Release Date: August 2, 2002
Starring: Dana Carvey, Jennifer Esposito, James Brolin, Brent Spiner
Directed by: Perry Andelin Blake
Written by: Dana Carvey, Harris Goldberg
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG (mild language, some crude humor)
Dana Carvey, while successful as a sketch comedian known for his skillful impersonations and off-the-wall characters during his years on television’s “Saturday Night Live,” seems to have lost a vital element to his comedy: material. On “SNL,” he had teams of writers from NBC working with him; with The Master of Disguise, however, Carvey, with the help of co-writer Harris Goldberg, apparently thinks he can take on the challenge of writing a whole screenplay that tries to tie together nothing more than a couple dozen five minute skits.
It doesn’t help that this comedy vehicle has a simplistic and predictable plot that only children under ten could possibly enjoy. In an attempt to grab attention from more mature viewers, a few subtle adult jokes are thrown in along with cameos from recognizable stars. (Regardless of relevance to the plot, Carvey will provoke a chuckle from even the harshest critic with his impressions of Al Pacino in Scarface, Robert Shaw in Jaws, and some other unique characters.) Unfortunately, none of these other characters can hold a candle to the classic “SNL” creations that made Carvey famous, which were erroneously and surprisingly absent from the film.
Instead, he plays Pistachio Disguisey, a friendly Italian waiter at his father Fabbrizio (James Brolin, Traffic)’s restaurant who has uncontrollable urges to mock his customers and change his appearance. This is only natural because the Disguisey men are renowned for their abilities to disguise themselves into anyone and take on their personas flawlessly using the great power of “Energico.”
Pistachio, however, has been kept in the dark about his family’s secret legacy because his father believes it is no life for anyone, let alone his only son, to lead. Meanwhile Fabbrizio’s talent makes him the kidnapping target of his former nemesis, Devlin Bowman (Brent Spiner, Star Trek: Insurrection), a criminal mastermind bent on stealing the world’s most precious treasures. With the help of his beautiful assistant Jennifer (Jennifer Esposito, Don’t Say a Word), Pistachio must become a master of disguise to foil Bowman’s plan and save his parents.
The Master of Disguise relies heavily on funny voices and hokey childish jokes, one of which involves endless flatulence. It also counts on Carvey’s ability to play multiple personalities -- an attribute that doesn’t work well for a feature film. Rarely does the film run smoothly scene to scene. He’s one character, then another, then yet another. In fact, the reel of excess footage in the end credits probably does in ten minutes what the entire film had failed to do for the previous hour -- showcasing Carvey’s talents as a character actor in an entertaining manner.
Audiences will expect more from Carvey than he actually delivers in the film. Instead of incorporating classic characters such as Jimmy Stewart, George Bush, Ross Perot, the Church Lady, or even his best-known turn as Garth Algar (Mike Myers’ sidekick in Wayne’s World), Carvey sugarcoats his characters in an effort to make them more kid-friendly. Perhaps a combination of old and new elements of his shtick would’ve made the film more bearable for the parents that bring their children to see it.
But there’s really no advice that can be given to Dana Carvey to improve his movie career except maybe to avoid writing his own films. Another collaboration with Myers might do him so good; going solo hasn’t worked out for him on the numerous occasions he’s tried it -- in fact, Carvey may truly become a master of disguise when this movie falls into obscurity with the rest of his recent busts.
all contents © 2002 Ed Malinowski