Mystery Team – Review

Buddy visits Alan, his new neighbor, bursting inside as he opens the door. He is looking for old man McGuinty. “Buddy’s” behavior seems odd, but he asks plenty of questions, and even hints at murders!! Alan starts to figure out that Buddy is pretty young to be a home owner.

Then, Alan hears odd noises coming from the bedroom, as “Benny” and “The Jets” are trying to wake up his father. They declare themselves the Mystery Team!! In reality, their names are Jason (Glover), master of disguise, Duncan (Pierson), boy genius, and Charlie (Dierkes), the strongest kid in town. They are young sleuths, ever since they were kid detectives solving crimes for a dime, which is still their hiring price. They go home to sleep their day off.

Flashing back a day or two we get a new mystery: Who stuck their finger in Mrs. Kimmel’s boysenberry pie?! After a quick resolution, the Mystery Team ride off on their bikes to school. Despite being seniors in high school, they are not popular, and even face bullying. They turn their focus to anything mysterious, not anything gross, like girls.

Their new client, Brianna, is like 7 or something, and has a dime for payment. What is her case? Well, shit, she needs someone to find out who killed her parents. Here comes a fully adult mystery for these childlike teens. While they always wanted a real case, this one may be a bit much. They meet Brianna’s sister Kelly (Plaza), and decide they have to help.

Mystery Team is a goofy comedy with jokes that fly off the handle often, but mostly in a good way. Obviously, humor can be subjective but this one worked for me most of the time. Both clever and stupid, the comedy leans into ridiculousness and juvenile humor often while also dropping plenty of silly lines.

Overall, the acting works well for this type of feature which is not an overly demanding story. To nail the comedic timing is tougher, but mostly this crew handles that just fine also. While it is a low budget and therefore has that feeling, that also doesn’t matter as the plot is light and the sets are basic. It helps give it a neighborhood vibe and feel, which fits the mystery. Fans of Donald Glover should give it a shot, though the main trio all hit the right notes.

That really razzes my berries.