Mystery Men is a 1999 American superhero comedy film directed by Kinka Usher and written by Neil Cuthbert, loosely based on Bob Burden's Flaming Carrot Comics, and starring Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Greg Kinnear, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Reubens, Kel Mitchell, Wes Studi, Geoffrey Rush, Lena Olin, Eddie Izzard, Claire Forlani and Tom Waits. A group of inept amateur superheroes must try to save the day when a supervillain threatens to destroy a major superhero and the city.