the master of disguise movie review

The Master Of Disguise

“The Master of Disguise” pants and wheezes and hurls itself exhausted across the finish line after barely 65 minutes of movie, and then follows it with 15 minutes of end credits in an attempt to clock in as a feature film. We get outtakes, deleted scenes, flubbed lines and all the other versions of the Credit Cookie, which was once a cute idea but is getting to be a bore.

The credits go on and on and on. The movie is like a party guest who thinks he is funny and is wrong. The end credits are like the same guest taking too long to leave. At one point they at last mercifully seemed to be over, and the projectionist even closed the curtains, but no: There was Dana Carvey , still visible against the red velvet, asking us what we were still doing in the theater. That is a dangerous question to ask after a movie like “The Master of Disguise.” The movie is a desperate miscalculation. It gives poor Dana Carvey nothing to do that is really funny, and then expects us to laugh because he acts so goofy all the time. But acting funny is not funny. Acting in a situation that’s funny–that’s funny.

The plot: Carvey plays an Italian waiter named Pistachio Disguisey, who is unfamiliar with the First Law of Funny Names, which is that funny names in movies are rarely funny. Pistachio comes from a long line of masters of disguise. His father, Frabbrizio ( James Brolin ), having capped his career by successfully impersonating Bo Derek , retires and opens a New York restaurant. He doesn’t tell his son about the family trade, but then, when he’s kidnapped by his old enemy Bowman ( Brent Spiner ), Pistachio is told the family secret by his grandfather ( Harold Gould ).

Grandfather also gives him a crash course in disguise-craft after locating Frabbrizio’s hidden workshop in the attic (a Disguisey’s workshop, we learn, is known as a nest). There is now a scene representative of much of the movie, in which Pistachio puts on an inflatable suit, and it suddenly balloons so that he flies around the room and knocks over granddad. That scene may seem funny to kids. Real, real little, little kids.

Carvey of course is himself a skilled impersonator, and during the film we see him as a human turtle, Al Pacino from “ Scarface ,” Robert Shaw from “ Jaws ,” a man in a cherry suit, a man with a cow pie for a face, George W. Bush, and many other guises. In some cases the disguises are handled by using a double and then employing digital technology to make it appear as if the double’s face is a latex mask that can be removed. In other cases, such as Bush, he simply impersonates him.

The plot helpfully supplies Pistachio with a girl named Jennifer ( Jennifer Esposito ) who becomes his sidekick in the search for Frabbrizio, and they visit a great many colorful locations. One of them is a secret headquarters where Bowman keeps his priceless trove of treasures, including the lunar landing module, which is used for one of those fight scenes where the hero dangles by one hand. The movie’s director, Perry Andelin Blake , has been a production designer on 14 movies, including most of Adam Sandler’s, and, to be sure, “The Master of Disguise” has an excellent production design. It is less successful at disguising itself as a comedy.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Harold Gould as Grandfather
Dana Carvey as Pistachio
Jennifer Esposito as Jennifer
James Brolin as Frabbrizio
Brent Spiner as Bowman
Dana Carvey
Harris Goldberg

Directed by

Perry Andelin Blake

Now playing.

Across the River and Into the Trees

You Gotta Believe

The Becomers

The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat

Between the Temples

Blink Twice

Strange Darling

Latest articles

Experience the Star Trek Movies in 70mm at Out of this World L.A. Event

Home Entertainment Guide: August 2024

Netflix’s “Terminator Zero” Takes Too Long to Develop Its Own Identity

Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is the Boldest Fantasy Show of the Year

The best movie reviews, in your inbox.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

About Rotten Tomatoes®
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening This Week
Top Box Office
Coming Soon to Theaters
Certified Fresh Movies

Movies at Home

Fandango at Home
Prime Video
Most Popular Streaming Movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

74% Blink Twice Link to Blink Twice
96% Strange Darling Link to Strange Darling
86% Between the Temples Link to Between the Temples

New TV Tonight

96% Only Murders in the Building: Season 4
86% The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
83% City of God: The Fight Rages On: Season 1
67% Kaos: Season 1
-- Here Come the Irish: Season 1
100% Terminator Zero: Season 1
-- K-Pop Idols: Season 1
-- Horror's Greatest: Season 1
-- After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun: Season 1

The Master of Disguise Reviews

...fares even worse than its noxious reputation might’ve indicated.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | Oct 1, 2023

In a 40-year career in horror, David Cronenberg never dreamed up an image as chilling or stomach-churning as Dana Carvey as a human turtle.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/10 | Jan 29, 2019

While some of the make-up effects are mildly diverting (Carvey disguises himself as a turtle and a cherry pie), they hardly make up for the lame screenplay, barely coherent plot and increasingly desperate mugging.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | May 2, 2014

If Carvey's looking for a comeback, then playing a cloying dimwit with an annoying accent isn't the place to start.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | May 29, 2013

The humor here is relentlessly juvenile, and not even the kids in the audience seemed to like it much.

Full Review | May 29, 2013

It is not as funny as it could be, and none of it makes sense, especially Pistachio's ability to mimic any dialect but standard US English. But his versatility is astonishing.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 29, 2013

A film about as funny as a seeping wound.

Such a sad irony that Dana Carvey, who's made his name bringing celebrities to life with uncanny impersonations, should make such a lifeless movie based on characters of his own creation.

A messy disappointment for Dana Carvey fans.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Dec 26, 2010

This is a bad flick that will appeal mostly to kids ranging from ages 5-11, but adults will leave halfway through. I found it almost tolerable.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Apr 29, 2009

This misfiring disaster shows just how over-estimated Carvey's writing and acting talent has been.

Full Review | Apr 22, 2008

... Mike Myers has already milked this type of gag-dense character comedy bone dry.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 7, 2007

George W. Bush in the flesh would have been much funnier than this movie's impersonation.

Full Review | Jan 5, 2007

There follows a fusillade of farts, dud sight gags and inconsequential butt jokes.

Full Review | Feb 9, 2006

Master of Disguise may be a real hoot, if you're under 10 years old, or drunk, or both. Not a bad time-waster on a rainy Sunday, but a time-waster nonetheless.

Full Review | Jul 25, 2004

It is virtually impossible to watch The Master of Disguise and not feel embarrassed for stars Dana Carvey, Jennifer Esposito, and Brent Spiner.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Jan 15, 2004

In the end, Dana Carvey is left wishing he could disguise himself as Mike Myers, or himself circa 1986. At least then, he would be funny again.

Full Review | Original Score: .5/4 | Jun 26, 2003

The worst film ever made: a film about idiots, made by idiots, for idiots.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Jun 1, 2003

The fart jokes get the biggest laughs.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | May 20, 2003

...Occasional moments of Carvey genius (many of which are seen in the trailer) sprinkled sparsely throughout a senseless, leaden production...

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 8, 2003

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

DVD & Streaming

The Master of Disguise

Comedy , Kids

Content Caution

In Theaters

Dana Carvey as Pistachio Disguisey; James Brolin as Fabbrizio Disguisey; Edie McClurg as Mama Disguisey; Brent Spiner as Devlin Bowman; Jennifer Esposito as Jennifer; Harold Gould as Grandpa Disguisey; Austin Wolff as Barney; also Bo Derek, Michael Johnson, Jessie Ventura and Jessica Simpson as Themselves

Home Release Date

Perry Andelin Blake

Distributor

Columbia Pictures

Movie Review

Presto chango! For hundreds of years the Disguisey family has used its mysterious abilities of—what else?— disguise to provide a better life for the whole of mankind by doing everything from thwarting robberies to fronting for beleaguered presidents. But after a close call with a baron of the black market, Devlin Bowman, Fabbrizio Disguisey decides to put away his wig, mask and latex body suit, and move from Italy to America in order to lead a more peaceful life. Twenty years later and a continent away Fabbrizo’s son, Pistachio, has no knowledge of his family’s history, but he finds himself drawn towards imitation, mimicking the voices and characteristics of almost everyone he meets. Only when his father and mother are kidnapped by the marauding Bowman and his mysterious grandfather appears on his doorstep does Pistachio learn about his family’s past. Now its up to him to mug his way through an excruciatingly large and often painfully unfunny number of personas—ranging from a Hindi prince and an ambulatory cow pie to a disco-dancing fiend and George “Dubbya” Bush—to save his mum and pop. Along for the ride is his brainy and slinky assistant, Jennifer.

positive elements: Despite his many oddities, Pistachio’s parents love him deeply and unconditionally. When he accidentally angers a Texan by mimicking his voice, Fabbrizio stands up for his son and refuses to allow him to be humiliated. Mama Disguisey displays her care by preparing special treats for Pistachio. To rescue his folks, Pistachio braves Bowman, his numerous henchmen and, at one point, scores of vicious ninjas.

Authenticity in relationships is prized. While Jennifer thinks that her boyfriend, Trent, is wonderful with kids, he ridicules her uncoordinated but persevering son, Barney, who constantly tumbles off his skateboard. In contrast, Pistachio accepts the boy and tries to teach him “niceness.” At one point, Pistachio resists the affections of an insincere former crush who only shows interest in him after he fends off an angry restaurant-goer with his Disguisey martial arts skills.

