April 29th: Mystery Team
Mystery Team
Released: 2009
Directed by: Dan Eckman
Starring: Donald Glover, D.C. Pierson, Dominick Dierkes, Aubrey Plaza
Derrick Comedy was an improv group made up of Donald Glover, D. C. Pierson, and Dominic Dierkes, all trained at Upright Citizens Brigade. They started by creating YouTube videos, and their online success didn’t just build an audience — it helped fund something bigger. That project? Mystery Team.
Do you remember stories like Encyclopedia Brown — a child detective who solves mysteries usually involving other kids? Now imagine three of them as a team. That’s Mystery Team. Jason, played by Donald Glover, is the “master of disguise.” Duncan, played by D. C. Pierson, is the “boy genius.” And Charlie, played by Dominic Dierkes, is the “strongest kid in town.” They started their detective agency as children — and now, as high school seniors, they’re still solving kid-level mysteries. That is, until a little girl asks them to investigate the murder of her parents. The team then attempts to solve it the only way they know how.
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The level of absurd comedy in Mystery Team is hard to fully describe. Essentially, these three young men have never stopped behaving like seven-year-olds. Jason’s disguises are completely ridiculous. Duncan’s “genius” is just memorized facts from an old book. And Charlie isn’t strong — and may also be one of the most idiotic characters in any film. Their investigation spirals through increasingly absurd situations: yelling at a dying old man, sneaking into a gentleman’s club, attempting to buy cocaine from a violent dealer, and infiltrating a corporate party. Jason also spends most of the film trying to impress Kelly, the older sister of their client, played by Aubrey Plaza. In doing so, he isolates himself from the other two Mystery Team members. Nearly ninety percent of the jokes come from these overgrown children taking themselves seriously as detectives. On paper, that sounds unbearable — but the timing, commitment, and sheer ridiculousness of the situations make it far funnier than it has any right to be.
Small Observations:
- Many fellow Upright Citizens Brigade alumni appear throughout Mystery Team — including Aubrey Plaza, Ben Schwartz, Bobby Moynihan, Ellie Kemper, Neil Casey, Jon Daly, John Lutz, and even one of the founders, Matt Walsh. Even in small roles, they tend to stand out, which only adds to the film’s overall comedic density.
- The gentlemen’s club sequence contains something — multiple things, honestly — genuinely horrific. It’s still funny in a very base, almost childish way, but it also crosses into real discomfort more than once. These are the kinds of scenes you either love or hate. There’s no in-between.
- While the shift toward more serious consequences never fully adopts a somber tone, it still feels oddly appropriate within the context of the film as a whole.
- MCU actors: 3
Overall Rank: A
Is it silly? Yes. Is it stupid? Also yes. Did I laugh constantly throughout this silly, stupid movie? Also also yes. It’s ridiculous and goofy. And a whole lot of fun. Recommended.
