AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER

Reviewed by Sam Hatch

Like many, I was a bit surprised by exactly how much I enjoyed Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Sadly, I skipped the theatrical run of that film only to discover it later on a hotel rental channel. But who would have thought that a parody of the ‘60s Bond films, not to mention references to sixties spies such as Matt Helm and Derek Flint, would pay off so handsomely in the late nineties? Much of that success lies within the characters, especially the two essayed by Mike Myers himself; the titular spy Austin and his arch nemesis, the villainous Blofeld/Dr. No mash-up Dr. Evil. Spoofing the Bond villains' Nehru jackets wasn't enough to make a hit parody, so it was the fish out of water routines that made it work as these sixties fossils romped through the highly un-groovy present day. Like the absurd moments when Dr. Evil learns his frozen sperm has been utilized to create Scott Evil (Seth Green) in his absence, which leads to the latter's abandonment issues and the eventual scene in which the two of them attend a father-son workshop in a lame attempt to help them bond. No pun intended. And I must mention that the notion of Dr. Evil receiving ill-tempered sea bass when he requested “frickin' sharks with frickin' lasers on their heads” is one of the funniest things I've ever encountered in cinema.

So as a fan I went to see the sequel (Austin Powers and the Spy Who Shagged Me) on opening weekend, and laughed like a fool. In fact, I had already read the script twice before seeing it yet still almost wet myself laughing. (Even though they couldn't afford a silly Matrix-spoof gag during the opening credits, or the Austinpussy riffs they had planned. And although Mike Myers managed to squeeze in another character for himself in the role of Scottish self-loather Fat Bastard, he had originally scripted another role for himself as a Swami guru whom Austin seeks out for advice in an interesting George Harrison parody.) But upon release of the most recent film in the series, I think I allowed myself to be poisoned by the words of so many that were stating the third time was definitely not the charm for Mr. Powers.

Thankfully, they were wrong. The film starts out with a very funny spoof on Mission Impossible 2, with a big-budget rendition of a typical Austin Powers adventure, complete with him launching into the air from his 'Shaguar' and firing twin automatic weapons at a helicopter while somersaulting above it in slow motion. And they finally get to use the Austinpussy gag that had been planned for the previous film. But the name of the game during the silly opening credits sequence is celebrity cameos, and I will spoil not a one of them here.

With two fish out of water time gags used up (sixties icons stuck in the nineties in IMOM, and their nineties-ized versions stuck back in the sixties in TSWSM), the time travel here is now the crux of the story. This time, we learn that Austin Powers has a famous spy for a deadbeat dad, a man who never takes an interest in his son's life. (This leads to the awesome Ming Tea song Daddy Wasn't There). They somehow managed to persuade Get Carter star Michael Caine to assume the role of Nigel Powers, who is still living the spy-life and wallowing in debauchery. The producers struck gold with this casting choice, and the chemistry between the two leads is great, resulting in one hilarious scene where Caine and Myers share a rambling dialogue in Cockney rhyming slang, ending the rant with the two simultaneously exclaiming "She shat on a turtle!" It's funnier in the film - trust me.

I mentioned time travel earlier, and in this go-round Austin must travel back into the seventies (clad in a ridiculous pimp outfit) to locate one of Dr. Evil's newest agents, the roller-skating Dutch mastermind Goldmember. (Named such due to his love of gold and an unfortunate smelting accident). The advent of this new character left many wondering if Myers had anything new to add or if he was just spreading himself thin. Thankfully, once Goldmember grows on you (no pun intended), his character is a hilarious oddity that generates as many quote-worthy lines as Dr. Evil himself. (Shmoke n' a poncake?)

Destiny's Child singer Beyonce Knowles does an adequate job as one of Austin's old flames; the Pam Grier styled Foxxy Cleopatra. Their meeting in Goldmember's nightclub Studio 69 involves Nathan Lane as a hilarious go-between as they try to communicate while still deep under cover. Soon the two resume working together, and track Dr. Evil to Tokyo just in time for some welcome spoofs of You Only Live Twice. Fat Bastard returns as a sumo wrestler, Austin faces the threat of sexual relations with Japanese twins Fook Yu and Fook Mi (both very non-Japanese sounding names, I know) and have a marvelously silly subtitled encounter with the Japanese CEO Mr. Roboto. If you've ever watched shoddy bootlegs of kung fu movies you'll recognize the gag right away as they purposefully obscure some of the subtitled words with bright white objects behind them. So "eat some shitake mushrooms" becomes "eat some shit" thanks to a carefully placed prop. Lowbrow stuff, but it's funny.

Fan favorite Verne Troyer returns as Mini Me, and he and Dr. Evil share another inspired rap number while doing time in prison. Wonder Years' Fred Savage also appears as a mole within Dr. Evil's organization who literally sports a gigantic mole on his face. With his help, Mini Me has the opportunity to switch to the good side once the diminutive clone finds his position usurped by a surprising turn to evil by number one son Scott Evil.

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