There is also a strong distinction between good and evil in The Master of Disguise. The Disguisey family is portrayed as a band of heroes seeking the betterment of humanity through their (often covert and unappreciated) actions. Nothing but contempt is reserved for the racketeering Bowman who plans to steal rare artifacts by having Fabbrizio disguise himself as famous celebrities. (Yes, it is as implausible as it sounds.)

spiritual content: The Disguisey family has more than face paint and false noses on their side when it comes to fighting evil. They rely on an energy force called Energico that allows them to channel the words, skills and ideas of others whenever the need arises. In order to “transform” the Disguiseys must repeat the mantra “Become another person” while “emptying their minds and allowing the Energico to flow.” However, Energico has more in common with Obi Wan Kenobi than the Occult. The filmmakers do all but openly admit that Energico is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to The Force. Late in the film, Grandpa Disguisey says that Bowman has caused Fabbrizio to go over to “the dark side” and Pistachio asks, “Just like Star Wars? ” A cabalistic-looking emblem pops up from time to time, but its significance is never explained. Pistachio prays to his “Heavenly Father” after his parents are abducted. When Jennifer first appears she says she’s just come from a yoga class.

sexual content: Playing off of Italian-American stereotypes, the men of the Disguisey family are entranced by large posteriors, believing that big-boned women make great wives. Several times the camera lingers on huge (and obviously fake) backsides while Pistachio calls them pet names like “Tush Queen.” When Jennifer interviews to become Pistachio’s assistant, Grandpa Disguisey asks for her measurements before he and Pistachio bemoan that her slight frame leaves her “Tush Challenged,” without a “Mama Caboose” and with “hindquarters” that are “hideously scrawny.” In a post-movie outtake, Bowman tries to thwart Pistachio’s attempts to save his family by distracting him with a cabaret of scantily clad, large-reared dancing women. In another scene, Pistachio accidentally walks in on a couple noisily making out. Many of Jennifer’s outfits are tight with swooping bodices. Pistachio tries to distract Bowman at a party by cavorting with skimpily dressed disco dancers. He asks a waiter carrying an hors d’oeuvre tray for a “little wiener” and “tiny nuts.” In another outtake, a representative of “Black Market EBay” asks Bowman if a Master of Disguise can transform into Britney Spears or the Olsen Twins, to which he responds, “You’re a sick man.” Pistachio’s pants are pulled down repeatedly revealing his boxers.

violent content: Slapstick is the rule here. The Disguisey family specializes in a form of hand-to-hand combat based strictly on slapping. Grandpa Disguisey tells Pistachio that he should only strike with the flat of his hand because it makes the point, but leaves a person with his dignity. He also says that uttering “Who’s your daddy?” while fighting can demoralize an opponent. Pistachio makes use of both techniques frequently when sparring with bullies, Bowman’s baddies and the remarkably resourceful “Slapping Dummy.” Grandpa deals Pistachio a few slaps of his own. Fabbrizio and Mama Disguisey are forcibly kidnapped by Bowman. Flashbacks show Pistachio blowing his hair off in chemistry class and getting yanked into a gym wall by a weight machine. In one bizarre tribute to action films, Pistachio, while dressed as a walking cherry pie (don’t ask), spits a cherry at a guard; the fruit explodes on his forehead like a bloody bullet wound.

crude or profane language: No profanity, but derogatory phrases such as “loser,” “idiot,” “you make me sick” and “melon-head” appear.

drug and alcohol content: Bowman keeps Mama Disguisey in a trance after the kidnapping by feeding her drugged caramel corn. Social drinking is shown a few times. Bowman smokes cigars.

other negative elements: Bowman breaks wind every time he breaks into maniacal laughter. And like any self-respecting maniac, he laughs a lot. In order to remind his father of his true identity and bring him back from “the dark side,” Pistachio rips his underwear out of his “butt crack” and puts it on his head (something he used to do all the time as a child). Although the reference will probably fly over most kids’ heads, Pistachio quotes briefly from Madonna’s “Papa Don’t Preach.”

conclusion: Unlike other Saturday Night Live alumni, Dana Carvey has chosen to eschew drug humor (Chris Farley’s Black Sheep ), thuggish violence (Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy ) and jokes involving metallic genitalia (Mike Myers’ Austin Powers in Goldmember ). “It’s easy to do raunchy humor,” he told USA Today. “But you try leaning over and explaining a masturbation joke to your young son.” He’s definitely on the right track. If only he’d tried not to disguise sexual snickering as family entertainment, then fewer parents would want to disappear from the theater.

Loren Eaton

Latest reviews.

You Gotta Believe

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Weekly reviews straight to your inbox.

Want to stay Plugged In?

Our weekly newsletter will keep you in the loop on the biggest things happening in entertainment and technology. Sign up today, and we’ll send you a chapter from the new Plugged In book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family , that focuses on how to implement a “screentime reset” in your family!

Cast & crew
User reviews

Metacritic reviews

The master of disguise.

25 Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea Totally lame.
25 Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach Hands-down, the best James Brolin-in-an-Italian-accent movie ever.
25 Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert Pants and wheezes and hurls itself exhausted across the finish line after barely 65 minutes of movie, and then follows it with 15 minutes of end credits in an attempt to clock in as a feature film.
25 USA Today Claudia Puig USA Today Claudia Puig Lacking even a hint of humor or a watchable story, Disguise has distinguished itself as the summer's worst movie.
20 Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum Imagine combining bad imitations of the "Ace Ventura" and "Austin Powers" movies and you'll have a rough idea of this feeble Dana Carvey farce.
20 Variety Dennis Harvey Variety Dennis Harvey Vehicle for Dana Carvey as a chameleonic crime-fighting imbecile is noisy, colorful and fart-gag-filled enough to amuse undiscriminating auds under the age of 10.
20 TV Guide Magazine Maitland McDonagh TV Guide Magazine Maitland McDonagh Painfully unfunny and misguided to boot.
20 New Times (L.A.) Gregory Weinkauf New Times (L.A.) Gregory Weinkauf Mostly this happy train wreck feels like a longer, better movie that was chopped up and reassembled by retarded monkeys; what should have been a rush instead feels rushed.
16 Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum An awful, stillborn comedy assembled out of rusty spare parts from secret agent movies and run-of-the-mill ''Saturday Night Live'' skits.
0 New York Post Jonathan Foreman New York Post Jonathan Foreman No one but a convict guilty of some truly heinous crime should have to sit through The Master of Disguise, an unbearably tedious and unfunny comedy.
See all 24 reviews on Metacritic.com
See all external reviews for The Master of Disguise

More from this title

More to explore, recently viewed.

an image, when javascript is unavailable

The Master of Disguise

Pretty much the definition of a kids-will-like/parents-will-hate-it movie, "The Master of Disguise" is a jumbled fantasy comedy that did not figure out a coherent game plan at scripting, shooting or post-production stages. Nonetheless, vehicle for Dana Carvey as a chameleonic crime-fighting imbecile is noisy, colorful and fart-gag-filled.

By Dennis Harvey

Dennis Harvey

Film Critic

‘The Becomers’ Review: A Satirical Space Odyssey Writ Too Small 5 days ago
‘The Crow’ Review: Bill Skarsgard Dons the Mascara in a Slow but Stylish Re-Imagining 6 days ago
‘Stream’ Review: A Hotel Gets Hellish in Familiar but Lively Gore-Horror Opus From ‘Terrifier’ Producers 1 week ago

Pretty much the definition of a kids-will-like/parents-will-hate-it movie, “The Master of Disguise” is a jumbled fantasy comedy that — judging from the endless final credits snips from presumably deleted scenes, without which pic would barely scrape the 70-minute mark — did not figure out a coherent game plan at scripting, shooting or post-production stages. Nonetheless, vehicle for Dana Carvey as a chameleonic crime-fighting imbecile is noisy, colorful and fart-gag-filled enough to amuse undiscriminating auds under the age of 10. B.O. in a summer field already crowded with bigger, better family pics will likely be just OK. Once “Master” is available as a rewindable baby sitter, however, it should mint coin quite nicely. As for franchise aspirations writ all over pic, that too may fly best — if at all — in direct-to-video sequels.

How Much Should AI Giants Pay Hollywood? What Insiders Say Has Stalled Any Licensing Deals

Paramount Takes $5.98 Billion Write-Down on Cable Networks in Q2 Tied to Skydance Deal While Streaming Turns First Profit

Popular on variety.

Feature reps debut helming effort for Perry Andelin Blake, hitherto known as a production designer — notably on all of Adam Sandler’s star vehicles, with that gent returning the favor as an exec producer here. Most consistently pro elements in “Master” are indeed in the visual design department. Yet even those are a mishmash of whimsical/comic ideas that never quite connect.

After the deliberately “Harry Potter”-esque opening credits sequence, there’s an amusing enough 1979 prologue in which international black marketer Devlin Bowman (Brent Spiner) and his minions fail to catch a spy — the alarmingly well-preserved Bo Derek, in full “10” braided-hair regalia. Bo “really” turns out to be Frabbrizio Disguisey (James Brolin), scion of a family that’s passed down master disguise skills over generational centuries. Bowman ends up spending the next two decades in hoosegow.

By that term’s end, Frabbrizio has long since given up global intrigue for a Stateside Italian restaurant run with wife Mama (Edie McClurg, one natural albeit under-used comic talent here) and inept waiter son Pistachio (Carvey). Dad has kept his only child innocent of the clan legacy, though this talent often sneaks out irrepressibly via rude impersonations of rude people.

When the vengeful Bowman kidnaps Papa and Mama, Pistachio must save them. He’s aided by the sudden appearance of Grandpa (Harold Gould), who trains the young nitwit in “Disguisey” mastery. As assistant, the duo hire comely single mom Jennifer (Jennifer Esposito), whose accident-prone tyke, Barney (Austin Wolff), has already been befriended by our hero.

Cluttered yet lacking any real narrative momentum, pic becomes a series of dum-dum set pieces in which Carvey riffs aimlessly but strenuously as various unamusing characters. Among them are silly costume-stunt conceits (Turtle Man, Cherry Pie Man, even Human Cow Pie), ethnic stereotypes (Indian, Bavarian, Brit) and movie in-jokes (he does Robert Shaw in “Jaws,” voice-impersonates dialogue from “Shrek,” etc.).

