Pistachio Disguisey (Dana Carvey) is a gentile Italian waiter at his father's Fabbrizio's (James Brolin) restaurant who has the unique tendency to mimic the various customers at the restaurant. He also enjoys changing his appearance just for the fun of it. He doesn't yet know that these strange habits are part of the legacy of his family. Fabbrizio finally realizes that it's time for him to inform Pistachio that an archenemy of his wants to kidnap him to harness the power to steal the treasures of the world. Pistachio then attempts to harness the power himself in able to protect his father.
As far as comedies go, The Master of Disguise isn't the worst out there but it also isn't the best one either. The film survives to be average because of Carvey and his eccentric behavior throughout the film. He is obviously talented at impersonating others and his George W. Bush impersonation is right on and very funny as a result. The film also moves at a very brisk pace and therefore, there isn't much time where the film drags along. Young kids shouldn't become very restless during this film. Supporting performances are also solid for such a film. They are really just there to standby and watch Carvey do his thing and aren't given much time to showcase their own talents aside from a few comedic moments. The supporting performances don't disappoint but also don't make much of an impression because this film is mainly a Dana Carvey showcase. Another asset worth mentioning is that this film is devoid of any comedy that would be considered offensive and in today's world of increasing film vulgarity that is something worth mentioning.
Because the film involves Pistachio's undercover comedic exploits as various quirky characters the film often feels like many different skits from Carvey's former claim to fame on Saturday Night Live instead of one cohesive whole. The film also sidesteps much development of any of the characters at a scant 71 minutes in length. Also a problem is the fact that despite his attempts, Carvey doesn't have much range as an actor beyond impersonations so the film doesn't include much of the sweetness seen often in family comedies.
Overall, The Master of Disguise is a family comedy that is average comedic wise because it contains woefully underdeveloped characters even for a comedy. The film is barely passable because of Carvey's talent in acting as many different character types.
Rating: 75
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