The Master Of Disguise Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
He can get into any disguise... getting out is another story.
1,000 Faces... And Not A Single Clue.
Disguise The Limit.
A sweet-natured Italian waiter named Pistachio Disguisey at his father Fabbrizio's restaurant, who happens to be a member of a family with supernatural skills of disguise. But moments later the patriarch of the Disguisey family is kidnapped Fabbrizio's former arch-enemy, Devlin Bowman, a criminal mastermind in an attempt to steal the world's most precious treasures from around the world. And it's up to Pistachio to track down Bowman and save his family before Bowman kills them!
| Perry Andelin Blake |
2.90 out of 10 (7055 votes)
Visitor Reviews
You can't over think this movie.
posted on 14 Aug 2009This movie may not be the greatest movie ever but I got a kick out of it when i watched it. Basically it was so stupid it was funny. If you are a person like me that likes stupid movies you will enjoy this one. It's the kind of movie you watch when you are bored on a friday night.
Hilarious bits shine through
posted on 04 Aug 2009My pre-teen kids loved the DVD edition of "The Master of Disguise." I also laughed out loud during a number of scenes. Dana Carvey's Turtle Man disguise and performance is as good as any Peter Sellars turn; his homage to Robert Shaw's Captain Quint in "Jaws" should have been given a fuller platform; his invention of a high end, antique auction matron vis-a-vis Kate Hepburn and Hermoine Gingold and his send up of a David Niven espionage operative were spectacularly funny. A linear story with believable main characters and situations are not always a requirement for children but would have carried Carvey's talent in a much more enteraining fashion.That said, Harold Gould, James Brolin and Jennifer Esposito deserve, if one exists, the Screen Actors Guild version pf a Purple Heart. Each performed bravely and beautifully in an amiable and harmless mess which probably wounded their careers but was not of their making.I hope Mr. Carvey is forgiven and gets another shot at a full movie.
master of crap
posted on 19 Jul 2009Didn't anybody read this script before funding it? I'm wondering if the bankrollers just gave Carvey a blank check for just ad-libbing the entire movie. I don't recall him ever being this bad, even on a talk show. These SNL folks just don't have a clue, yet they keep pulling in the big bucks for their flicks after leaving SNL. Must be a lot of dopers out there with ready cash for the movies. Movies like this are the best evidence yet for the long-term effects of dope. Every one of Dana's characters sounded nearly identical to the others; just different clothes and teeth. I think this is also evidence for the huge egos involved not only on the acting side, but also on the production side. The Hollywood producers really must think we're idiots out here in the hinterlands.
a comedy totally devoid of laughs
posted on 11 Jul 2009`The Master of Disguise' raises – and indeed answers – the question of whether or not it is possible for a movie that bills itself as a `comedy' to run from beginning to end without offering a single funny moment. (The answer, by the way, is, yes, it can be done). Thus, while his `Wayne's World' partner, Mike Myers, is out there making both a fortune and an indelible impression on pop culture with his `Austin Powers' franchise, poor Dana Carvey is reduced to appearing in disastrous vehicles like this one.
Now don't get me wrong. I love Carvey's work on `Saturday Night Live,' especially his impersonations of many of the major political figures of our time. However, Carvey's manic, over-the-top style is, apparently, a whole lot easier to take in small doses. Watching him mug, cavort and pratfall his way through a laughless script for the better part of an hour and a half ultimately becomes as wearying as it is embarrassing to watch.Stealing much of its concept from `The Mask,' `The Master of Disguise' involves Carvey in some nonsense about a family of crime fighters who are able to magically don all sorts of disguises at a moment's notice. This allows the filmmakers to enlist the aid of a number of real life celebrities who end up making cameo appearances, in the misguided belief, most likely, that this was going to be a fun, entertaining movie comedy. Boy, were they misled. Actually, I have rarely seen a film in which the jokes, `bits' and setups fall as consistently flat as they do here. To get a general notion of the level of humor in this film, please note that the running gag involves one character's tendency towards uncontrollable flatulence. It isn't funny the first time it happens and, believe me, it is even less funny the fourth, fifth (or is it sixth?) time around.In addition to the celebrity walk-ons (Bo Derek, Jesse Ventura, Paula Abdul, among others), Harold Gould, James Brolin, Jennifer Espinoto, Brent Spiner and Edie McClurg are all good sports who deserve better material than what they have been handed here. So is Carvey when you come right down to it.
But then Carvey wrote the screenplay, so he HAS to be a good sport about it.
After all, he handed HIMSELF this material. I hope the other actors trapped in this mess at least got paid well for their endeavors.The only good news is that, in the closing credits, we get to see many of the scenes, lines and characters that were, apparently, filmed, then dropped from the final product. One can only imagine how much worse the film would have been had they all been allowed to stay in.
