The Master of Disguise (2002) starring Dana Carvey, Jennifer Esposito, Harold Gould, James Brolin, Brent Spiner, Austin Wolff, Edie McClurg directed by Perry Andelin Blake Movie Review

The Master of Disguise (2002)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Dana Carvey and Harold Gould in The Master of Disguise (2002)

Misguided Disguise

Pistachio Disguisey (Dana Carvey) is an Italian waiter who not only loves dressing up but putting on silly voices, completely unaware that it is in his blood as before his father Frabbrizio (James Brolin) opened the family restaurant he was master of disguise. But when Pistachio's parents get kidnapped by Frabbrizio's arch nemesis Bowman (Brent Spiner) his grandfather reveals to him the truth about the family being master of disguises. With a crash course in his father's secret lab it is up to Pistachio to rescue his parents.

There is a scene early on in "The Master of Disguise" where Pistachio puts on a silly voice for a kid in the street, it's an in joke when he supposedly mimics old friend Mike Myers' Shrek and Eddie Murphy's Donkey but it falls flat. Yet that is probably the best joke in the movie which includes Pistachio meeting his grandfather for the first time and thinking he is his sister. It is quite saddening really when you consider that a decade earlier Carvey and Myers were both heading for stardom having graduated from SNL with the "Wayne's World" movies yet whilst Myers made it Carvey's career dwindled and Carvey deserves better than this.

Jennifer Esposito in The Master of Disguise (2002)

Now "The Master of Disguise" does not need much time spent on it other than to say it is built on a few things. There are familiar faces such as Harold Gould and James Brolin in supporting roles and probably wondering whether to file their agents for lining up this movie. Then there is dumb jokes such as when Pistachio trips and spills plates of spaghetti over customers and proceeds to grate cheese over them. And there are some movie in jokes with not only Carvey impersonating some recognizable characters but also scenes imitating well known scenes such as the arrival of Pistachio's grandfather.

But the main joke is Carvey as Pistachio acting nutty and immature whilst masquerading as various characters. To say that within just a couple of minutes it gets annoying is not a lie and whilst "The Master of Disguise" is not long it feels like there is an age to go for the movie to end. And then when you think the suffering is all over you get an extended credit sequence which prolongs the suffering.

What this all boils down to is that "The Master of Disguise" is a bad movie and barely raises a laugh during its duration. It makes quite a sad movie as Dana Carvey a lot better than this.


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