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Dana Carvey, Jennifer Esposito, Harold Gould, James Brolin, Brent Spiner ... see more see more... , Edie McClurg , Maria Canals , Austin Wolff , Mark Devine , Jay Johnston , Robert Machray , Rachel Lederman , Jessica Simpson , Mike Johnson , Kenan Thompson , Erick Avari , Bo Derek , Robert Loggia , Kevin Nealon , Jesse Ventura , Cole Sprouse , Maria Canals-Barrera

Dana Carvey ventures into the world of PG-rated, family-oriented entertainment as star and co-writer of this light adventure comedy, which requires the actor to assume more than three dozen different ... read more read more...identities. Carvey's primary role in Master of Disguise, however, is that of Pistachio Disguisey, an ordinary waiter with a hidden, mostly untapped talent for transforming himself into any persona he wishes. When his kindly parents, Mama (Edie McClurg) and Frabbrizio (James Brolin), are kidnapped by the evil thief Devlin (Brent Spiner), the usually meek Pistachio is forced to rescue them. Enlisting the help of his grandfather (Harold Gould), Pistachio learns that he is one of a long line of family members to have the power of "Energico," a mystical means of changing one's identity to suit any given situation, and Pistachio learns to use these powers to their fullest to defeat Devlin and win back his folks. Carvey's original idea for Master of Disguise was helped to the screen by executive producer Adam Sandler, a buddy of his from their time on NBC's Saturday Night Live. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Flixster Users

38% liked it

55,973 ratings

Critics

2% liked it

99 critics

DVD Release Date: January 28, 2003

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Stats: 2,766 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,766)


  • March 20, 2012
    The Master of Disguise is really the master. He use the disguise of a funny movie, but is just a sad way to lose time. Rotten.
  • October 3, 2011
    Yeah. No. Full review later.
  • February 13, 2011
    It had his moments, but overall fails as a comedy.

    Grade: C-
  • May 2, 2009
    I did like this movie, it is a stupid movie with no real point to the storyline but i have to say it does make you laugh the different characters he gets disguised as is funny and i have to say the best character is turtle man he is soo hilarious we were reciting it weeks after t... read morehe movie so it is a film to watch but only if you just want a silly movie to easily follow and cheer you up!
  • September 3, 2007
    overall pretty awful, but I'll give it a decent review for Dana Carvey's impression of Robert Shaw alone.
  • July 15, 2007
    The opening title song keeps telling us "This Is Gonna Be Fun" - maybe they're trying to hypnotize us into thinking it's a good movie. It's not.

    I enjoyed it for its badness. Dana Carvey plays "Pistachio", the son of a great Italian disuise master, with some of his fathers' ta... read morelent. Pistachio dons some super corny disguises to get the girl he wants, and outsmart some gangsters led by Brent Spiner (Commander Data of Star Trek: The Next Generation).

    I liked the Turtle disguise the most. Everything is so dorky and corny. Smell the cheese and savor it.
  • May 6, 2006
    Idiotic, unfunny, and annoyingly ridiculous and over-the-top The Master of Disguise is a waste of the time of it's creators and it's audience. It is obvious that Dana Carvey is a man with a lot of improvisational talent but his humour is wasted on witless antics and will leave th... read moree viewer looking back to his only good film. It's a shame that this film was made, it really is, because it is one of those comedies that really has no potential. I was going to be kind to this and give it extra marks for it's mock of the Exorcist and Jaws but by the end of this film not even a transformation of Carvey into a bee could sweeten the sour taste left in my mouth.
  • February 9, 2011
    This movie tries a bit too hard to be funny. Even more unfortunate, it seems to have had its humor aimed squarely at 5-year-olds, and comes across as extremely dumb in the process. There is ONE genuinely funny moment, but even tis comes across as contrived and more of a laugh-at ... read morethan a laugh-with moment.
  • December 16, 2008
    Stupid humor throughout.
  • August 24, 2010
    Turtle turtle.

Critic Reviews


Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 5, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

George W. Bush in the flesh would have been much funnier than this movie's impersonation. Full Review

Peter Travers
August 20, 2002
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

In just over a minute you can see everything that's wrong with this one-joke farce.

Lisa Schwarzbaum
August 8, 2002
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

An awful, stillborn comedy assembled out of rusty spare parts from secret agent movies and run-of-the-mill Saturday Night Live skits. Full Review

Richard Roeper
August 5, 2002
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

If The Master of Disguise had been a free cable movie -- well, I still wouldn't have recommended it. Full Review

Jack Mathews
August 3, 2002
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

The film contains no good jokes, no good scenes, barely a moment when Carvey's Saturday Night Live-honed mimicry rises above the level of embarrassment. Full Review

Claudia Puig
August 2, 2002
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Lacking even a hint of humor or a watchable story, Disguise has distinguished itself as the summer's worst movie. Full Review

Peter Howell
August 2, 2002
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

The only camouflage Carvey should now be considering is a paper bag to wear over his head when he goes out into public, to avoid being recognized as the man who bilked unsuspecting moviegoers. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
August 2, 2002
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

At times, it actually hurts to watch. Full Review

Charles Taylor
August 2, 2002
Charles Taylor, Salon.com

Dana Carvey makes a lackadaisical 'comeback' as a man of a thousand faces, none of them funny. Full Review

Jay Boyar
August 2, 2002
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

No amount of nostalgia for Carvey's glory days can disguise the fact that the new film is a lame kiddie flick and that Carvey's considerable talents are wasted in it.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

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Facts


    • Pistachio Disguisey: [while slapping Trent] Who's your daddy, who's your daddy, who's your daddy?
    • Pistachio Disguisey: This is what your doing. This is what I want you to do. Get it, got it, doubt it.
    • Pistachio Disguisey: Am I not turtley enough for your turtle club?
    • Grandfather: Ahh you're too young for the job. Go home and ask your mommy to change you're diaper.
    • Barney: I don't wear a diaper.
    • Pistachio Disguisey: It's so crazy, it just might work!

The Master of Dis... : Watch Free on TV


The Master of Disguise Trivia


  • Who played Garth, along with Mike Meyers in Wayne's World, and Pistachio Disguisey in The Master of Disguise?  Answer »
  • In what movie does the main character dress up as a turtle?  Answer »
  • In What Movie Does Pistachio Disguisey Disguise himself as a turtle?  Answer »
  • Thief and master of disguise (Val Kilmer) is hired to steal an energy formula from the Inventer (Elisabeth Shue). Name the movie?  Answer »

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