| The Master of Disguise | |
|---|---|
Promotional film poster |
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| Directed by | Perry Andelin Blake |
| Produced by | Barry Bernardi Sid Ganis Todd Garner Adam Sandler Alex Siskin |
| Written by | Dana Carvey Harris Goldberg |
| Narrated by | Harold Gould |
| Starring | Dana Carvey Jennifer Esposito Harold Gould James Brolin Brent Spiner |
| Music by | Marc Ellis |
| Cinematography | Peter Lyons Collister |
| Editing by | Peck Prior Sandy Solowitz |
| Studio | Revolution Studios Happy Madison |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 2, 2002 |
| Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $16 million[1] |
| Box office | $43,411,001 [1] |
The Master of Disguise is a American family fantasy comedy film released in 2002 starring actors Dana Carvey, Jennifer Esposito, James Brolin and Brent Spiner. Adam Sandler produced The Master of Disguise through his Happy Madison production company.
Contents |
In Palermo, Italy in 1979, Fabbrizio Disguisey (James Brolin), the latest in a long line of Italian secret agents known as "Masters of Disguise," barely avoids getting caught while breaking up a smuggling ring run by the evil Devlin Bowman (Brent Spiner) while disguised as Bo Derek. Bowman goes to jail and Fabbrizio decides it best to keep his family's identity a secret from his infant son, Pistachio.
Twenty-three years later, Fabbrizio runs an Italian restaurant in America with his unnamed wife (Edie McClurg) and Pistachio (Dana Carvey) working as, respectively, the cook and a waiter. Thanks to his yet-untold family heritage, Pistachio has a tendency to mock people at random, doing perfect but annoying and badly timed impersonations. He's also looking for a wife, but his nerdy demeanor makes him unlikeable to women, as well as a target for bullies, like fellow waiter Rex (Jay Johnston).
One night, the unthinkable happens. Devlin Bowman, fresh out of jail, kidnaps Fabbrizio and "Mama," forcing the former to use his Disguisey powers to steal legendary artifacts like the U.S. Constitution. Meanwhile, Pistachio is visited by his unnamed grandfather (Harold Gould), who reveals Pistachio's heritage and begins training him in the ways of becoming a Master of Disguise.
Eventually, Pistachio gets the basics of the Disguisey way down and his grandfather gets him an assistant, the gorgeous Jennifer Baker (Jennifer Esposito), who is a little confused about what the job entails.
The two search the area where Fabbrizio was kidnapped and find one of Bowman's cigars, which is emblazoned with the symbol of the "Turtle Club." Pistachio disguises himself as a man who dresses and acts like a turtle. They manage to learn Bowman's name and scheme, as well as that he'll be at an antiques fair the next day.
Pistachio and Jennifer go to the fair, the former disguised as an elderly woman named Gammy Num-Nums. They meet Bowman, who invites Jennifer to a party at his house. Pistachio goes to the party disguised as Tony Montana and distracts Bowman while Jennifer looks for clues. Though she gets it, Pistachio causes so much trouble that he's forced to abandon Jennifer when Bowman sends his men after him.
Pistachio loses the henchmen by disguising himself as shark-hunter Quint. He uses other disguises, like Bavarian tax agent Constable Mueller and British secret agent Terry Suave, to get Jennifer to safety.
That night, Pistachio and Jennifer look through the clues at a local restaurant, and they deduce that Bowman has forced Fabbrizio to go back to his disguising ways to steal the treasures for Bowman. While there, they find Jennifer's boyfriend out on a date with Pistachio's old flame, Sophia. Pistachio then ends up slapping him into submission, then leaving with the love-struck Jennifer.
Bowman's men kidnap Jennifer as soon as they arrive back at her home. Her son, Barney (Austin Wolff), whom Pistachio has befriended, finds him talking with his grandfather via hologram and a plan is formed. Pistachio, disguised as a cherry pie, breaks into Bowman's house and stops the auction. But even after defeating Bowman's ninja army, Bowman has one final trick up his sleeve. He has attached a mask of his own face to Fabbrizio's head, making him appear to be Bowman. While the real Bowman escapes, Pistachio is forced to fight his father.
In the end, Pistachio helps his father snap out of it, they free "Mama," return the artifacts, Pistachio marries Jennifer, and becomes an official Master of Disguise. However, there is one final thing to deal with -- Bowman still has the Constitution. Luckily, the Disguiseys find him in Costa Rica. Disguised as George W. Bush, he, along with Fabbrizio and his grandfather, defeat Bowman once and for all.
The film received a universally negative response. Many critics considered the plot sophomoric, compounding the fact that there were several "disguises" that would clearly not be recognized by youngsters (Tony Montana from Scarface, for example). In March 2007, aggregate review website Rotten Tomatoes ranked the movie as the 18th worst-reviewed movie of the 00's decade, with a 2% fresh rating.[2] Comedian and former Mystery Science Theater 3000 host Michael J. Nelson named the film the third-worst comedy ever made.[3] Bo Derek's cameo in the film earned her a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actress. Toni Ruberto of Buffalo News stated: "it's a kid-friendly family film with lots of good old-fashioned laughs."