The Specials (2000)

Good concept, poorly executed.

As Good As It Gets

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The specials, like Mystery Men, could have been a truly great cult classic. Instead, we are left with a wildly uneven film that can go from brilliant to inane in just a few seconds. While this movie does have a truly inspired premise as well as some well thought out and well written gags. This is especially true for the power of the newest special, Birdgirl. Another great aspect is the conflict "Minute Man" has over the pronunciation of his name. These moments of brilliance are few and far between however, and the film suffers from long stretches that drag, horrible performances from everybody not named Rob Low or Thomas Hayden Church, and cussing that seems to be thrown in for only cheap laughs.

First of all any one who wants to see this because they liked Mystery Men, it is not even close to the same kind of film.Second of all anyone, who didn't like this movie because it wasn't like Mystery Men, you're an idiot and no one wants to hear what you say.The key differences are. Mystery Men was based on actual characters from a comic called "The Flaming Carrot" which is in its own right an amazing piece of work. On the other hand "The Specials" was completely fabricated.Also if you want to see this because you liked "Spiderman" or "X- Men", yet have never read any comics, you probably won't get it.The entire premise of the movie is to show what the members of a team of superheroes do on their day off. It shows all the petty bickering, and the flaws and downfalls of the characters. It tries to say "Superheroes are people too", and it does this beautifully.I loved both Mystery Men and The Specials, but would never try to compare the two. That would be like trying to compare "Sin City" with a movie based on "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac" just because they are both graphic novels.If you watch this movie, it definitely helps to be a comic book fan-boy or fan-girl, the jokes are very tongue in cheek, and very well written. Yes there are the standard poop, fart and penis jokes, but keep in mind, it is a comedy and these things make people laugh as well.This is one of very few movies I give a 10 out of 10 too, and while in other cases with other movies I would listen to any intelligent argument put up by anyone with a different few, in this case, if you didn't like this movie you were just to dumb to get it and don't deserve debating with me

Maybe it's just me, but personally, I think that "The Specials" could have been SO much better!! One of the things that worked against it was the fact that the film was full of unsavoury, obnoxious, detestable, self-centred characters (with the exception of a few of them). I could see the irony the makers of this film were trying to get across, but it could have done with having just a little bit more super-hero action injected into the proceedings.As a biting satire on the super-hero/comic book industry, the "Mystery Men" movie was far more entertaining, and had far more action. Its appeal was far more wide-reaching.

I rarely rent DVDs, because I see a theatrical film about every other week, and have about 35 movie channels & a DVR to catch the more obscure ones. After reading The Scarecrow Video Guide, I decided to join Netflix and made a list of out-of-the-mainstream movies , and old classics I'd missed. The Specials was the first one I watched.At the time this was made, it's no wonder it didn't get much of a release. Rob Lowe, was still in the early stages of his West Wing comeback, Thomas Hayden Church was a barely remembered sitcom has-been, & Jamie Kennedy was primarily known as the annoying guy from Scream. The rest of the cast was pretty much unknown. (The trailer on the DVD lists Melissa Joan Hart 4th, despite the fact that she appears in exactly one scene.) On top of the cast issues, the plot sounds similar to Mystery Men, which had bombed a year earlier.Now, Lowe is respected again, Kennedy is an above the title star (nevermind the quality of the titles), and Hayden-Church is an Oscar nominee. Meanwhile most of the rest of the cast have become cult TV/film favorites... Sean Gunn from Gilmore Girls, Judy Greer from Arrested Development, Paget Brewster from Andy Richter and Huff, and Jordan Ladd from Cabin Fever and Club Dread.The fun script is what holds it together. Written by (and co-starring) Sean Gunn's brother James halfway between his Troma stint and the unbearable Scooby Doo 2, it's a creative look at the mundane part of being a super-hero. Unlike Mystery Men, which depended too much on special effects, this film has virtually NO action. It's just a series of amusing character pieces. It never really delivers on laughs (except when the gang gets their own action figures), but it's consistently interesting and different. When the film gets to the goofy musical/dance scene so common nowadays, the song featured is not a pop hit, but an obscure 70's novelty song. I found myself grinning ear to ear, despite the fact that it serves NO purpose.The direction is flat, but fitting to the subject matter. All in all, a fun way to spend 90 minutes and certainly worth a rental.Next on my film adventure- Steven Soderburgh's Schitzopolis!