Meanwhile, dad is forced by Bowman to steal U.S. national treasures — the Constitution, the Liberty Bell, a space shuttle — while disguised as teen popster Jessica Simpson, wrestler-politico Jesse Ventura and superstar runner Michael Johnson. Latter all play themselves, to no special benefit beyond name/face recognition.

Pic scarcely seems to have established itself when it arrives at a rote climax as Pistachio rescues mom, dad and Jennifer from the villain’s lair. There follows a dreadful epilogue that has Carvey impersonating our nation’s current prez, then much-stretched-out closing credits featuring supposed bloopers, outtakes and scene excerpts in which star does yet more uninspired wacky characters that apparently didn’t make final cut.

“Master of Disguise” is an awful mess by any grown-up standards, but for better or worse it’s probably not half bad when considered from a grade school p.o.v. Lack of wit or coherence won’t matter to viewers who just want slapstick, simple bad taste yoks and fast-paced goofiness.

Co-scenarist (with Harris Goldberg of “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo”) Carvey has had a rough time finding his niche since “Saturday Night Live” and the “Wayne’s World” pics. His funny business here underlines the importance of good material — entirely absent here — for versatile comic talents, but young auds may respond to the sheer exertion nonetheless. After all, they liked the first “Ace Ventura” movie.

One hopes Brolin’s Italian accent was intended to be clueless. Spiner endures a character whose every villainous rant is punctuated by rectal toot. The beauteous Esposito, who’s proven her acting chops in TV’s “Spin City” and Spike Lee’s “Summer of Sam,” deserves some sort of prize for having to maintain passive interest during innumerable scenes showcasing Carvey’s painful wackiness. It’s surely the most thankless acting job seen onscreen in recent months.

Design contribbers come off best, patchwork as “Master” still seems. Other tech aspects are pro.

Production: A Revolution Pictures presentation of a Happy Madison production in association with Out of the Blue Entertainment. Produced by Sid Ganis, Alex Siskin, Barry Bernardi, Todd Garner. Executive producers, Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo. Co-producers, Derek Dauchy, Harris Goldberg, Dino Stamatopoulos, Allegra Clegg. Directed by Perry Andelin Blake. Screenplay, Dana Carvey, Harris Goldberg.
Crew: Camera (color), Peter Lyons Collister; editors, Peck Prior, Sandy Solowitz; music, Marc Ellis; music supervisor, Michael Dilbeck; production designer, Alan Au; art director, Domenic Silvestri; set decorator, Robert Greenfield; costume designer, Mona May; supervising sound editor (Dolby Digital), Derek Vanderhorst; sound designer, Elmo Weber; special makeup effects, Kevin Yagher; unit production manager, Allegra Clegg; assistant director, Vincent Lascoumes; casting, Roger Mussenden, Elizabeth Torres. Reviewed at AMC 1000, San Francisco, July 20, 2002. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 80 MIN.
With: Pistachio - Dana Carvey Jennifer - Jennifer Esposito Grandfather - Harold Gould Frabbrizio - James Brolin Bowman - Brent Spiner Mother - Edie McClurg Sophia - Maria Canals Barney - Austin Wolff With: Mark Devine, Jay Johnston, Robert Macray, Rachel Lederman, Jessica Simpson, Bo Derek, Michael Johnson, Kenan Thompson, Jesse Ventura.

More from Variety

Nazanin Boniadi (Bronwyn), Morfydd Clark (Galadriel)

Amazon to Launch ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 1 for Free on Samsung TV in Viewership Push Ahead of Season 2

Deadpool, the minions, and Glen Powell posing

Reality Check: Summer Hot Streak Won’t Dig U.S. Box Office Out of Deep Hole in 2024

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Star Lloyd Owen to Headline RSC’s Political Drama ‘The New Real’ (EXCLUSIVE)

‘Rings of Power’ Bosses on New Parts of Middle-earth, Last-Minute Visual Effects and Why They Haven’t Changed Course From Season 1

Bungie Layoffs Highlight Post-M&A Issues for Gaming Industry as Its Unions React

‘Rings of Power’ Director Charlotte Brändström Explains Sauron’s Origins in Season 2 Premiere, Why Celebrimbor Is Like Oppenheimer and Directing 200 Orcs (EXCLUSIVE)

More from our brands, this hisense smart tv deal is the best $200 you can spend online today.

Robb Recommends: The All-Natural Incense You’ll Want to Burn All Fall and Winter

Caitlin Clark, Fever Set Attendance Record With Olympians Watching

The Best Loofahs and Body Scrubbers, According to Dermatologists

Dancing With the Stars: Witney Carson Returning as Pro for Season 33

Join or Sign In

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

TV Listings
Cast & Crew

The Master of Disguise Reviews

12 Metascore
1 hr 17 mins
Watchlist Where to Watch

Dana Carvey is a man of (almost) a thousand faces in this comedy. Carvey plays a humble waiter with a gift for impersonation who learns his family's secret history of assuming other identities after his parents are kidnapped by an old enemy.

Painfully unfunny and misguided to boot: Star and co-writer Dana Carvey, himself the father of two, claimed he wanted to make a movie that children and adults could enjoy together. Did he imagine parents and kids united by the movie's grotesque, ongoing sight gag predicated on the sexual appeal of women with colossal cabooses? Grown-ups and small fries tittering in harmony as Carvey's character looks an hors d'oeuvres-bearing waiter in the eye and says, "Do you have a small wiener and tiny nuts?" The wacky goings on revolve around the hilariously named Pistachio Disguisey (Carvey), an idiot man-child in the Jerry Lewis mold descended from a long line of "masters of disguise." The Disguisey family has for generations handed down the secret of changing one's appearance so thoroughly that a man can pass himself off as anyone or anything, from Bo Derek to a giant cherry pie (though apparently not the fire hydrant featured prominently in the film's advertising). But Pistachio's father, Fabbrizio (James Brolin), disenchanted by peripatetic do-gooding, vowed that his son would have a normal life. Fabbrizio opened an Italian restaurant where Pistachio contentedly waits tables, but the Disguisey genes will not be denied. Pistachio's compulsive urge to mimic others often lands him in hot water, and when Fabbrizzio and his wife (Edie McClurg) are kidnapped, Pistachio's estranged grandfather (Harold Gould) appears to clue Pistachio into his legacy. Grandpa teaches his grandson the tricks of the trade, hires a comely sidekick named Jennifer (Jennifer Esposito), and sends Pistachio off to find his parents. The trail leads to nefarious businessman Devlin Bowman (Brent Spiner), who's settling an old grudge by forcing Fabbrizio to steal such treasures as the Liberty Bell and the Mona Lisa, which he plans to auction off online. Carvey's schtick leans heavily towards "funny" accents, racial stereotypes (his imitation of an Indian fakir is genuinely offensive) and sheer ridiculousness. He spends one scene dressed as a turtle man  the better to infiltrate a swanky gentlemen's establishment called the Turtle Club  and another in a body suit covered with cherries. On other occasions he seems to be imitating actors like Al Pacino and David Niven, but it's hard to be sure. Pointless cameo appearances by the likes of wrestler-turned-politician Jesse Ventura and pop tart Jessica Simpson do nothing to increase the laugh quotient.

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

For Parents
For Educators
Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

Movie Reviews
Best Movie Lists
Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best TV Lists
Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
Common Sense Selections for TV
Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

Book Reviews
Best Book Lists
Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Game Reviews
Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Podcast Reviews
Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

App Reviews
Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

YouTube Channel Reviews
YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

How to Help Kids Build Character Strengths with Quality Media

Family Tech Planners
Digital Skills
All Articles
Latino Culture
Black Voices
Asian Stories
Native Narratives
LGBTQ+ Pride
Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

Master of disguise.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 5 Reviews
Kids Say 17 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Nell Minow , based on child development research. How do we rate?

A messy disappointment for Dana Carvey fans.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 10+?

Crude humor, including flatulence, vulgarity.

A lot of hitting.

Any Positive Content?

Sex, romance & nudity.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents need to know that Master of Disguise is vulgar and dumb. Pistachio is fascinated with women who have large rear ends, and he makes suggestive jokes when a character serves appetizers ("do you have a little wiener and tiny nuts?"). He disguises himself as a cow patty. And slapping an opponent while yelling "Who's your daddy?" is a way of showing manliness and competence. Pistachio himself is a annoyingly disturbing character, an odd child-man with an inexplicable accent and an unforgivable haircut. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (5)
Kids say (17)

Based on 5 parent reviews

Skip This Movie

It should be placed on a pedestal near other classics such as airplane, what's the story.

Carvey plays Pistachio Disguisey, the youngest in a family with magical powers to transform themselves. His father (James Brolin) never told him of the family's secret because he wanted to protect him. So little Pistachio does not know why he has a Tourette-like compulsion to imitate everyone he sees. When his parents are captured by bad guy Devlin Bowman (Brent Spiner), who suffers from intestinal distress whenever he tries his evil laugh (now are you laughing?), and it is up to Pistachio to save the day. Pistachio's grandfather (Harold Gould) arrives to give him a few quick lessons in transformation and self-defense.

Is It Any Good?

This misbegotten mess of a movie is a terrible disappointment for fans of Dana Carvey. It is also a disappointment for fans of comedy and fans of movies. It really is hard to imagine how the talented Carvey can have taken what sounded like a can't-miss premise and missed so completely. Carvey's genius for impressions is utterly wasted. So is his charm. So is his time. So is ours.

Weak references to classics like "The Exorcist," "Star Wars," and other oldies will have no meaning to kids. Audience members old enough to recognize Jesse Ventura, Jessica Simpson, and Bo Derek might enjoy their brief cameos. But even at less than 70 minutes, the movie feels endless, with an extended post-credit sequence that just adds insult to injury.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how being able to imitate someone requires very careful observation.

