The Master of Disguise (2002) User Reviews

At least Carvey is being sincere..........

[FlashCallahan · 4/10 · 18 May 2014]

Pistachio Disguisey, a waiter at his fathers restaurant, can't figure out why he compulsively mimics his customers and desires to change his appearance.

What he doesn't know is that these traits are part of the Disguisey family legacy. The family come from a long line of people who are able to mask themselves as almost anyone or anything by harnessing the great power of Energico.

Such a talent makes his father the target of his arch-enemy Devlin Bowman, a criminal mastermind.

Now Pistachio must make the most of his inherited power in an attempt to track down Devilin and save his parents......

What makes this obvious disaster the watchable mess that it is, is the fact that Carvey is genuinely putting his all into the film, and looking like he's at least trying to make something that's worth watching.

It's the poor script, the really bad jokes, and the embarrassing looks from Brolin and Spiner that make the film the dog that it is. And as for the disguises, well the Robert Shaw one was okay, but the Turtle one? It just boggles the mind.

Esposito is okay for what she is doing, but half the time she looks like she is ready to burst out laughing.

It's not as bad as its notoriety suggests, but it's very poor indeed.

Worth watching for Carvey trying to hold everything together. No wonder he never made another movie.

this is a comedy(if only it were funny)

[disdressed12 · 2/10 · 22 May 2007]

in this Movie Dana Carvey hides his face behind many disguises.unfortunately someone also hid all the laughs,somewhere no one will likely find them.this is billed as a comedy,which is OK,but it's not funny.it's not even amusing.it is however,stupid in all the bad ways possible there are some talented actors in this movie,but i guess sometimes actors sign without reading the script,(or what passes for one,in this case)Dana Carvey certainly has some comedic talent,but aside from the two "Wayne's World" films,he hasn't has a chance to showcase it.i kinda felt sorry for all involved.it was truly embarrassing and painful to watch.i'd have to give "Master Of Disguise" 2/10

I Thought It Would Have Been Good to See Dana Carvey Back But..

[noahk · 3/10 · 4 August 2002]

Oh my! "Opportunity Knocks" and "Clean Slate" were not exactly film classics, although compared to this movie, they may as well have been works of Shakespeare. Arguably the dumbest movie I have ever paid money to see in theatre (thanks to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" being sold out), this does not fit in the dumb but funny category of most of Adam Sandler's or Chris Farley's films, but in the jaw-droppingly dumb category. My wife and I often gazed at each other in amazement during this movie, unable to exactly process that something this truly silly and dumb was made (much less by Dana Carvey and Adam Sandler) and even stranger that others in the crowded theatre were laughing their heads off! We were excited to see Dana Carvey back in the movies, but there was good reason why this movie was not screened for review ahead of time.

To continue, I should say we had misgivings about seeing the film after the TV trailers that kept showing the "turtle" sequence, but decided that part was just silly fun and there's no way the rest of the movie could be so unclever and dumb. To our amazement, that was easily the most intelligent and serious part of the film! Think carefully before wasting your time with this one.. I score it a generous 3/10.

Master Of Disguise...more than meets the eye.

[qtrnevermore · 27 July 2002]

Sheer genius cannot even begin to properly address this cinematic achievement, to call it any less is an insult. Dana Carvey, on the surface, plays a bumbling Italian waiter who inherits the power of disguise; however, if you dig a bit deeper & peel away the layers, you'll find a motion picture which is a scathing, yet biting social political statement on society as a whole. One cannot begin to hopefully comprehend or decipher all the psychological & stereotypical boundaries this film breaks. It is a surprise to find this film in mainstream theaters as a film on this level & caliber would normally only be found in the finest arthouse theaters. If you plan on seeing Master of Disguise, I suggest keeping your afternoon free, as after viewing, no after witnessing it, you'll need the rest of the afternoon to invest in deciphering the dense narrative. Admittingly some of the jokes were over my head, but all truly great comedies take a bit of effort for comprehension. Only for serious film viewers & students of the artform as a whole.

What are you expecting?

[view_and_review · 5/10 · 24 July 2004]

I found this movie quite enjoyable, and certainly not deserving of the 3 point whatever rating it has. I don't know what most of the voters were expecting, it was obviously a family movie, and I appreciated that. There was no graphic violence, just some slapping, nor were there any sex references, nor any inappropriate jokes (the flatulence jokes were a bit overdone).

