Austin Powers: The Spy Who
Shagged Me
Directed by: M. Jay Roach
Starring: Mike Myers, Mike
Myers and Mike Myers, Heather Graham, Seth Green,
Elizabeth Hurley, Kristen
Johnston, Rob Lowe, and Robert Wagner.
Running Time: 95 minutes
After The Phantom Menace, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me is the most anticipated sequel of this summer. Not only does it live up to its advertising promise of being funnier than Star Wars, Austin Powers 2 is in many ways funnier than the original.
SNL veteran Mike Myers returns as both the shamelessly lecherous spy from the Sixties and his nemesis, the buffoonish and fiendish Dr. Evil. When Dr. Evil travels back in time to 1969 to steal Powers's mojo, or manly essence, the spy himself follows in hot pursuit. Teaming up with the scantily-clad CIA agent Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham), Powers must not only wrest his lifted libido from the clutches of his evil villain, but prevent him from destroying Washington, D.C. with a moon-based laser.
Sharing both production and writing credits as well, Myers is at the top of his wits; and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me is one of the funniest movies in recent memory. As the goofy spy who is far less winsome than he thinks, Myers is at home in the absurd role that he created. But Myers also proves that consistency is his game by repeating verbal trademarks like "Groovy, baby," and "Do I make you horny?" ad nauseam, and unabashedly replaying the same shticks and mannerisms he employed in the last film.
We see much more of Dr. Evil in this movie, however, and many of the best scenes involve him interacting with his estranged son, henchmen, and the dwarf clone he's coined "Mini Me." In this diabolical pinky-nibbling role, Myers's talented comic timing and gifted delivery make even the most mundane lines like "It's a volcano" sound uproariously funny, and most of the movie's joy is found in anticipating what absurd comments will come riffing forth next. Myers also makes appearances as a Scottish baddie called Fat Bastard who lives up to the name both in weight, a metric ton, and his slovenly behavior. Almost unrecognizable in the fat suit, Myers is also at his worst in this role because it depends too much on fat jokes, sexual licentiousness, and gross out humor involving farting and other bodily functions.
For the most part, the other players in this comedy serve their roles with appropriate panache. Rob Lowe, as the younger version of Dr. Evil's Number Two from the original movie, does a commendable job imitating Robert Wagner. Kristen Johnston mildly amuses as the Russian model/spy, Ivana Humpalot, and Tim Robbins plays a put-upon U.S. President with great mockery. But Heather Graham as Powers's sex kitten sidekick is virtually wasted as mere titillating, tight-skirt wearing eye candy. Though it is amusing to see her in a different Sixties get-up in every scene, she doesn't have a single funny line, and only serves the function of granting Powers an object to exhibit his horniness. There are also plenty of clever cameos ranging from Woody Harrelson to Willie Nelson in a montage on euphemisms for the penis.
The movie supports a larger cast and budget than the original, which makes the whole event seem bigger and grander than its more humbly produced predecessor. And it boasts intentionally distasteful color schemes and bad fashion lifted from the Sixties in a playful, flashy display. There are also three musical numbers: a MTV video-type montage to Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride," an appearance by Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, and an uproarious rap by Dr. Evil himself with his diminutive twin.
The story itself is full of meteor-sized plot holes, but Myers lets the audience know that he is aware of the incongruities, and that we should enjoy ourselves anyway. And the audience just might, because the plot's ludicrous nature is part of the fun. In the end, the story is merely a cheap suit to be dressed up by the comic gags, most of which work.
On the one hand, Austin Powers 2 succeeds because it plays on so many different comic levels from subtle to way over-the-top. With Mike Myers at the center of nearly every scene, there are side-splittingly funny visual gags galore, witty wordplay and verbal repartee aplenty, and a host of amusingly absurd coincidences and events. Viewers could watch the movie repeatedly just to find all of the James Bond parodies.
On the other hand, The Spy Who Shagged Me is at most a guilty pleasure that is much more base than sophisticated. Too much of the humor is intensely sexual in nature, and this movie could win an award for including the highest number of penile euphemisms both verbally and visually. Gratefully, not all the humor is obscene in nature, but enough of it is to swamp you by the movie's end with the sheer number of off-color comments, cleavage shots, and gratuitous gags. This movie, like Jane Fonda's Barbarella, is the kind parents would wait until the young ones were asleep before viewing, yet anyone can be admitted to this PG-13 film. Although there is no nudity or depicted sex scenes, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me still pushes the boundaries of this rating too far, and is not recommended viewing for younger ages. In the end, you may find yourself laughing, but you won't always feel good about yourself for doing so. Regardless, you can expect a third installment in this successful franchise.
Steven S. Baldwin (7/6/99)
I'm not sure if I'm just getting old or what. I mean, I like silly, fun stuff as much as the next guy, maybe even more. But I just don't get this Austin Powers stuff. Not having seen the first Austin Powers movie, which a friend tells me is better, I went to see The Spy Who Shagged Me, hoping for something in the Mel Brooks vein (Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles) and not even daring to hope for something as wonderful as Earth Girls Are Easy. OK, so I wasn't hoping against all hope or anything. I did see Something About Mary after everyone had raved about how funny it was, only to sit through most of the film thinking, "Oh, I was supposed to laugh there." I figured this would be similar. In that respect, I wasn't disappointed.
Austin Powers 2 is probably funniest to middle school kids and to those involved in the making of it. It struck me as being similar to a college film project where the primary goal is making your friends laugh. Yet, when outsiders watch it, they are only mildly amused. I fit into the latter category. I think I laughed out loud two or three times. That would be roughly one laugh per half hour despite three or four attempts per minute. The rest of the audience laughed considerably more, and the two junior high-aged boys in front of me laughed profusely. Good for them, I guess.
Interestingly, those who are likely to think this is funniest (ones who laugh at the very mention of body parts) are the ones I probably wouldn't have taken to see The Spy Who Shagged Me. I like to think I'm fairly liberal, but most of this movie's humor is sexual; and I'm not sure I'd want to let my kids go.
The fact that the rest of the audience, not just the two boys in front of me, seemed to laugh at most of their cues bothers me. We've evolved into a society willing to pay six bucks for a 90-minute collage of penis jokes and product placement. Of course, now I want to buy a new VW Bug (with that Austin Powers paint job), drink Starbucks coffee, and check my email with AOL. No wonder there are so many infomercials on tv.
Don't get me wrong. It's not that I actually hated the movie, and I did laugh those three times. I loved the Evil Empire being housed in the Seattle Space Needle remodeled to sport the Starbucks logo. And the music was a major asset. By far, my favorite scene was the cameo street performance by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello. Because of those two or three minutes alone, I didn't ask for my money back. I'd be more likely to pick up the soundtrack though, than to pay to see The Spy Who Shagged Me again.
Ed Rock (7/6/99)