Movie Details

In theaters : August 2, 2002
On DVD or streaming : January 28, 2003
Cast : Brent Spiner , Dana Carvey , Jennifer Esposito
Director : Perry Andelin Blake
Inclusion Information : Female actors
Studio : Columbia Tristar
Genre : Comedy
Topics : Adventures
Run time : 80 minutes
MPAA rating : PG
MPAA explanation : bathroom humor
Last updated : July 23, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

Labyrinth Movie Poster: David Bowie holds a glass orb

Time Bandits

The Master Of Disguise Review

01 Jan 2002

Master Of Disguise, The

This is, without a word of exaggeration, the worst film ever made.

Dana Carvey, obviously jealous of Wayne's World cohort Mike Myers' ability to slip into multiple characters in the Austin Powers series, believes all you need to guarantee laughs is an insulting foreign comedy accent.

Unfortunately Carvey has all of Myers' ego but none of his talent. He thinks his character, Pistachio Disguisey, is cute; everyone else thinks he's the most irritating and flat-out unfunny creation ever to hit the big screen.

As the youngest of the Disguisey clan - who for centuries have saved the world from evil by transforming their physical appearance - he finds it necessary to try our patience with laboured impersonations of Al Pacino in Scarface and Robert Shaw in Jaws. Oh, and a human turtle. The sad result is a film about idiots, made by idiots, for idiots.

"We waste our money so you don't have to."

"We waste our money, so you don't have to."

Movie Review

The master of disguise.

US Release Date: 08-02-2002

Directed by: Perry Andelin Blake

Starring ▸ ▾

Dana Carvey , as
Pistachio Disguisey
Brent Spiner , as
Devlin Bowman
Jennifer Esposito , as
Jennifer Baker
Harold Gould , as
Grandfather Disguisey
James Brolin , as
Fabbrizio Disguisey
Austin Wolff , as
Barney Baker
Edie McClurg as
Mother Disguisey

Dana Carvey in The Master of Disguise .

The Master Of Disguise is a silly film. It is slapstick on the level of The Three Stooges. It is funny as long as you can find that 8 year old inside you. I watched this movie with my two sons and we laughed through most of it.

Dana Carvey plays Pistachio, the son of a legendary disguise artist, James Brolin. Pistachio is unaware that being a disguise artist is a family business until his parents are abducted and his grandfather shows up to train him. His grandfather asks him if he saw anything when his folks were taken away. Pistachio says that he heard something. His Grandfather immediately reaches over and slaps Pistachio several times across the face. "Did it sound like that?" He asks. "Yes." Pistachio replies nonplussed. Hey, I told you it was slap stick.

With the help of this hot chick with a small butt, Pistachio goes looking for his parents. There is this running joke that Pistachio wants to marry a woman with a huge butt so there are plenty of references made about this babes tiny rear end. She, however, has a boyfriend until they discover he is actually dating the big butted girl of Pistachios dreams. Hey, I said you had to find your inner child to like this movie.

One of my son's favorite scenes is where Pistachio fights a bunch of ninja's. They do karate on him as he slaps them. It was how his grandfather taught him to fight. He says "Whose your daddy?" then slaps the shit out of them. Another running joke is that whenever the bad guy, Brent Spiner, lets out his bad guy laugh he always farts and then looks embarrassed. My kids laughed every time.

One of the things I liked about this movie were the cameos. Bo Derek in cornrow hair is in the opening scene running in a familiar bathing suit. When she gets in the car you find out it's actually James Brolin in disguise. Another cameo is Jessica Simpson, who in my opinion, is hotter than Britney Spears.

This is a movie for kids of single digit age. Its humor and pacing will keep them occupied. As an adult you might just sit there thinking that this is the stupidest thing since The Three Stooges.

Photos © Copyright Columbia Pictures (2002)

--> -->

Perry Andelin Blake
Dana Carvey, Jennifer Esposito, Brent Spiner, Harold Gould, James Brolin, Edie McClurg, Jessica Simpson, Jesse Ventura, Bo Derek, Jesse Johnson, Kevin Nealon

." Now, " " isn't going to win any awards come next March, but its slim shot looks progressively bright in comparison to the abysmally unfunny "The Master of Disguise." There is nothing worse in the comedy genre than a film that doesn't carry a single inspired moment of humor, unless it is a film that doesn't carry a single inspired moment. Period. "The Master of Disguise" has obtained such a feat.

."

" and TV's "Star Trek"), as arch villain Devlin Bowman; James Brolin (2000's " "), as Pistachio's father; and Edie McClurg (2001's " "), as Pistachio's mother, are respected actors whose appearances mark a low point in each of their careers. Third-rate cameos by Jesse Ventura, Jesse Johnson, Bo Derek, and Jessica Simpson are just as inexplicable. If there is a person that barely manages to work their way out of the rubble, it is the radiant Jennifer Esposito (2001's " "), as Pistachio's love interest and assistant. Esposito is so far above the insulting material she has to work with that she might as well have filmed her scenes in space.

, 2 August 2002

, you'll beg for another vomitous night on the town instead of having to suffer through the remaining laughless parade of skittish disguises and classic-movie tributes ( , , and ) so lamely mauled. The production notes say this film runs eighty minutes; it felt like an agonizing lifetime. An obvious contender, with the equally uninspired , for most the year's top ten-worst lists, this is an endless squirm fest of slow-witted, flatulence-filled humor, suitable for only children of very young ages -- those whose film-going memory won't begrudge their parents years later.

. Hmmm, how about . Maybe the folks who create those Mad Libs books can add a page,

), and Canadian-born stand-up comic/writer Harris Goldberg ( ) being among the chief culprits, were trying to slap something together they felt every family could adore. Wrong. The writers' insipid meanderings of a man/child with a thousand faces, and the horrifying contempt the filmmaker (production designer Perry Andelin Blake, in a truly uninspired directorial debut) pushes on the audience, is grounds for corporal punishment. Even the name recognition of Adam Sandler, who served as an executive producer on this Happy Madison Production, won't be enough to salvage this instant relic from oblivion.

after all these years. That episode imprisoned the blandly sinister Devlin Bowman (Brent "Data" Spiner) for more than twenty years, where he perfected the annoying habit of punctuating his semi-dastardly laugh with an self-annoying, girlish toot . As running gags go, this one goes real flat real fast. Released from prison, the vengeful ex-con masterminds the abduction of Pistachio's parents and forces Grandpa Disguisey (Harold Gould) out of hibernation to transform the nut-named lad into a destiny fighting crime. Gramps does the silly yin-yang, manikin-assisted exercises, training his bumbling, pea-brain grandson in the ways of Energico, a new hot-aired soft drink. Sorry, I'm just getting a little lightheaded here in deconstructing this messterpiece. No, Energico is an invisible, genetically-born power that -- according to the twelth-century Tuscan family pop-up bible -- allows its users to morph into other people or creatures. This doesn't make a whole lot of secret sense as the Disguisey clan seems to often be removing latex masks of the not-so-mysterious variety. Oh, and "Who's your daddy," is the lame-brained mantra that's allows you to vanquish foes. Yes, , er is truly one for the books.

, on a black market ebay. Honest.

's Jennifer Esposito as a tush-challenged gal with a spill-a-minute skateboarding son (Austin Wolff). Ditsy Edie McClurg doesn't get enough screen time as Mama Disguisey to showcase how marvelous a comedienne she truly is. Just watch and you'll see what I mean.

, it could be time for the Federal Trade Commission to start a fraud investigation. Viewers are instead offered up fat-bottom obsessions, a ocean of pretentiousness, and pomposity on the far side of nauseating. You'll get very angry, very fast. Critics will pan this movie in droves. Audiences will be hankering to lynch somebody for unleashing this disjointed mix of pabulum, low-quality trash, and unimaginative fantasy on the public. is this year's first truly stillborn comedy.

Dana Carvey
Harris Goldberg

PG - Parental Guidance
Suggested.

The Master of Disguise (2002)

Movie Details

Stream & watch the master of disguise.

Cast & Crew

Similar Movies

Movie Reviews

Follow Moviefone

Latest trailers.

Get the Reddit app

The goal of /r/Movies is to provide an inclusive place for discussions and news about films with major releases. Submissions should be for the purpose of informing or initiating a discussion, not just to entertain readers. Read our extensive list of rules for more information on other types of posts like fan-art and self-promotion, or message the moderators if you have any questions.

"The Master of Disguise" is such a good movie that it's successfully disguised itself as a bad movie.

To be clear, the movie certainly deserves its low ratings.

But god fucking damn it, it's so cheesy I love it.

"Who's your daddy?" SLAP

"There's a dark side of Energico? Just like Star Wars?"

"Am I not turtle-y enough for the turtle club?"

" This is what your doing. This is what I want you to do. Get it, got it, doubt it."

By continuing, you agree to our User Agreement and acknowledge that you understand the Privacy Policy .

Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app

You’ve set up two-factor authentication for this account.

Enter a 6-digit backup code

Create your username and password.

Reddit is anonymous, so your username is what you’ll go by here. Choose wisely—because once you get a name, you can’t change it.

Reset your password

Enter your email address or username and we’ll send you a link to reset your password

Check your inbox

An email with a link to reset your password was sent to the email address associated with your account

Choose a Reddit account to continue

The Count of Monte Cristo

Mobile widget metaboxes

Release date

30 th August 2024

Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo is one of French literature’s great stories, and one adapted for the screen on multiple occasions. At more than 1,200 pages, with much more complexity to its plot than its best-remembered elements, it is a gruelling undertaking to get right. However, co-directors and writers Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière have done exactly that with their lavish new period epic, set in early 19 th -century France.