The movie was humorous, nothing gut busting, but it had enough funny parts to keep me smiling or chuckling the whole time. There were no real lulls or low points, just a nice even keel.

This movie is middle of the road. I give it a 5 out of 10.

Perhaps I'm being lenient because it wasn't horrid....

[tzmalone · 5/10 · 6 August 2002]

...but it wasn't. It had cameos almost as good as "Goldmember". It has a babe as babe-esque as "Men in Black II." And though it did have a running fart gag, it wasn't as gagging as Fat Bastard's. It was...well, restrained. Dana Carvey wasn't doing Jerry Lewis. His character actually was trainable and actually could take care of himself, push come to shove. And that was worth an extra point up the rating scale.

i may be only 14 but....

[ShortCuteBlonde · 1/10 · 22 September 2002]

this movie was way way way way kiddish, it was cute and everything, a cute idea and all that but it was way too kiddish for anyone over 8, i mean it was funny at some parts but kind of annoying at most, i wouldnt reccomend it for many, it bored me right down to the ground so dont go see it unless your with your little brother or sister or are a parent

Embarrassing

[johnmichael-2 · 1/10 · 10 October 2006]

I was lucky enough that I got to watch this film on a road trip in someone else's car, as opposed to wasting 90 minutes of my own time (as well as a couple bucks). If you are forced to watch this film, that is probably the only time you should waste watching it. It tries to be funny, but fails miserably. I believe one review I read of it said that it disguised its funny moments better than the main character disguised himself. Sadly, that's the complete truth. Adults, you will find nothing here that's amusing, unless you're really into totally lame, flat jokes. Kids, you will neither find anything amusing in the movie, as the actors are not funny enough to entice any one of any age. The direction was also poor, and the crude humor was (as is in most movies) pointless and dumb. I felt embarrassed just watching it. Skip this movie, and you will miss nothing.

Dana, what in goodness name were you THINKING?!??!?!

[lambiepie-2 · 1/10 · 7 August 2005]

Oh my....was this a stinker.

I tired to give it as much of a chance as possible because..you cannot believe everything you read from critics..and you cannot believe everything you hear.

With "the Master of Disguise", you can. This was awful. I don't really think they meant it to be awful, I mean the story sounded good, I'm sure...on paper..to a bunch of film executives who were drunk at the time they heard it. Then it probably got by a bunch of other folks in various forms of development who thought, "This could really be a silly little film that would catch on". But it wasn't and didn't.

In some other universe, I wish there was a better script to punch up the story but they relied too much on Dana's characters that were god-awful and unfunny. This movie was painful to watch -- painful to see talented people on film in a very untalented movie. Someone should have pulled the plug..ceased production for a decade..something..anything.

But here we are. This is a major pass..under any circumstance.

Master of Disaster

[SmileysWorld · 1/10 · 28 August 2002]

Dana Carvey is an extremely talented comedian,which makes it a shame that his efforts since his Saturday Night Live days have fallen,at least for the most part,miserably flat.The latest effort,The Master of Disguise,is no exception.This film is horrid from top to bottom.It is a poor execution of what was a poor story idea to begin with.Executive Producer Adam Sandler's ideas about comedy may work when Sandler himself is in the film,but he has yet to produce a good effort when solely behind the camera.Carvey's efforts to make this a good film are indeed valiant,but he can't do it alone.Even the character names (Pistachio Disguisey?) are evidence that not a lot thought were given to them.The supporting cast seems lost to the point where they don't give good support at all.Don't waste your time or your money.Here's hoping that Dana Carvey will strike creative gold in the near future.He deserves it.

watch the trailer

[Natman86 · 1/10 · 28 March 2005]

Sitting through this movie is completely worthless because everything that appears to be funny is in the trailer. I went expecting to see Dana Carvey go crazy with all kinds of disguises, but he is in costume for only the last 20 minutes or so, and basically every single one of the disguises is in the trailer. Don't waste your time, watch something else.

Elements of the plot that attempt to keep the movie going for the first hour are immature and crude. It isn't suitable for young kids and adults have nothing to laugh at. Nothing is clever or creative. The movie is a sad jumble of wasted film. Unfortunate the Carvey submitted himself to such a production.

