Mystery Team – DVD Review
T
he Flick:
Comedy troupes are a dime a dozen, but every now and then a group emerges victorious from the flames of the unfunny masses. Combining the sensibilities of Encyclopedia Brown with balls out comedy, YouTube sensation Derrick Comedy proves that they have what it takes to kick Hollywood’s ass with their own brand of funny.
Mystery Team harkens back to a time when club houses were all the rage and kid detectives were the bedrock of the suburban neighborhood. It tells the story of three friends that started solving mysteries when they were just seven year old kids and never stopped. They also haven’t changed much either. They still charge 10 cents for a case and run home from school for tall glasses of chocolate milk. The team consists of three members. There’s Jason (Donald Glover) the master of disguise, Duncan (D.C. Pierson) the boy genius, and Charlie (Dominic Dierkes) the strongest kid in town. Their simple diet of suburban mysteries is interrupted when they are asked to solve a real life murder. Hilarious shenanigans, naked ladies, poop, blood, vomit, and an honest to goodness mystery ensue.
When faced with a real mystery, the Mystery Team start to question their validity. Murder is much more dangerous than figuring out who stuck their finger in a pie, and as a result their confidence is tested. Along the way they grow up, fall in love, and realize that despite their over exaggerated innocence that they truly are detectives.
At the heart of this film is a real mystery reminiscent a solid episode of Murder, She Wrote. Derrick Comedy didn’t drop the ball when it came to the who-done-it, and they struck out the batter when it came to the comedy. I hope this group of guys and a gal are given the keys to Hollywood because if Mystery Team is positively a killer film, and I’m sure they have more killer films in them.
The DVD:
Audio/Visual
The audio is extremely solid for an indie film. At times I forgot I wasn’t watching a huge summer movie, and the score is simply stellar. The video isn’t quite as consistent as the audio, but it certainly wasn’t distracting. At times the video looks a little to soft on the edges, but it’s a small complaint for such a solid flick.
Special Features
Commentary: This is a standard issue commentary track, but fans of Derrick Comedy won’t be disappointed when listening the comedians work hard to spice up the track.
Making Mystery Team: A short behind the scenes featurette that is quite enjoyable. My only complaint is that it could have been a little longer.
Deleted: This is just the prerequisite deleted scenes and other material that wasn’t used.
Test Scene: A rough version of the the opening scene from the movie. I enjoyed watching this rough, mostly because it gave me an idea of how far they’ve come.
Who is Wally Cummings? A gag that details one of Donald Glover’s mustache wearing characters. Funny and worth checking out.
The Flick: Rating: 
The DVD: Rating: 
Donny Broussard
I enjoy the types of films that used to dominate late night television in the '80s, spending time with my family, filmmaking, photography, Rubik's Cubes, Diet Pepsi, building old Shogun Warriors model kits, Canon cameras, comic books, AOR, coconut ice cream, mac & cheese, cold pizza, popcorn, nachos, UL Football tailgating, film festivals, reading, Barry Manilow (don't ask), films with both Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase in them, Alf, Pac Man, 1979 Trans AMs, beer, Godzilla, Hooters (both the restaurant and ones girls like to keep hidden), and Bigfoot (he's real). I'm just saying.
Follow Me:
I became a fan of Donald Glover through the show COMMUNITY, which is one of the best show on tv, so I ordered this and should be getting it today. I can’t wait to check it out.