Bad On So Many Levels
posted on 21 Jun 2009My daughter who is 5 loved the commercial for this movie. "Turtle turtle!" It was a catch phrase of hers for ahile. This came out on Pay Per View and always having liked Dana Carvey I thought this might be one of those films that parents and children could both enjoy. WRONG! Its just BAD! Even the "Turtle turtle" part was BAD! It was just an unfunny mess. It didnt work on ANY level. My daughter fell asleep about 25 minutes in. When the turtle part came on I thought about waking her,but didnt. Why bother?
A film for the very young-at-heart (or the very simple-minded)
posted on 21 Jun 2009I fully expected this film to be a vehicle for Carvey's numerous parodies as seen while a successful cast member of Saturday Night Live. In fact, this is what I was counting on. Instead, I was subjected to the most purile and sophomoric humor I have had to endure in a very long time. The entire film seems to have been haphazardly constructed to string together the many character impersonations he has developed, unfortunately, at the expense of an actual plot.The result is a disjointed storyline that even the pre-pubescent target audience must have found confusing, if not down right annoying. Considering that this film was obviously meant for a much younger viewer than the previews would have you believe, I was shocked when at one point in the story, Pistachio is taught that it is wrong to strike someone with a closed fist, but perfectly acceptable to slap them with an open palm, a technique used heavily throughout the film.Unless you are under the age of six, or just a die-hard Dana Carvey fan who can't miss a single one of his performances, I highly suggest you steer clear of this dog.
I really wanted to like this movie, but . . .
posted on 09 Jun 2009Simply put, this movie was so infantile it really was rather annoying. I normally love Dana Carvey. He was great in both "Wayne's World" movies, he was one of the reasons "Saturday Night Live" became funny again, he's always been hilarious when he's guest hosted SNL in later years, and his stand-up comedy, most especially his 1995 HBO special that aired frequently on Comedy Central, is uproariously funny.For those reasons, I really wanted Dana Carvey to make a big screen comeback and have a movie career as illustrious as Mike Myers'. However, I hope he gets another chance in the next few years with a supporting role in a better movie, because "The Master of Disguise" is so much of a disappointment I feel embarrassed for Dana Carvey.That's not to say that Dana Carvey doesn't have some moments of brilliance. His Al Pacino and George W. Bush imitations are both funny and on target, but everything else from his annoying Italian accent to his basic dialogue to his name (Come on, Pistachio?) bury those funny moments like a huge pile of rubble and scrap metal. This movie isn't like a car crash: it's like a wrecker carrying away the aftermath of the crash to the dump, and it's much easier to look away from that scene.Even though James Brolin, Harold Gould, and Jennifer Esposito obviously did their best with what was given to them, the movie as a whole just suffered. You can't blame them for not trying though. Highly anticipated movies like this usually suffer from a weak script, a disappointing ending, or the primary cast being so eclipsed by their fame and reputation that they show up to shoot drunk and stoned, and their jadedness shows through the screen. Fortunately, the latter wasn't true for this movie, but it still needed some major work.Since this movie bombed critically and commercially, Dana Carvey hasn't made any public appearances that I know of either in movies or on TV. I have the feeling, however, that the next project he works on, whatever it may be, will truly be a big comeback for him. Ellen Degenerous, Ben Affleck, and Woody Allen are among those who have made noteworthy and surprising comebacks during this decade so far, and Dana Carvey has the potential to do the same.
Master of Disgust
posted on 07 Jun 2009Pistachio's accent was irritating. Good impersonations: turtle man, 'W' Bush and Scarface character. I found a chuckle when Pistachio started dancing and flipping around the dance stage. My, how 'Data' ,Star Trek fame, has fallen! Would have been nice if Pistachio could have played a few more unique characters. Adam Sandler produced this movie?!?
Not just bad, annoying
posted on 30 May 2009The script is bad and the jokes and slapstick don't work, but the worst part of this movie is the truly annoying character voice that Dana's character uses throughout the movie. It was painful to sit through.The only mildly redeeming aspect was the endless stream of short comedy bites following the credits. They went on for so long and were almost as painful as the movie that my wife and I had to laugh. The movie just wouldn't end.