Tuuuuuurtle

[sdutend · 10/10 · 13 March 2019]

Become another person become another person become another person become another person become another person become another person become another person

does not deserve to be in the bottom 100

[robot-cat · 6/10 · 19 February 2004]

i'm in my early 30s and i thought it was funny. it's certainly not on par with the brilliant comedies made by monty python, but it's much better than 95% of the PG-13 garbage that continues to be released.

it was refreshing to see a PG comedy that wasn't centered around children. i really liked the gammy num nums disguise, and i wish they had been able to work the Mayor Maynot disguise in the movie along with the painting guy. thankfully they were both on the DVD.

i've watched it twice now, and will watch it again. dana talked (on a DVD featurette) about how he originally wanted to make a mission impossible type comedy with the master of disguise being part of the team, so maybe he'll go to back to that for a sequel; although, it seems unlikely since the first seems to be rather unpopular.

6/10

The Trailers were Funnier than the Film.

[dballred · 1/10 · 4 January 2003]

As I was leaving the theater, I overheard one 12-year old tell another, "that was a dumb movie." About the only laughter I heard during the showing of this so-called comedy were toddlers responding to Brent Spiner's flatulence. If you haven't seen it yet, it's probably best you keep it that way. I gave it a '1' because I couldn't find the zero button.

Completely silly, completely stupid, completely hilarious

[Sex Baby · 11 August 2002]

I have to say, I'm a little dissapointed that everyone's ripping this movie to pieces. Granted... the story makes very little sense (this didn't seem to stop Austin Powers 3 from getting rave reviews), but you know what? So what? This film is a fast-paced kid's movie and there's only one reason to see it: Dana Carvey. He's absolutely brilliant. He creates one of his best characters ever (The Turtle) and does some of his best impersonations ever as well (Robert Shaw from "Jaws" was a personal highlight of mine.)

When I saw this film, everyone in the theater laughed the whole way through. This is a film that will completely go over your head if you try to intellectualize it. It's just good, dumb fun. It reminds me a bit of those really insane 60s comedies, except that it's for kids. I have a feeling that this film will come to be appreciated over time on video and tv.

The Worst F***ing Movie Ever

[ericcaneers · 1/10 · 2 April 2005]

The Master of Disguise was awful. Awful is putting it lightly. There is not a single word in the English dictionary to describe how bad this movie was. Dana Carvey please never star in another movie again, just throw in the towel. Perry Andelin Blake please never direct another movie as long as you live. Honestly I'm contemplating suing Mr. Blake for wasting 1 1/2 hours of my life. Your last hit movie was ten years ago (Happy Glimore). The Master of Disguise was a waste of money. Wasn't funny at all. The only joke that was semi funny was the turtle joke which I saw in the previews. Consider this your warning, don't waste your time or your money on The Master of Disguise.

Don't watch!

[deadend-2 · 1/10 · 31 March 2005]

Master of disguise is (Sort of) comedy movie to all family. I didn't laugh in any part of it (Even for it huge stupidity!). Main character of the film is some kinda Italian nerd that speaks really annoying. He's family tree contains only some freaks who can disguise themselves for anything they like. So He's "Papa" Tells him that and now he must use he's new powers. Good script, eh...? Is this funny: He goes to club witch name is "Tortoile club". So he uses he's brains and goes inside dressed like... A TORTOILE! Was that funny? It was not? Well... That was kinda best joke of this film. There is nothing else than just "kids jokes". Beside I think that children just starts to cry... I wouldn't buy this film even if it would be for free! If you don't like great movies or interesting scripts this movie is for you! Otherwise: don't watch it.

A comedy that makes you wish you were dead

[isaacbbabcock · 1/10 · 28 March 2007]

If I could give this movie a negative rating, I would have.

I loved Dana Carvey on SNL. He was funny, had great timing. He did a great job in the Wayne's World movies too. He worked great when his movies stayed within the 15-30 demographic.

Then he destroyed his career with the Master of Disguise.

This 'comedy' was so bad that it made me feel terrible just for watching it. I was embarrassed to be watching this movie in public. There's nothing funny about openly pitying an actor as you watch him force the run time to 80 minutes with jokes so flat they don't even register above the painfully boring dialog.

"Painful" is a good way to describe this movie. Nothing works. Sometimes you can't even tell when the jokes had happened. That's how bad they were. I watched this with my brother and found myself asking "was that supposed to be a joke?" I guess so, because it happened over and over again.

