihan
    Bobby Moynihan
    • Jordy
    Matt Walsh
    Matt Walsh
    • Jim
    John Lutz
    John Lutz
    • Frank
    Robbie Sublett
    Robbie Sublett
    • Ricky Appleman
    Tom Shillue
    Tom Shillue
    • Alan McGinty
    Kevin Dotcom Brown
    Kevin Dotcom Brown
    • Bouncer
    • (as Kevin Brown)
    Ellie Kemper
    Ellie Kemper
    • Jamie
    Jon Daly
    Jon Daly
    • Greg
    Will Hines
    Will Hines
    • Mr. Stevens
    Ben Tabor
    • Playground Kid
    Kianna Rose Louisor
    Kianna Rose Louisor
    • Playground Kid
    • Director
      • Dan Eckman
    • Writers
      • D.C. Pierson
      • Donald Glover
      • Dominic Dierkes
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews41

    6.610K
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    Featured reviews

    9iliner-1

    So super phenomenal!!!!

    I loved it. Loved it all over. I was on the edge of my seat, but I kept falling over with laughter. It was written in a way that was perfectly suited to the comedic voices of Bobby Moynihan, Matt Walsh, Jon Daly, Aubrey Plaza, etc but still maintained a really strong voice in and of itself.

    Gun to my head, if I had to criticize it, I would say I could have used more Ben Schwartz. But I feel that way about EVERYTHING........

    So so so good. I cannot say enough good things about this movie!!!! I feel as though any negative reviewers on here probably wanted to see a simple, straight-forward comedy and that it is not. It is an ethically challenging movie with really artistic choices and deep belly uncontrollable laughs.

    Enjoy.
    denverbarndude

    A how to on making an SNL movie (without SNL)

    Hilarious. Cute. Adorable. Hard hitting action. Swear words! This movie has everything.

    Seriously, Comedy Examiner said this was the funniest move of 2010 (June writing) and I seriously agree.

    I saw this sketch comedy team on YT and they were very, very funny. Yet they rose to new heights by combining my favorite genre as an 8 year old with world weary modernism. I just wish that my favorite SNL characters would have made a film in this vein. It's funny; very funny. It's fresh and it hasa lot of heart...then spleen, then kidneys.

    Best of luck to these guys and looking forward to the sequel.
    9johnnymonsarrat

    Perfect and laugh-out-loud funny with great performances

    You have to see this movie.

    "Mystery Team" is a parody of a phenomenon that was never itself a film: The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and especially Encyclopedia Brown.

    They manage to walk the line -- like the first Austin Powers film -- so that it's neither too wacky so you can't believe it and don't care about the characters, but not too boring that it's not full of subtle interplay.

    The main gag is the innocence of the boys, who are thrust into adult situations continually. It's all about the acting in this film, and kudos especially to "Donald Glover". Dressing like an outrageous hobo, for example, could come across as really stupid in a film with Jim Carrey or Rob Schneider, who play up their roles too much. Donald manages to do it consistently.

    On top of that, there are a several delightful plot twists that you won't see coming. The film tries to balance the boys basically being incompetent with allowing them to succeed in a way that isn't too corny.

    It's laugh-out-loud funny throughout, a genuine must-see if you like intelligent edgy comedies. Note, it's not really meant to be a kids film. There's a lot of raunchy humor.

    I'll give Mystery Team a well-earned 9 out of 10. It just missed a 10 because the ending was good but not quite a classic.
    6Jared_Andrews

    A Dumb movie made by Smart people that somehow works, even though it probably shouldn't

    'Mystery Team' is a quirky little marvel. A concept that makes much more sense as a 10-minute comedy sketch is stretched into a 90-minute feature film and only really has one joke, but somehow it works.

    That speaks to the talent of creative minds behind the project. They manage to take a marginally funny idea that becomes stale rather quickly, and somehow, they will this whole vehicle to keep trudging forward. Like MacGyver rigging up the device he needs out of whatever is laying around, the guys from Derrick Comedy enthusiastically squeeze the last drop out of everything at their disposal and get the job done.

