“I’m going to be a Master of Disguise!” —Pistachio
Today’s quick review: The Master of Disguise. Pistachio Disguisey (Dana Carvey), the dim-witted heir to a family of disguise artists, learns about his legacy when his parents (James Brolin and Edie McClurg) are kidnapped by Devlin Bowman (Brent Spiner), an international art thief. To save them, Pistachio must learn the art of disguise from his grandfather (Harold Gould) and go undercover with his assistant Jennifer (Jennifer Esposito).
The Master of Disguise is a family comedy starring Dana Carvey. As a member of the Disguisey family, Pistachio has the ability to disguise himself as anyone or anything. This basic premise kicks off a flurry of costumes and impressions as Pistachio tries every disguise he can think of to get close to Devlin. The Master of Disguise has some fun moments, especially for younger audiences, but it trips over some of its own ideas.
The main point in The Master of Disguise’s favor is how ridiculous it can be. Between Pistachio’s personality and his endless disguises, the movie has free rein to get just as silly as it wants to. The upshots of this include some quotable scenes, a lively performance from Dana Carvey, and jokes that would be hard to make in any other context.
But this ridiculousness is a double-edged sword. The humor is juvenile even for a family film, and enough of it boils down to funny voices that anyone who dislikes Dana Carvey’s impressions will the entire movie irritating. The Master of Disguise also has a habit of running with weak gags, dragging down the hit rate for its humor. Finally, the movie has a token plot, one-dimensional characters, and very little in the way of heart.
The Master of Disguise will hold some appeal for younger audiences who will not pick up on its deficiencies, but it is missing a lot of the background scaffolding that helps family films appeal to older viewers. The Master of Disguise has an interesting premise but takes it in a bizarre direction. Most viewers will find it off-putting at best, and only the curious, the nostalgic, or the very young should give it a shot.
For a better use of Dana Carvey, try Wayne’s World. For a family adventure that channels similar creativity in more productive directions, try Spy Kids. For an adult crime comedy that captures some of the same spirit, check out Hudson Hawk.
[3.4 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0295427/). I give it a 5.0 for misuse of a promising gimmick.