Pierre Niney plays its central character, Edmond Dantès, a sailor set for promotion to captain and marriage to his aristocrat sweetheart Mercédès ( Anaïs Demoustier ). Yet danger lurks around the corner in the shape of the jealousy of his army officer friend Fernand de Morcef ( Bastien Bouillon ), his scorned former captain Danglars ( Patrick Mille ) and Gérard de Villefort ( Laurent Lafitte ), an unscrupulous prosecutor.

After rescuing a mysterious woman at sea, a signed directive is found in the now-ousted Napoleon’s handwriting – resulting in his arrest. With neither de Morcef, Danglars nor others willing or able to vouch for his innocence, he ends up incarcerated in a pit-like dungeon in the island jail of Château d’If near Marseille.

After several years of incarceration, he is accosted by another prisoner, Abbé Faria ( Pierfrancesco Favino ) – a clergyman with an important secret leading to a fortune beyond one’s wildest dreams. Upon Dantès’s escape, he uses that fortune to pose as the mysterious “Count of Monte Cristo” and plots an elaborate revenge on those who have wronged him. He utilises their own greed and past crimes against them and enlists others also wronged.

It is important to say, first, that Delaporte and La Patellière’s film looks terrific, simultaneously referencing the period while taking liberties to add style for the 21 st -century eye. Aficionados of the book may also spot some changes to characters and elements of the plot. These largely work to create a slicker, more easily understood version of the story for the screen, as a film lacks the space to meander as much as the classic novel.

In its first half, it also rollicks along like a boy’s own adventure – despite its length (in total it runs to almost three hours), it never feels deliberative. Matters do slow down a little as Dantès’s plot comes to fruition, but there’s enough tension created by moral qualms about his revenge to hold interest.

Niney is also fantastic as Dantès and “The Count”, playing him as a young idealist and cold master of disguise – and in scenes with Demoustier, capturing the heartbreak of having lost love and a future together.

Never dull, and taking on one of the great stories of our time, The Count of Monte Cristo is a worthy adaptation of Dumas’s epic.

Mark Worgan

The Count of Monte Cristo is released in select cinemas on 30 th August 2024.

Watch the trailer for The Count of Monte Cristo here:

More in Movie reviews

Paradise is Burning

Cadejo Blanco

The Mountain Within Me

Blink Twice

The Goldman Case

Widow Clicquot

Between the Temples

Sidebar widget metaboxes

Screen Rant

Does the halbrand/sauron twist actually make sense screenrant's rings of power podcast weighs in.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Sauron's Plan In The Rings Of Power Explained

How true is rings of power's young galadriel to tolkien's version screenrant's podcast sets the record straight, south park live-action concept trailer imagines jonah hill's cartman, michael cera's stan & more.

The biggest twist of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power didn't disappoint in terms of turning the entire story on its head, confirming that Sauron deceived everyone in his disguise as Halbrand. But as fans looked more and more closely at the story in hindsights, and have tried to fit Sauron's new timeline into the Tolkien canon, the question has divided much of the audience: does the Halbrand/Sauron twist actually work? And ScreenRant's The Rings of Power Podcast has many thoughts on what it suggests, what it changes, and what it promises for the show's future.

Where Galadriel spent the first season of The Rings of Power questioning whether or not Sauron was still alive, audiences had the benefit of knowing the answer. What they couldn't know was the disguise, if any, Sauron was wearing through the first part of the story. That mystery was revealed in grand fashion, as King Halbrand of the Southlands confessed to be Sauron , and credited Galadriel with restoring him in the first season finale. And immediately, detractors called 'plot hole' and flawed logic, citing Tolkien's own writing or a broken timeline.

Charlie Vickers as Halbrand Sauron in Rings of Power.

But does the twist work perfectly? Does it fit alongside Tolkien's existing lore? And most importantly, why was Sauron even on that boat at all? These answers are found in the latest episode of The Rings of Power Podcast: "Halbrand is Sauron: Does The Twist Make Sense, or a Plot Hole?" embedded below:

Hosts Andrew Dyce and Stephen Colbert dive deep into the existing lore, ideas and potential stories scribbled or discussed by J.R.R. Tolkien across his life, and where the Rings of Power writers have room to fill in their own fiction. But the one unanswered question about Sauron's story remains: how did Halbrand end up on that raft with Galadriel? Does the story actually make sense? What missing pieces will the show hopefully answer?

Galadriel played by Morfydd Clark and Sauron played by Charlie Vickers, wearing full black armour, in The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 episode 8 finale reflected in the water, transposed over the eye of Sauron.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power focuses on Sauron’s plans for the Second Age; What are they, and what could happen in the future?

Sauron Was Killed Long Before Many Viewers Seem To Think

The place of sauron's death is abandoned for centuries when the show begins.

Sauron and Adar in Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power

Viewers are certain to have their own issues with any given storyline in The Rings of Power , whether based on the tale's own merits, or how it contributes to the existing Tolkien lore. But one of the biggest pieces of Sauron's puzzle is easy to misunderstand on a first watch. Especially when the show's opening narration seems to suggest that Galadriel and her Elves are anywhere close to 'pursuing' Sauron, or retracing steps in his master plan. When Adar finally claims he killed Sauron himself, viewers may not fully grasp what's being revealed.

Since both Sauron and Adar describe only the immediate events following his master's defeat, it's possible that Sauron's death took place years, months, or even just days or weeks following the fall of Morgoth . Presuming the northern fortress where Sauron gathered the surviving Orcs was the scene of the crime, the area has been totally abandoned for centuries by the time Galadriel finds it. So what was Sauron up to all that time? That's a question Tolkien fails to even hint at, let alone describe in full.

How Did Sauron Spend The 1,000 Years Before The Raft?

How sauron ended up on the boat, and the raft, remains a story for the show to tell.

Charlie Vickers as Halbrand looking solemn on a raft in The Rings of Power.

As Tolkien fans know, The Rings of Power 's events are covering those of the Second Age , spanning the millennia between Morgoth's defeat and Sauron's own (in which the One Ring is cut from his hand). While the major events of Sauron's journey in the Second Age are known, and sure to be covered in the TV series, the intervening centuries are wide open for the writers to fill. Tolkien established the things Sauron did, sure. But he didn't say those were the only things the Dark Lord got up to.

To those audience members pointing to Sauron's presence on the raft (or the wrecked boat which preceded it) as too much of a coincidence, and therefore part of his plan, we're sad to say that clairvoyance or foresight is not one of Sauron's gifts. If it really was coincidence or chance, then viewers should be less concerned with how he crossed paths with Galadriel, and focus on how Sauron spent the previous centuries following his death at Adar's hands .

For the full conversation and debate on this and all other topics related to the TV show, be sure to follow The Rings of Power Podcast in your favorite podcast app, and stay tuned to ScreenRant for all coverage of season two and beyond.

Subscribe to The Rings of Power Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Subscribe to The Rings of Power Podcast on Spotify

The Rings of Power Podcast

Tolkien enthusiasts Andrew Dyce and Stephen Colbert host this ScreenRant podcast about Prime Video's ongoing series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Each episode explores questions, criticism, and theories about the Middle-Earth-set show.

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Review: TV’s Most Expensive Series Remains Stunningly Boring

Prime Video’s big-budget prequel has yet to develop characters we care about or put them in situations that make their fates moving

lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-elrond-galadriel-prime-video

Season 2 of the most expensive TV series ever made is here, and it still feels like something of a loss leader.

Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” has yet to develop characters we care about or put them in settings and situations — regardless of however handsome or awesome they may be — that make their fates more than rudimentarily moving.

The eight-episode season also fails to move the narrative needle much beyond where the smoking ruins of Season 1 left matters. Sauron (Charlie Vickers) is still the shape-shifting superbad. Elves, dwarfs, humans and orcs remain too blinkered by their own political in-fighting to counter him effectively. The goofy cosmic Stranger (Daniel Weyman), who we all know will become J.R.R. Tolkien’s most famous wizard, is still wandering around looking for his magic staff with some proto-Hobbit pals. More rings get made.

Galadriel in Rings of Power Season 2 (Credit: Prime Video)

Some of these prequel plotlines do fill in fascinating data for the wonkier fans of “The Hobbit” and Tolkien’s actual “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. And each episode — half of which were directed by French/Swedish TV wiz Charlotte Brändström — has good action beats, scary stuff, whimsy and intrigues. But most of “Rings of Power” still feels mechanical and superficial, and doesn’t build enough of a bulwark against the show’s soporific saga exposition and perpetual meandering. Sending everyone on quests is the bane of all Tolkien productions; this season, shot in the UK, makes for even more tedious travelogue stretches than its New Zealand forebears.

Forever doomed to be negatively compared to the “Game of Thrones’” prequel series “House of the Dragon,” the second season of “Rings” does do one thing better: it delivers the brutal climactic battle that failed to materialize on its rival’s just-completed sophomore run. Yet even with its lack of action, the HBO series wins on compelling characterization points, a strategy our Middle-earth mavens have yet to learn. Almost everybody in “Rings” is defined by what they have to do next, with little complexity of feelings or motives.

That said, two Season 2 performances stand out, both due in different ways to the corrupting power of the magic rings. This theme is what made the franchise’s third film, “Return of the King,” resonate more than any other Tolkien show. It ain’t nothing new, but at least it’s a sure way for a few skilled actors to rise above all the fairytale sword and sorcery nonsense everyone else takes so seriously.

lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-charlie-vickers-charles-edwards-prime-video.jpg

These would be Charles Edwards’ Celebrimbor, the master ring crafts-elf whose ego makes him an easy mark for Sauron’s deceiving, pointy-eared incarnation (Vickers does yeoman work as the now-he’s-human/now-he’s-elf-god/he’s-really-just-made-of-black-goo Dark Lord). Celebrimbor’s spiritual and cognitive declines are on par with those of the future Gollum’s, but more poignant. His is a farther fall from such an honorable starting place.