I don't find his fake Italian accent as annoying as many of the reviewers, but how the hell is repeating the word "turtle" over and over again while dressed in a turtle suit to get into a turtle club supposed to be funny, let alone plausible in the plot? Was everybody involved with the film consistently drunk as this was being made? Surely somebody must have said something like "Guys, this really sucks. Lets burn it and never speak of it again." I suggest anybody who accidentally came into possession of this bumbling nightmare do the same, to rid the world of its horrors forever.

Master of Crap is more like it

[femme_fatale7 · 1/10 · 2 June 2003]

A truely horrible movie. I don't care if it's meant for kids, even eight year old boys should be able to watch this and say, "that was the worst movie i have ever seen." It's sensless, plotless, and just generally stupid. Full of crude humor (which isn't even funny) and bad acting, this (along with "the tuxedo") is one movie which doesn't deserve to be called that, a movie.

A film for the very young-at-heart (or the very simple-minded)

[Blade-3 · 1/10 · 2 February 2003]

I 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.

Worst Movie Ever

[tmanbelief · 1/10 · 15 May 2003]

I like Dana Carvey very much; however, I did not get one laugh out of this "comedy." It was the worst 1 1/2 hours I have ever wasted. I cannot believe that anybody would waste the time, money or film for this absolutely ridiculous attempt at a comedy.

There's No Disguising This As a Good Movie...(Contains Spoilers...As if it even matters)

[John-Athens · 2/10 · 4 August 2002]

Before I saw this movie, I thought there was a good reason for the "Turtle Guy" but I was wrong because there isn't even a good reason for this movie!

This movie is awful. Its fast-paced for no reason, the plot is incoherent, and the jokes are bland and played out. I think this movie should have been named "Spy Kids" because the real Spy Kids makes this movie look infant.

Where to start...Where to start...Dana Carvey's Character, Pistachio Disguisey, is not a lovable character...You feel sorry for him. He has the mind of an eight-year-old and you can tell that from the beginning. And it boggles the mind that Jennifer Esposito's character...Named Jennifer could even fall in love with a moron like him. James Brolin might as well stick to his AAMCO commercials, because after his character gets kidnapped, James himself spends the a good part of the movie in the back seat of a car, not to mention his overly played Italian accent that sounds more like an Italian-American accent. And Brent Spiner, what were you thinking? His character, Devlin Bowman, is just a villain without a cause, or should I say a villain without a reason for his cause. His character wants to steal all the world's rarest items but instead, for what reason was not disclosed at all.

Master of Disguise is like connect the dots without dots...Its nothing to connect to. I wanted this movie to be funny, because I like Dana Carver, but it just wasn't... Sorry Dana.

Very funny

[sachinphanse · 8/10 · 30 March 2007]

I am shocked to see such a low user rating for this movie. Looking at the user rating of 2.9, one may think that its one of the worst movie ever made but that would not be right. I saw this movie a few years back on TV and thought it was really funny. Yes, this movie doesn't make any sense but that's why its a silly movie but it sure makes you laugh and that's the reason why we watch a comedy. By the way, not many great comedy movies make sense or adhere to logic all the time because they need not do that, they are just suppose to be funny. So don't be fooled by the poor user rating and watch the movie and then decide whether it is really that bad.

not for narrow-minded people over 12 years old

[gvit-2 · 7/10 · 7 June 2005]

I mean, c'mon!! It was supposed to be dumb! My kid laughed and his friends laughed and I admit even I laughed at "Who's your Daddy?". After two viewings over the weekend, the kids were quite solemnly quoting lines and then laughing. OK there's a fart joke too many, big deal, Carvey has a good time putting on tons of costumes and following the obviously silly story line as if it was something credible. The 2.9 average here is completely off base. It's not gonna be anybody's all-time classic favorite, but the way this film got sent to the cleaner really is almost unique. If you have a roomful of 11 to 13 year old boys, it's raining and it's absolutely necessary to kill a couple of hours, you'd probably rate really high if you brought this back from the rental shop.

2ND WORST MOVIE OFF ALL TIME

[rhyno-44821 · 1/10 · 7 July 2021]

This movie has no good jokes, bad characters and even more flippin bad writing. Dana Carvey should have never created this movie at any point. The worst Happy Madison movie ever.