The truly sad thing about it is...
posted on 26 May 2009...I actually enjoyed the movie. I've always been a fan of Dana Carvey's, but as a general rule, I prefer his more...'realistic'...films. Namely, I liked 'Opportunity Knocks'. (So sue me, I'm a child of the '80s.) But while this movie had no storyline, no plot, and no really redeeming qualities, I actually got a laugh out of it. I went into this movie expecting cheesy schlock...y'know, like 'The Animal', 'Little Nicky', 'Wayne's World', etc. Not bad, per se, just would never win an academy award. This movie was the cheesiest of the cheesy. But Carvey's character was just so irritatingly cute in some areas, that I couldn't help but laugh.I would never add this movie to a collection, nor would I go out of my way to watch it again...it falls into the 'Zoolander' category of 'well, I saw it, it was kind of neat, but...I'd rather have bridge work without anaesthesia' category...but I did enjoy the one and only time I ever saw it. Probably because my expectations were so...I was pleased to find there was a little comedy in this movie.Ah, well...back to the slice 'em and dice 'em horrors that keep my interest these days. Star rating? Well, Dana Carvey gives it a two. ;)
Painful and awkward aren't funny
posted on 22 May 2009I've always been a Dana Carvey fan. He was funny on Saturday Night Live, funny in Wayne's World, and funny everywhere else that he wasn't bearing the full weight of a movie with the strength of his comedic ability.His big test came in Master of Disguise, and with it he flunked out of film school.Don't believe that just because you're a "comedy fan" (as one reviewer put it) that you'll somehow be rolling in the aisles at this. You won't. If you were in the theater, you'd probably walk out. Since you'll probably watch this at home, expect to walk out of your house, because the whole thing will be poisoned.The first poorly acted scene with legendary starlet Bo Derek was just a harbinger of things to come. Flailing confusion followed for the next 75 minutes, which seemed a stretched out version of a 45 minute script.The acting never convinced you of anything but the effect of weak directing. It was as if director Perry Blake was too afraid to tell his actors what to do. Few of them turned in a scene that didn't seem like a first take. The cameras just kept rolling anyway, perhaps trying to save money on film by not re-shooting anything.The costume-based jokes all fall flat in seconds. When a character is more creepy and awkward than funny, there's a problem. On a scale of 1 to 10, one being amusing and ten being creepy, the "Turtle Guy" scene was the proverbial 11. Note to all involved: A guy saying "turtle" in a weird sheepish voice isn't funny, and it certainly isn't funny when you've had him repeat it 20 times within five minutes as the only attempted joke in the entire scene.If the only comic relief next to the performance of confused, awkward "straight man" Jennifer Esposito is a guy repeating the same line over and over again, you're scraping the wood off the bottom of the laugh barrel. There's just nothing there to find remotely amusing. All the audience feels is pity for everyone involved in the movie, including themselves.That type of unnerving awkwardness repeats over and over again throughout the movie, halted only briefly by comedic gems left completely unexplored like the "Classmates.com" profile in which the evil villain (played by Brent Spiner, who once again had nothing to work with) gives away his entire plan.What you get is an unfunny, unbearable view of Dana Carvey and many of his cast mates committing career suicide right in front of you. If you want to watch a movie that makes you feel joy, laughter, intrigue, and other positive feelings, watch something else. If you want to ride a roller-coaster of unrequited emotion as you hope over and over again that Dana Carvey is funny for his own sake, only to be let down over and over again until you push the stop button, this one's for you. It's not funny; it's sad.
Maybe the Worst Big Studio Comedy Ever
posted on 16 May 2009I have just returned from taking my seven year old to see this movie, and I am still numb from the experience. The only thing worth saying about this pile of dreck is that it is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with big studio comedies today times two hundred. After five minutes, I was stunned at how poorly paced, acted, written, directed, shot, and even lit this turkey was. After an hour, I was just sad. My mind started wandering to all the other things that could have been done with the money and effort wasted on this complete travesty. To excuse the inanity of this movie by saying it's a kid's film is an insult to the intelligence and wit of children everywhere. To downplay the utter creative failure this movie represents by noting that it turned a profit is too cynical to fathom. This is, quite simply, one of the worst movies ever made. Period. Dana Carvey, Adam Sandler, I want you to give me back the ninety minutes of my life I wasted watching your movie.
Impossible To Disguise Unfunny Movie
posted on 12 May 2009Comedy is one of the hardest arm forms to perfect, and, as all great comedians know, the key is timing. Dana Carvey is a funny guy, but unfortunately the director of this half-hearted effort clearly knows nothing of timing. SNL alum Carvey (Wayne's World) plays Pistachio Disguisey, a well-meaning Italian waiter with an annoying tendency toward slap-stick idiocy. Take for example, an early scene where he trips and dumps spaghetti all over the heads of a wealthy family. He then proceeds to grate cheese on them. If you find this description hilarious, this is a good movie for you. The plot, although completely inconsequential, involves Disguisey's revelation that he is a member of the legendary Disguisey family which means that he has the god-given talent to transform himself into anyone or anything he wants. He uses this talent to find his parents, who have been kidnapped by the evil and flatulent Devlin Bowman. To help him out, he joins with sexy partner Jennifer Baker (Jennifer Esposito, doing her best to save this movie) with whom he has some romantic tension, even though, in his opinion, her butt is too small. That's basically the level of intelligence in this movie. Other winning jokes include gags about cow pies, explosive flatulence, and wearing> underwear on one's head. Blatantly quoting lines directly from `Shrek' serves only as a testament to how few new ideas this movie has. Are there no funny moments? To be honest, there are a few. Carvey pulls off a dead-on impersonation of Robert Shaw's character from `Jaws' in one of the few scenes that hits its mark. Jennifer Esposito puts in a charming performance. And, in what is unquestionably the movie's funniest moment, pistachio quotes from Madonna's `Papa Don't Preach.' But will kids appreciate any of the elements I just mentioned? No, of course they won't. and hopefully, they'll be intelligent enough to not appreciate anything else this tired and unfunny movie throws at them. (*/****)
erm....