Peter Mullan delivers the other Shakespearean performance as Dwarf King Durin III, who goes mad with greed and a Trumpian belief in his infallibility while wearing a ring. With this one, Mullan (“Ozark,” “Top of the Lake”) further corners the market on toxic TV patriarchs.

Most everyone else plays a note or two beyond their heroic or villainous assignments, but doesn’t do a whole lot with them. Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) feels a bit guilty about falling for Sauron’s human disguise, but even wearing an infernal ring doesn’t hinder this elf warrior’s righteous fight against evil. A serviceable, sub-Sauron embodiment of all that’s terrible, orc leader Adar (played by Sam Hazeldine this season) has some spark of concern for the horde of drooling uglies he calls his children, yet thinks nothing of sacrificing them to achieve his aims. The next generation of dwarf royalty (Owain Arthur and Sophia Nomvete) perform profoundly uninteresting domestic slapstick, slathered in Scottish burrs, before rising to the occasion and rebelling against demented Dad.

lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-dwarf-couple-prime-video

Stumbling about arid wastelands with his plucky Harfoot sidekicks Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy (Megan Richards),The Stranger encounters jolly, aggravating, sphynx-like wizarding guru Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear) and gets eaten by a tree, among other misfortunes.

Meanwhile, venal human usurpers are screwing up Númenor. The Maxfield Parrish wet dream city’s blind, rightful Queen Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and her loyal Captain Elendil (Lloyd Owen) suppress their passion for one another with statements in the stilted noble-ese that too often substitutes for believable dialogue around these parts.

“You are walking a treacherous path,” Elendil’s collaborationist daughter Eärien (Ema Horvath) warns him.

“And yours is made of sea water!” He thunders back. “Take care to keep your feet beneath you. It’s a long way to the bottom.”

Hitting the depths of “Rings’” dialogue generator is obviously a much quicker process. At one point showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay just seem to give up and have someone mouth metaphorically that “a storm is coming,” as if to concede defeat to the “GOT” writers room.

In addition, an unsettling number of folks break into song. We’re indifferently introduced to new characters and love interests, none of which rise above a furtive, fully clothed kiss (another win for the “GoT”/”HOTD” column). Another subspecies or two emerges to unmemorable effect. There’s a pretty cool roster of monstrous creatures; while some appear to have escaped from an unmade “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequel, others — like the temple moths that turn into a spooky white lady and Damrod, a hill troll that’s like a giant Hulk orc who enjoys biting off the heads of puny humanoids — earn all the VFX budget that went into them.

Indeed, “Rings” continues to be a production of unparalleled sumptuousness, played out amidst medieval cities both wondrously glistening and horribly distressed, in underground kingdoms and haunted caves, across seascapes, forests and unforgiving deserts. It’s an immersive vacation to Middle-earth, but one that feels confined to a package tour agenda. Maybe we’ll actually get into the place, and its various people/beings, next season.

“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Season 2 premieres Thursday, Aug. 29, on Prime Video.

Hot Stuff: The 10 best romance novels of 2023

From fairytale retellings to historical escapes, there was plenty to love on romance shelves in 2023.

Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine , The Hollywood Reporter , and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight , is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen.

Every year, it seems as if our need for escape and happy endings only grows.

2023 was no exception, with a host of real-world events often making the real world a depressing place to be. Thank goodness for the romance genre and the promise of happily-ever-after (on the pages of a book, at least). Whether you're in search of a contemporary rom-com, a creative retelling of a beloved story, or something that shines a light on a new corner of the world, there was no shortage of great reads. Here, in no particular order, are our 10 favorite romance novels of 2023.

"Technically Yours" by Denise Williams

Denise Williams returns with a STEM-focused romance that is as sexy as it is cozy. Pearl Harris is terrified of letting a man get in the way of her ambitions and her commitment to her family. When her new job brings her back into the path of Cord Matthews, a tech innovator and former coworker she fell for years ago, she finds her rules for romance sorely tested. Williams is a master at crafting relatable characters whose past traumas obstruct their road to happiness, and Technically Yours is no different. She writes with the precision and charm of a classic rom-com, innately knowing the code to what makes an irresistible read. Williams has a gift for making her characters feel like people we know, while also granting them a love story worthy of a novel.

"The Duke Gets Desperate" by Diana Quincy

Any novel that expands the possibilities of the historical romance sub-genre is a win in our books, but particularly when they’re this sinfully readable. When Arab-American heiress Raya Darwish unexpectedly inherits her late cousin’s English castle, she isn’t prepared to face off against Anthony Cary, Duke of Strickland, who feels he’s been robbed of his birthright. But through much glowering and sexy banter, the two come to realize that Raya’s plans for the estate are the only thing likely to save it. The Duke Gets Desperate bursts with old-school romance feels, while also feeling utterly fresh in its more inclusive view of history.

"Once More With Feeling" by Elissa Sussman

2023 brought us the gift of Britney Spears’ memoir, but if you can’t get enough of the pop princess, Once More With Feeling will hit you one more time. Once upon a time, Katee Rose was America’s number one pop star, but her career came to a screeching halt when her boy-bander boyfriend, Ryan, broadcast her infidelity with his bandmate Cal Kirby. Years later, Kathleen gets a shot at the comeback she’s always wanted on Broadway, but it comes with a catch — Cal is the director. Sussman perfectly balances her winking pop culture references with a swoony romance and an interrogation of mid-2000s tabloid culture. Oops, we want to read it again… and again.

"Marry Me by Midnight" by Felicia Grossman

With her new series, Felicia Grossman reimagines classic fairytales with a historical twist — and she gives voice to Jewish communities of the past. In Marry Me By Midnight, she gender-swaps Cinderella with synagogue custodian Aaron Ellenberg as the poor, but kindly figure dreaming of a new life and heiress Isabelle Lira, the wealthy one on the hunt for a spouse. Isabelle is ambitious, tempestuous even, in her determination to prove she can go toe-to-toe with any businessman. But what charms are the sweet and unexpected ways Aaron sneaks into her heart. Fairy-tale retellings abound in romance, but few cast a spell as enchanting as this.

"Business or Pleasure" by Rachel Lynn Solomon

We stan a sex positive manifesto, and that’s exactly what Business or Pleasure is. Ghostwriter Chandler Cohen knows she needs to shake up her life, but she didn’t exactly intend to have a (bad) one night stand with her next client. When C-list actor Finn Walsh hires her to ghostwrite his memoir about his time on a CW-esque show, she struggles to keep things professional. Until their mutual attraction leads her to offer to give him some lessons in the bedroom. Solomon writes even bad sex in a way that crackles off the page, championing the credo that pleasure isn’t about an end goal, but rather enjoying the path to satisfaction along the way. Tattoo that message on our chest, please.

"Knockout" by Sarah MacLean

If you haven’t read a Sarah MacLean book by now, what are you doing with your life? The perfect gateway drug to historical romance, MacLean delivers fierce, feminist, fresh takes year after year. Knockout is no exception, as it follows Lady Imogen Loveless, explosives expert, and her romance with detective Thomas Peck. The further MacLean moves away from ballrooms and Debrett’s, the better her work gets, as she delves into the underworld of the Hell’s Belles and their secret network of women helping women. When Peck agrees to keep an eye on Imogen for the sake of her safety, he isn’t prepared for just how explosive a woman she is. Or for the rot lurking in the heart of Scotland Yard. MacLean writes yearning, groveling men, and ferocious women with a quill pen worthy of a Pulitzer, and this book in particular is a K.O.

"Exes and O's" by Amy Lea

With Exes and O’s , Amy Lea subverts and reaffirms some of romance’s best tropes. Romance-obsessed Tara Chen is tired of hunting for The One when no one can measure up to the heroes on the pages of her favorite books. So, she decides to turn to the trope of “second chance romance” and seek out each of her exes in a quest to discover whether she might have let the right guy pass her by. Her roommate, hunky firefighter Trevor Metcalfe, reluctantly agrees to help her with her mission — but things get messy when he’s the one who starts catching feelings. Exes and O’s is a book for every romance reader who’s ever been told that their favorite genre is giving them “unrealistic expectations,” spearing just what such expectations may be, while offering up a squee-inducing love story of its own.

"An Island Princess Starts a Scandal" by Adriana Herrera

Canary Street Press

Adriana Herrera returns to her Caribbean heiresses in An Island Princess Starts a Scandal, offering readers a sapphic romance as lush as one of her heroine’s paintings. With the opportunity to show her art at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan is determined to enjoy a summer of freedom before resigning herself to a loveless marriage. But when she crosses paths with business-woman Cora Kempf Bristol, Duchess of Sundridge, all bets are off. Manuela agrees to sell Cora a coveted piece of her land, if the Duchess will spend one libidinous summer in her company. Herrera captures the bohemian ethos of turn-of-the-century Paris with a sparkling, colorful eye. But more impressively, she negotiates the challenges of life in the past for queer people and people of color with honesty while never losing the joie de vivre that makes her stories sing.

"Raiders of the Lost Heart" by Jo Segura

We're still waiting for adventure romance to become the next hot trend, but in the meanwhile, we have Raiders of the Lost Heart. The book is just what the title might lead you to expect — an enemies to lovers tale of two rival archaeologists, who are forced together on the dig of a lifetime. Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía has spent her career fighting to prove herself as more than her Lara Croft-worthy curves and harrowing adventure stories. And no one rubs her the wrong way like Dr. Ford Matthews (yes, he’s named after Harrison), the man in charge of her dream expedition. Their bickering seems to be their biggest problem, until suspicious entities begin to close in on their camp. Segura has a wicked sense of humor, a divinely filthy imagination, and a knack for probing questions of identity, sexism, and racism. She combines delicious enemies to lovers banter with a high dash of danger and action, as she plunges her characters into the jungle in an adventure that thrills and titillates in equal measure.

