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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, August 2, 2002

'Master of Disguise' lacks laughs

By Marshall Fine
The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

THE MASTER OF DISGUISE (Rated PG for mild profanity, crude humor, cartoonish violence) One and One-Half Stars (Poor-to-Fair)

Dana Carvey is amusing when he gets into his various elaborate disguises, but this is a movie aimed squarely at the 8-year-old audience. Starring Dana Carvey, Harold Gould, Brent Spiner. Directed by Perry Blake. Columbia Pictures, 90 minutes.

"The Master of Disguise" points up Dana Carvey's strengths — as a gifted mimic and creator of odd characters — and his weakness as a writer.

Unfortunately, Carvey's rubber-face routine is no match for the insipid script he has crafted with Harris Goldberg. While Carvey admirably has tried to make a comedy that can entertain kids without resorting to vulgarity or sexual humor, what he's come up with is aimed so low that its appeal will probably top out at the 8-year-old audience.

Directed by Perry Blake, "Master of Disguise" is reminiscent of last summer's "Spy Kids," though without the overlay of kid-centric naughtiness. The story focuses on Pistachio Disguisey (Carvey), who works as a waiter in his father's restaurant.

He's not a very good waiter because of his unfortunate habit of drifting into a trance, then emerging from it to mimic whomever he is talking to — including the customers.

But when his father Fabbrizio (James Brolin) and mother (Edie McClurg) are kidnapped, Pistachio makes a startling discovery: He comes from a long line of secret agents who are masters of disguise, able to tap into a secret force that enables them to change their voices and mannerisms.

Now it is time for Pistachio to learn the way of the Disguiseys, as taught by his stern and long-suffering grandfather (Harold Gould).

Even as Pistachio is being tutored, his father is forced to commit dastardly deeds by the villainous Devlin Bowman (Brent Spiner), whose bad flatulence habit should keep younger viewers in stitches. They may be less amused by the disguises Fabbrizio assumes. How many 10-year-olds will know who the sprinter Michael Johnson is — or Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura?

As played by Carvey, Pistachio is only amusing when he's being someone else. Even then, the elaborate character make-up is often the entire joke. But with most of these characters, a little bit is expected to go a long way.

Spiner sneers appropriately as the villain, and Gould is enjoyably irascible as Grandpa Disguisey. Jennifer Esposito, on the other hand, looks like a spokesmodel out of water as Pistachio's assistant. And Brolin is forced to get by on the joke of being James Brolin.

"The Master of Disguise" is meant to be a comedy about a man of a thousand faces. Too bad it only has a dozen jokes.

Rated PG for mild profanity, crude humor, cartoonish violence.