Since its plot is simple and intentionally formulaic, Mystery Men's strength and appeal ride on its cast. Stiller's downtrodden, pent-up-yet-romantic cynic is the perfect complement to Macy's unflaggingly optimistic dweeb, and Reubens is frighteningly grotesque as the slobbering, wart-covered (but mismonikered) Spleen. Treading into Farrelly Brothers territory, this hero de toilette might have flushed the film, but in Reubens' effortlessly juvenile hands, he becomes a surprisingly potent crime-fighter. Azaria (best known, but least visibly recognizable, as numerous voices on The Simpsons) plays the punster with "d'oh"-inducing lines like, "May the forks be with us." And knife-sharp Garofalo adds her typically prickly charm and sarcastic urban wit to the mix. It's a shame that she isn't part of the group from the outset; her snappy comebacks are some of the film's funniest moments. Only the Invisible Boy seems extraneous. Though the teen sidekick is a genre staple, Mitchell's warm-'n'-fuzzy naivete doesn't add anything to this already crowded canvas.

Though the ambling story repeatedly loses momentum in favor of spotlighting its characters, award-winning commercial director Kinka Usher ("Yo quiero Taco Bell.") handles his first feature gig adequately. What could easily have been an obnoxious mishmash of Judge Dredd and Tank Girl is instead a hip-but-heartfelt chronicle of everyday schmoes and their struggle to better the world. With few effects and an offbeat sensibility, Mystery Men is an indie romp disguised as big-budget action fare. Just like the flailing heroes in the film itself, it's an endearing underdog posing as something more polished, and is likely to become a cult favorite. But will it bowl over mainstream audiences like the similarly stupid There's Something About Mary and the successful spy spoof Austin Powers? Now that's the real mystery.