"Kiss the Girl" by Zoraida Córdova

Hyperion Avenue

Reinventing a Disney classic is such a challenge that even the studio itself has often stumbled with their efforts. That’s part of what makes Zoraida Córdova's Kiss the Girl , the third book in Disney’s Meant to Be series, so splashy. Córdova takes The Little Mermaid out of the sea, instead reimagining Ariel Del Mar and her sisters as hit pop girl group, Siren Seven. When Ariel bristles against her father’s demands, she strikes out on her own, joining up-and-coming rocker Eric Reyes on tour as a merch girl in disguise. As they travel, Ariel struggles with keeping her true identity a secret and her growing feelings for Eric — all at risk from her father’s wheeling and dealing. Córdova takes a beloved fairy-tale and gives it legs by transforming it into a heartfelt story of finding your voice (and honoring the love of someone who gives it the space to shine).

When To Watch ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2: Premiere Date, Episode Schedule, and More

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power stays true to its title in Season 2, with the first batch of the Rings of Power being thrust upon the denizens of the Middle-earth. Taking place centuries before the Fellowship of the Ring was formed in the original trilogy, the realm was at peace following the disappearance of the dark lord Sauron. As the young and ambitious Galadriel ( Morfydd Clark ) soon discovers, Sauron is alive and well in Middle-earth, with the dark lord posing as her companion Halbrand ( Charlie Vickers ) for most of their journey.

Season 1 was but the first step of Sauron's master plan for complete and total dominion over Middle-earth. Season 2 sees the master manipulator continue to manipulate and meld the Rings of Power into his own dark image. It will take a ragtag team of Middle-earth's most unlikely heroes to stop Sauron, but when can you see the next step in their unexpected journey? To find out when and how you can watch the second season of the big-budget J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation, here is where you can watch The Rings of Power Season 2 .

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.

Is 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 2 Premiering on TV?

The Rings of Power will not be continuing its epic Season 2 quest on cable or live TV. Just like with Season 1 ( which was the most expensive season of television ever made ), Amazon has opted to release their big budget spectacle on its in-house streaming platform.

Is 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 2 Streaming Online?

A close up of Sauron in his Annatar the elf disguise (Charlie Vickers) staring ahead with a small smirk in The Rings of Power Season 2

As sure as Sauron's return to Middle-earth, The Rings of Power Season 2 is also undoubtedly returning to Prime Video. The adventure begins when The Rings of Power Season 2 officially debuts on Thursday, August 29th, 2024, at 8:00 PM EST with the three-episode premiere . The return to the fantasy realm of The Lord of the Rings is a welcome one following the superhero genre's complete and total domination of the service in recent months. Prime Video hit a hat trick of quality superhero stories with the critically acclaimed second season of Invincible , the penultimate fourth season of The Boys , and the debut premiere of Batman: Caped Crusader .

Watch on Prime Video

Prime Video can be purchased on its own for $8.99 per month or can be bundled with the rest of Amazon Prime for $14.99 per month or $139 per year. Ads can also be removed from the service for an additional $2.99 per month.

Sign-Up for Prime Video

Can You Watch 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 2 Without Prime Video?

A blurry Sauron as Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) staring at a solemn Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and sitting on her left in The Rings of Power

Amazon has not announced any plans to release The Rings of Power Season 2 outside of Prime Video.

Watch the Trailer for 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 2

The trailer for The Rings of Power Season 2 introduces a fundamentally new tone for the Lord of the Rings prequel series. Gone is the optimistic and peaceful tone of Season 1, now something much more sinister is clearly lurking beneath the surface. While the last we saw of Sauron in Season 1 showed him visiting his new realm of Mordor, it's clear that he's closer than the merry fellowship of heroes might think, with the dark lord now adopting a new disguise as an Elvish spy.

More 'Lord of the Rings' Projects to Watch After 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 2

'the lord of the rings' trilogy (2001-2003).

Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) ride a carriage together through the sunny, grassy landscape of the Shire in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' (2001).

By far the most well-known adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's work, Peter Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings trilogy picks up centuries after the events of The Rings of Power . The story follows young Frodo Baggins ( Elijah Wood ), who inherits an unusually alluring gold ring. This magical artifact is none other than The One Ring that holds dominion over all the other Rings of Power. With the help of a ragtag fellowship of friends, Frodo embarks on an epic quest to cast the ring into the fiery volcano that forged it. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (including the extended editions) is available to stream on Max .

Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring Film Poster

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.

Watch on Max

'The Hobbit' Trilogy (2012-2014)

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins looking at the ring in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

A more direct prequel to the original trilogy, The Hobbit films made the somewhat controversial decision to make three movies out of the shortest book in the franchise. This time, we follow Frodo's uncle, Bilbo Baggins ( Martin Freeman ), who was the one who found The One Ring many years prior. His quest begins when a wise wizard named Gandalf the Grey ( Ian McKellen ) asks for Frodo's help to reclaim a vast Dwarven kingdom, which has become the home of a sadistic dragon called Smaug ( Benedict Cumberbatch ). The Hobbit trilogy (including the extended editions) is available to stream on Max .

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

A reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of dwarves to reclaim their mountain home, and the gold within it from the dragon Smaug.

'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' (2024)

A battle scene from The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Big things are in store for The Lord of the Rings franchise's cinematic future, starting with The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim , which is unlike anything we've seen in the franchise yet. The War of the Rohirrim leaves behind the conflict with Sauron to tell a brand-new story about the legendary Riders of Rohan. The anime-style epic boasts a stellar ensemble cast, including Miranda Otto reprising her role as Éowyn for the first time since Peter Jackson's trilogy. Also in the works is yet another prequel that will focus on the complex antagonist, Gollum ( Andy Serkis ) . The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim rides into theaters on December 13th, 2024 .

The Lord of The Rings: The War of The Rohirrim

The untold story behind Helm's Deep, hundreds of years before the fateful war, telling the life and bloodsoaked times of its founder, Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan.

Amazon Prime

Share full article

Supported by

Slow and Steady Wins the Game of Love for These Sports Professionals

The pandemic forced Monica McNutt, a basketball commentator, and Justin Jackson, the director of basketball operations for the National Basketball Players Association, to continue their relationship from afar.

Groom, left, in tuxedo with pale pink flower on his lapel, has arm around bride, wearing a sleeveless white gown and holding a white and pink bouquet. They are standing on a deck at the Conrad Hotel overlooking Washington. The Capitol is in the distance to the left.

By Valeriya Safronova

During golden hour on the beach in St. George’s, Grenada, on Sept. 1, 2023, Justin Alexander Jackson suggested that he and Monica Corin McNutt take a couple of selfies. After setting a timer on his phone, Mr. Jackson posed for a photo with Ms. McNutt, then pulled out an engagement ring, bent to his knee and asked her to marry him.

“I was so shocked, and then a wave came and knocked his phone into the water,” Ms. McNutt said. As she expressed concern about his phone, Mr. Jackson expressed concern about her answer. “He was like, ‘Is that a yes?’” she said. “And I was like, ‘Yes, but your phone!’”

After rescuing the phone, the two returned to their hotel room, which was decorated with balloons and flowers. They celebrated their engagement with their friends during the rest of the trip, which they described as a “framily vacation.”

Ms. McNutt, 34, is a basketball commentator for MSG Networks and ESPN. She grew up in Suitland, Md., and has a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown and a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Maryland.

[Click here to binge read this week’s featured couples.]

Mr. Jackson, 37, was raised in Fairfax and Fredericksburg, Va., and received a bachelor’s degree in sport management and a master’s degree in sport psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is the director of basketball operations for the National Basketball Players Association.

A mutual friend introduced Ms. McNutt and Mr. Jackson in May 2019 at the NBA Draft Combine. They quickly connected over work.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

Want all of The Times? Subscribe .

IMAGES

The Master Of Disguise Movie Review (2002)
The Master of Disguise Movie Review and Ratings by Kids
"The Master of Disguise"
The Master of Disguise (2002)
The Master of Disguise Movie Review and Ratings by Kids
The Master of Disguise (2002)

VIDEO

Master Disguise🫡👏
The Master of Disguise Trailer (2002)
The Master Of Disguise (2002) w #2
master of disguise
Maestro
The Master of Disguise Full Movie Facts $ Review in English / Dana Carvey / Brent Spiner

