One Of The Best So-Bad-It’s-Good Comedies Of All Time Is Streaming Right Now

For those who aren’t familiar with The Master of Disguise, the film centers on a young, awkward man named- and I swear to god I’m not making this up, Pistachio Disguisey, as he helps out in his father’s Italian restaurant.

One day, without warning, a gang of gangsters, or ninjas of some sort, pull up and abduct Pistachio’s parents, sending the cross-eyed kid into a complete tailspin.

Luckily, Pistachio’s grandfather, credited only under the name Grandpa Disguisey, shows up with a plan to help Pistachio unlock his appearance-altering skills, which have been passed down to him by birthright.

As you may have guessed, the Disguisey family are a long line of masters of disguise, capable of changing their look, sound, and body type through the process of harnessing “energico” which are… Midichlorians, for all intents and purposes.

As Pistachio learns to master this family art, he recruits an attractive young woman to aid in his journey, and sets out to save his parents from certain danger.

Along the way, Dana Carvey performs impressions of George W. Bush, a turtle man, Quint from Jaws, and Tony Montana from Scarface, among many others.

The Master of Disguise holds a special place in my heart, since I have fond memories of watching this movie with my grandmother before I was old enough to walk, or appreciate how patently absurd this film is. Still, it’s safe to say that the movie is a certified flop by just about every metric.

Carvey’s impressions are dead-on, though they do nothing to save this film’s juvenile humor, imbecilic plot, and out-right stale writing.

Today, The Master of Disguise touts a truly impressive 1 percent certified rotten critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, alongside some of the most heinously-worded movie reviews of all time.

Obviously, if you attempt to watch this film like any other straightforward comedy, you’ll leave highly disappointed. But there’s definitely something to be said for watching this film knowing that it’s a train wreck, and just laughing at the absurdity of the entire production.

To make things even stranger, there’s a popular behind-the-scenes fact surrounding this film, which ties it to one of the most significant historical events in modern American history.

As the rumor goes, the crew of The Master of Disguise were shooting the infamous “Turtle Club” scene on the morning of September 11, 2001. While the timeline details don’t perfectly add up to corroborate this tale, Dana Carvey has previously spoken about the story at length.

If you need something simple, easy, and lacking any brainpower to throw on and kill 80 minutes, The Master of Disguise is currently streaming for free on Tubi.

The film is probably best enjoyed by imagining it as a series of barely-strung-together SNL skits, though its s0-bad-it’s-good properties cannot be ignored.

REVIEW SCORE