Dana Carvey is back doing his George Bush impersonations, as well as many others, in attempt at comedy, titled “MASTER OF DISGUISE,” from COLUMBIA TRISTAR.   

While his Bush impersonations, along with clever writing, were entertaining on “SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE,” they’re entirely lost when targeted towards an audience of 9 year olds, which is what “MASTER OF DISGUISE” appears to be targeted for.  And while his impersonation was dead on, it wouldn’t have been funny if what he said was lame.  In “MASTER OF DISGUISE,” calling the dialogue “lame” would be a compliment. 

Carvey stars as Pistachio Disguisey, a waiter, whose uncle must train him to quickly learn his father’s abilities at “disguise,” in order to rescue his parents after they’ve been kidnapped. 

Brent Spiner(Date on Star Trek:Next Generations)is the main villain here, and he’s not bad, but has little to do.
 
Jennifer Esposito is on hand as the beautiful assistant hired by Pistachio, and while she’s the best thing in the film, beauty alone can’t save it. 

Bo Derek, Jessica Simpson and a few others make cameos, but it’s a matter of too little, too late.  Several children ages 6-9 actually laughed a lot during the film and have since re-watched it several times. So, this one is strictly for youngsters. 

 

COLUMBIA TRISTAR has only released a pan&scan version of this film. It’s in decent shape, but far short of the pristine images often associated with COLUMBIA TRISTAR releases.  There’s an abundance of grain and colors are much softer than we’re used to.  Fleshtones appear natural. Contrast is fine, with deep blacks and grays. 

COLUMBIA TRISTAR has presented a DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 mix for this release, but surrounds are virtually non-existent. There are a few directional effects focused towards the front soundstage, but this is a bare-bones audio mix. Dialogue is always intelligible and free from distortion. 

While COLUMBIA TRISTAR didn’t offer a letterboxed version, they have provided some extras!  The film’s director and Dana Carvey provide a running commentary. It’s not entertaining, and the two basically report on what’s already obvious to the viewer.  It’s amazing that these two truly believe they’ve made a great film!

There are also five deleted scenes, none of which added to the film, and an alternative ending almost makes the one used look good! There are several featuretes and trailers.