COMMENTS

The Master Of Disguise movie review (2002)
"The Master of Disguise" pants and wheezes and hurls itself exhausted across the finish line after barely 65 minutes of movie, and then follows it with 15 minutes of end credits in an attempt to clock in as a feature film. We get outtakes, deleted scenes, flubbed lines and all the other versions of the Credit Cookie, which was once a cute idea but is getting to be a bore.
The Master of Disguise
An ill-concieved attempt to utilize Dana Carvey's talent for mimicry, The Master of Disguise is an irritating, witless farce weighted down by sophomoric gags. In a 40-year career in horror, David ...
The Master of Disguise
It is virtually impossible to watch The Master of Disguise and not feel embarrassed for stars Dana Carvey, Jennifer Esposito, and Brent Spiner. Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Jan 15, 2004 ...
The Master of Disguise (2002)
The plot of the film centers around Pistachio Disguisey (Dana Carvey) who must train to become a Master of Disguise after his parents Fabbrizio Diguisey (James Brolin) and Mother Disguisey (Edie McClurg) are kidnapped by Devlin Bowman (Brent Spiner) Devlin has plotted revenge on the Disguisey family after Fabbrizio set him up to spend 20 years ...
The Master of Disguise (2002)
Recently viewed. The Master of Disguise: Directed by Perry Andelin Blake. With Dana Carvey, Jennifer Esposito, Harold Gould, James Brolin. An Italian waiter fights off a criminal mastermind with his inherited powers of disguise.
The Master of Disguise
Movie Review. Presto chango! For hundreds of years the Disguisey family has used its mysterious abilities of—what else?—disguise to provide a better life for the whole of mankind by doing everything from thwarting robberies to fronting for beleaguered presidents. But after a close call with a baron of the black market, Devlin Bowman, Fabbrizio Disguisey decides to put away his wig, mask ...
The Master of Disguise
The Master of Disguise is a 2002 American adventure comedy film directed by production designer Perry Andelin Blake in his sole directorial effort, written by Dana Carvey and Harris Goldberg, and produced by Sid Ganis, Alex Siskin, Barry Bernardi, and Todd Garner.The film stars Carvey, Brent Spiner, Jennifer Esposito, Harold Gould and James Brolin.It tells the story of a man who is trained to ...
The Master of Disguise
Nov 5, 2012. This movie is not a cinematic masterpiece. It does not have brilliant writing. It is not the greatest movie you will ever see. It IS, however, a goofy family movie and should be treated as such. There are some humorous moments with some of the disguises that Pistachio uses.
The Master of Disguise (2002)
Totally lame. Hands-down, the best James Brolin-in-an-Italian-accent movie ever. Pants and wheezes and hurls itself exhausted across the finish line after barely 65 minutes of movie, and then follows it with 15 minutes of end credits in an attempt to clock in as a feature film. Lacking even a hint of humor or a watchable story, Disguise has ...
The Master of Disguise
MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 80 MIN. With: Pistachio - Dana Carvey Jennifer - Jennifer Esposito Grandfather - Harold Gould Frabbrizio - James Brolin Bowman - Brent Spiner Mother - Edie McClurg ...
The Master of Disguise
The Master of Disguise Reviews. 12 Metascore. 2002. 1 hr 17 mins. Comedy. PG. Watchlist. Where to Watch. This comedy stars Dana Carvey as a waiter who learns of his family's secret history of ...
Master of Disguise Movie Review
Our review: Parents say ( 5 ): Kids say ( 17 ): This misbegotten mess of a movie is a terrible disappointment for fans of Dana Carvey. It is also a disappointment for fans of comedy and fans of movies. It really is hard to imagine how the talented Carvey can have taken what sounded like a can't-miss premise and missed so completely.
The Master of Disguise (review)
The Master of Disguise is a cheap, and cheap-looking, celebration of idiocy, obviousness, and crudity. Carvey's character, the absurdly monikered Pistachio Disguisey, is a moronic man-child whom we're supposed to cheer on not in spite of but because of his boorish behavior and all-encompassing stupidity. Any parent who unwittingly wanders ...
Master of Disguise
Columbia/Tri-Star // PG // January 28, 2003. List Price: $26.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon] Review by Aaron Beierle | posted January 13, 2003 | E-mail the Author. The Movie: I'm always hearing people say, "whatever happened to Dana Carvey?" Aside from the occasional "Saturday Night Live" rerun, the comic had seemingly disappeared.
The Master Of Disguise Review
The Master Of Disguise Review Pistachio Disguisey is the youngest of the Disguisey clan - who for centuries have saved the world from evil by transforming their physical appearance. by Alan Morrison |
The Master of Disguise
The Master Of Disguise is a silly film. It is slapstick on the level of The Three Stooges. It is funny as long as you can find that 8 year old inside you. I watched this movie with my two sons and we laughed through most of it. Dana Carvey plays Pistachio, the son of a legendary disguise artist, James Brolin.
The Master of Disguise (2002)
After the patriarch of the Disguisey family is kidnapped by Devlin Bowman in an attempt to steal the most precious treasures from around the world, Italian waiter Pistachio Disguisey utilizes his supernatural ability to disguise himself in an attempt to stop him. Perry Andelin Blake. Director. Dana Carvey. Writer.
Dustin Putman's Review: Master of Disguise, The (2002 ...
The Master of Disguise (2002) Directed by Perry Andelin Blake Cast: Dana Carvey, Jennifer Esposito, Brent Spiner, Harold Gould, James Brolin, Edie McClurg, Jessica Simpson, Jesse Ventura, Bo Derek, Jesse Johnson, Kevin Nealon 2002 - 76 minutes Rated: (for mild language and some crude humor). Reviewed by Dustin Putman, August 2, 2002.
The Master of Disguise (2002) Movie Review
This is a Patreon Review for TotalMeltdown2.Paypal Video or Review Requests are always welcome & can be done here: https://www.paypal.me/ramboraph4lifeFor th...
The Master of Disguise
The Master of Disguise review by Elias Savada, ... town instead of having to suffer through the remaining laughless parade of skittish disguises and classic-movie tributes (The Godfather, The Exorcist, and Jaws) so lamely mauled. The production notes say this film runs eighty minutes; it felt like an agonizing lifetime.
r/movies on Reddit: "The Master of Disguise" is one of the most
"The Master of Disguise" is one of the most grotesquely unfunny comedy movies ever made. This notorious scene perfectly encompasses why. Share Add a Comment. Sort by: ... Master of Disguise is a great hilarious movie. Go to r/Disguiseymemes for great master of disguise memes
The Master of Disguise (2002)
Visit the movie page for 'The Master of Disguise' on Moviefone. Discover the movie's synopsis, cast details and release date. Watch trailers, exclusive interviews, and movie review. Your guide to ...
"The Master of Disguise" is such a good movie that it's ...
"The Master of Disguise" is such a good movie that it's successfully disguised itself as a bad movie. To be clear, the movie certainly deserves its low ratings. ... The goal of /r/Movies is to provide an inclusive place for discussions and news about films with major releases. Submissions should be for the purpose of informing or initiating a ...
The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo is one of French literature's great stories, and one adapted for the screen on multiple occasions. At more than 1,200 pages, with much more ...
Does The Halbrand/Sauron Twist Actually Make Sense? ScreenRant's Rings
The biggest twist of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power didn't disappoint in terms of turning the entire story on its head, confirming that Sauron deceived everyone in his disguise as Halbrand. But as fans looked more and more closely at the story in hindsights, and have tried to fit Sauron's new timeline into the Tolkien canon, the question has divided much of the audience: does the ...
Rings of Power Season 2 Review: Stunningly Boring
The eight-episode season also fails to move the narrative needle much beyond where the smoking ruins of Season 1 left matters. Sauron (Charlie Vickers) is still the shape-shifting superbad.
The 10 best romance novels of 2023
Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic ...
Here's When You Can Stream 'The Rings of Power' Season ...
Season 1 was but the first step of Sauron's master plan for complete and total dominion over Middle-earth. Season 2 sees the master manipulator continue to manipulate and meld the Rings of Power ...
Michigan cheating scandal: Connor Stalions looks guilty in Netflix doc
Viewers will note that Stalions, when shown a picture of the mysterious CMU sideline man, remarks, "That doesn't even look like me," which is not a denial as much as confirmation that the ...
Slow and Steady Wins the Game of Love for These Sports Professionals
A particularly emotional moment for Ms. McNutt was when Mr. Jackson read his vows. "I felt like this is his show, too," she said. "He's a big behind-the-scenes guy, and he let it all go in ...

The Master Of Disguise

Roger Ebert

Directed by

Leave a comment

Across the River and Into the Trees

You Gotta Believe

The Becomers

The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat

Between the Temples

Blink Twice

Strange Darling

Latest articles

Experience the Star Trek Movies in 70mm at Out of this World L.A. Event

Home Entertainment Guide: August 2024

Netflix’s “Terminator Zero” Takes Too Long to Develop Its Own Identity

Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is the Boldest Fantasy Show of the Year

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Email not verified

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

The Master of Disguise Reviews

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

The Master of Disguise

Content Caution

In Theaters

Home Release Date

Distributor

Movie Review

Loren Eaton

You Gotta Believe

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Want to stay Plugged In?

Metacritic reviews

More from this title

The Master of Disguise

Dennis Harvey

Related Stories

How Much Should AI Giants Pay Hollywood? What Insiders Say Has Stalled Any Licensing Deals

Paramount Takes $5.98 Billion Write-Down on Cable Networks in Q2 Tied to Skydance Deal While Streaming Turns First Profit

More from Variety

Amazon to Launch ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 1 for Free on Samsung TV in Viewership Push Ahead of Season 2

Reality Check: Summer Hot Streak Won’t Dig U.S. Box Office Out of Deep Hole in 2024

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Star Lloyd Owen to Headline RSC’s Political Drama ‘The New Real’ (EXCLUSIVE)

‘Rings of Power’ Bosses on New Parts of Middle-earth, Last-Minute Visual Effects and Why They Haven’t Changed Course From Season 1

Bungie Layoffs Highlight Post-M&A Issues for Gaming Industry as Its Unions React

‘Rings of Power’ Director Charlotte Brändström Explains Sauron’s Origins in Season 2 Premiere, Why Celebrimbor Is Like Oppenheimer and Directing 200 Orcs (EXCLUSIVE)

Robb Recommends: The All-Natural Incense You’ll Want to Burn All Fall and Winter

Caitlin Clark, Fever Set Attendance Record With Olympians Watching

The Best Loofahs and Body Scrubbers, According to Dermatologists

Dancing With the Stars: Witney Carson Returning as Pro for Season 33

The Master of Disguise Reviews

Or browse by category:

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Common Sense Selections for Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

How to Help Kids Build Character Strengths with Quality Media

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

Common Sense Media Review

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 10+?

Any Positive Content?

Violence & Scariness

Where to Watch

Parent and Kid Reviews

Skip This Movie

Is It Any Good?

Talk to Your Kids About ...