    The plot: three best friends work as detectives, calling themselves The Mystery team. For a hefty fee of a dime, the group will take on any case that comes their way, which is typically limited to the petty misdeeds of seven-year-olds. The team's exploits were charming when they were also seven, but they're now high school seniors, and their behavior makes them outcasts among their peers (but greatly amusing to movie viewers).

    That's the primary joke of the movie-these kids are too old for this stuff. They're awkward and immature. They still think girls are icky. There isn't much to the bit, but the filmmakers have an advanced sense of when to smartly weave in secondary story elements and hilarious supporting characters to keep things entertaining. All the actors appear very aware of what movie they're in. They play their parts without an ounce of self-doubt and just the right level of cheesiness.

    It becomes apparent very quickly that while the movie is dumb, it's made by smart people. It leans into its own absurdity. The actors are playing 18-year-olds but look 25 and act like they're seven. The Mystery Team members behave as if they're in a G movie despite all the debauchery from everything and everyone around them being decidedly hard R.

    The silly, small-scale hijinks is given reason to become a full-length movie when a sad little girl asks The Mystery Team to solve her parents' murder, and they find themselves involved for the first time in a very adult case. Relying on their usual tactics and disguises, they manage to make impressive progress on the mystery, despite looking ridiculous every step of the way.

    That's part of the brilliance of this movie. It's ridiculous because the characters are ridiculous, and it knows that. Many of jokes don't land because they aren't meant to. They're meant to emphasize how goofy and awkward these wannabe detectives are in every human interaction.

    It's obvious from watching this film that the creative team members were capable of more. Glover became a superstar and the other members of Derrick Comedy all found their niche in writing or performing. Many of the supporting actors also landed more lucrative roles in movies or TV.

    This is by no means a classic. The stars may look back on this and cringe, but they shouldn't. It's a better movie than most will give it credit for, and it's the one that will live on as what was a sign of greater things to come for this talented ensemble.
    10marc05

    Spot on as a comedy, not to be taken seriously

    Not sure why some people hate the movie so much. Of course this isn't a family film and the movie is not to be taken so seriously. I suppose that a movie can't please everyone. I for one am a fan of Derrick Comedy and this was good time spent. I hadn't laughed from a movie as much as I have after watching this one. Although I did feel that one of the main three characters was left out, it actually portrayed what the character's personality was. The first couple of minutes didn't make the movie seem that great, but as the story progresses, it gets better. As for the plot itself, it's not what makes the movie good. This movie is a comedy, and for what comedies do, it was spot on. In the end it's going to be up to you to decide whether you like it or not, but I for one recommend it. Maybe it's because of all the hours I've been awake so far, but I was laughing the whole way through.

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    Related interests

    Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building (2021)
    Bumbling Detective
    Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade (2018)
    Coming-of-Age
    Bill Pullman, John Candy, Joan Rivers, Daphne Zuniga, and Lorene Yarnell Jansson in Spaceballs (1987)
    Parody
    Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
    Whodunnit
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The three members of the mystery team are part of a comedy group called Derrick Comedy from New York University in 2006.
    • Goofs
      Just after Jason hits Kelly with the broom, he goes into the kitchen and you can see the finger of a crew member in the lower left hand corner signal Kelly to give her next line, "Why are you here?"
    • Quotes

      Jason: She's really something, it's just... I'm no good with girls.

      Frank: Oh, you're whipped!

      [imitates whipping]

      Jim: [interrupting] Frank! Sometimes I wish you didn't beat that cancer. I really do.

    • Crazy credits
      The bear in the man's picture at the end of the movie is credited as "White Bear" - "Himself"
    • Alternate versions
      In addition to the theatrical release, which clocks in at "1 hr 37 min (97 min)", there also exists a version originally shown at Sundance which runs "1 hr 45 min (105 min) (Sundance) (USA)."
    • Connections
      Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Dinner for Schmucks/Charlie St. Cloud/Get Low (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      The Stand
      Written and Performed by Donald Glover and Chris Ward

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    FAQ20

    • How long is Mystery Team?Powered by Alexa
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    • Why were the parents killed?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 17, 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Тайная команда
    • Filming locations
      • Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
    • Production companies
      • Derrick Comedy Productions
      • Offhollywood Digital
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $89,442
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,840
      • Aug 30, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $89,442
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 37m(97 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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