posted on 08 May 2009As funny as Dana Carvey tried to be... the movie fell short of his comedic skills. True at times you couldnt help but laugh at some of his antics, it was a really hard movie to believe. And the insistent appearance of the boom mike in a bout half the scenes was VERY annoying.
On a scale from 1-10, even 1 is too high!
posted on 04 May 2009This movie is the worth pile of (insert the worst word you can think of). It is a direct insult to anyone who paid to see it, and even freeloaders will regret this.I used to love Dana Carvey when he did Saturday Night Live, and this was my main motivation to see this film, but this seems to be the end of the man - if there is any fairness in the world. I feel directly hurt watching him insult me and other viewers with this Jim Carrey wannabe-crap (remark, I have no problem with Carrey, only the wannabe's!). This man had his own style but he sold out in the very worst way.There is no point in this film, it's not funny, it's sad. All attempts fall to the ground and this movie should never have been!!!On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 (which is awful) is still WAY too over rated! THIS IS, in short, THE SORT OF GARBAGE THAT ORDINARY GARBAGE WOULD FROWN UPON!Sorry, Carvey! VERY sorry!
As poor as it gets
posted on 04 May 2009Can't believe Adam Sandler produced this! This movie was so bad I was embarrased to watch it with my kids. My son is 10 and he lost interest after the initial 30 minutes. All I can say is this is as bad as it gets. The only thing that kept me in the movie was Jennifer Esposito, and it was real close!
I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!
posted on 02 May 2009In a world of horrible movies(rainman,braveheart,pulp fiction) you need a good movie once in a while. That's why this flick is so great. Whoever doesnt like it has a few screws loose and this movie should definetly win best picture at next years academy awards with no-contest whatsoever. 10 out of 10 for excellence. Great plot too!
What are you idiots smoking?
posted on 24 Apr 2009This has to be Dana Carvey's best work since Wayne's World. My brother and I have just seen it and we were cracking up at every turn. Each of his disguises(especially the Turtle, Terry Suave and Quinn from Jaws) For those of you who listened to the other reviews, here the truth: (Spoilers Ahead) Dana Carvey plays Pistachio, the son of a restaurant owner. What He doesn't know, is that his father is a Master of Disguise. One day, an old enemy that his father p****d off kidnaps his parents, Pistachio must try to save them. His Grandfather arrives and teaches him his heritage as a Master of Disguise, and teams him with an assistant named Jennifer. The two track down the villain, while Pistachio uses a variety of disguises to save the day. So take it from someone that's seen a lot of comedies. If you like movies like Wayne's World, you'll love this movie
stop taking this movie so seriously
posted on 22 Apr 2009i am sick of all you people who are saying this is the worst movie ever or that is not funny. ITS A FRIGGIN KIDS MOVIE!!! if your gonna take a movie like this that seriously u shouldn't watch comedies.. or any other movie for that matter. it was for kids, it makes kids laugh, so thats all that matters. we need more good kid shows like this. i agree it wasn't my favorite Dana Carvey movie but thats not the point. to all of you that say this is the worst movie ever, obviously you've never seen Ghost Lake or Gili. now those are movies that deserve bad criticsm. leave the kids movies alone. there not meant to win Oscars or any other award, they're just meant to entertain kids and people with an open mind, which this movie does successfully. if your gonna see this movie, i recommend that you have one or the other. just stop giving it such negative feedback. all it does is make you sound like an idiot for dissing a movie,or watching a movie for that matter, meant for eight year old's. And to all of you who honestly thought is was a movie for older people and thought it would have "adult humor" how damn stupid can you be. what in the previews or trailers made it sound adult, was it the slapping machine, the turtle scene, the meant-to-be-fake Italian accent, because all those things just scream "PG-13". dumbasses. this may seem a little harsh and rude, but from what i've read about this movie and the harsh criticism its been getting, you all deserve it.
Well Sort of Stupid
posted on 24 Aug 2009This movie I saw with some friends and at the end of the movie we all felt kind of empty, it just did nothing for anyone watching it. Dana Carvey is quite funny, but still he was not as good as he could be I think that this movie is worth seeing once and only once after that it should be never seen again, this will not be on my DVD christmas list this year.