Mystery Team (2009)

Mystery Team: Directed by Dan Eckman. With Donald Glover, D.C. Pierson, Dominic Dierkes, Aubrey Plaza. A group of former Encyclopedia Brown-style child-detectives struggle to solve an adult mystery.

“Went into this film with zero knowledge of DERRICK comedy (the name reminds me of a famous German TV detective series) or the movie. Well, I must say I laughed more during this film than any other comedy Iu0026#39;ve seen this year. The dialog and deadpan delivery coupled with a truly clever script result in some genuine hilarity.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor the uninitiated, like myself, the following might help you decide whether this is something youu0026#39;d like to watch. The film centers around three young (high school senior) u0026quot;detectivesu0026quot; whou0026#39;ve been solving various mysteries (disappearing kitty, stolen lunch, etc.) for a dime a pop throughout their childhood, when they are suddenly thrust into the midst of an honest to goodness real crime investigation. The plot is motivated by a basic fish out of water storyline, whereupon the three chaps stumble around in the adult world mostly unaware of what is going on around them, which makes for some genuinely funny situations.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe lead actors are affable and quickly pull the audience to their side. Unfortunately the supporting cast provides uneven performances, and the entire movie has a u0026quot;homemadeu0026quot; feel to it. That doesnu0026#39;t begrudge the filmu0026#39;s strengths though, carried by the three principals and the comic situations and dialog, which are presented and delivered perfectly. Considering the minimal budget with which they must have worked, one can look past the deficiencies.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI gave the movie 8 stars because I laughed an awful lot, and thatu0026#39;s what a comedy is supposed to do, make one laugh. This also reminded me of the Broken Lizard comedy team and Super Troopers. Hopefully the DERRICK team will be able to sustain the momentum and keep making movies as funny as this one, with a better supporting cast and more sure handed direction, which could easily get them atop the current comedy heap.”