Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Review
by Ted Prigge (chandlerb AT geocities DOT com)May 27th, 1997
AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY
A film review by Ted Prigge
Copyright 1997 Ted Prigge
Director: Jay Roach
Writer: Mike Myers
Starring: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Mimi Rogers, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, Charles Napier, Will Ferell, Tom Arnold, Carrie Fisher and...Burt Bacharach
When SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE was...you know, good, it starred a guy named Mike Myers who, along with such greats as Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman, made me bust a gut every Sunday morning (since I was always too tired at 11:30 on Saturday so I would tape them and watch them before church...I was young). Mike was my fave, though I always said Dana was because I was quite the little trendy lad back in the day. But whenever Mike would do an Englishman (especially Mick Jagger), that was when the show was the absolute funniest, since his part was so well-rehearsed, so authentic and so educated.
Of course, he was doing material written by someone else, but now, with his second big film on his own (the other being the nice-idea-but-not-too-good SO I MARRIED AND AXE MURDERER), he's the sole writer and main attraction (unless you consider Burt Bacharach a big financial attraction...). With AUSTIN POWERS, he has created an original, non-SNL character: a mix between any 60s spy guy...complete with bad teeth, an awful wig, firghtening chest hair, big dork glasses, a male necklace and...a sweedish-made penis enlarger ("It's not my bag, baby!")
Myers not only does a kind of Fish-Out-Of-Water thing here (thank GOD he didn't play it up too much!), his full-length parody is one of the most intelligent comedies to come around since the days of early Mel Brooks. The plot (somewhat irrelevant, but still good for good laughs for those of us who've seen too many Bond films): Austin has frozen himself for 30 years since his nemesis, Dr. Evil (also Myers), has done the same thing to make sure taking over the world would not coincide with the sexual/hippie revolution. He's thawed out and, along with his very attractive Emma Peel-esque agent, Vanessa Kensington (the wonderful Elizabeth Hurley), he tries to stop Dr. Evil from launching a nuclear bomb into the earth's core.
Austin is a wonderful creation: a swinging ladies man who's a photographer by day, and a spy whenever his boss, Mr. Exposition (the I think thawed out as well, Michael York) calls him up. He gets a major culture shock when he's thawed out ("As long as people are having premiscuous sex with multiple partners while at the same time experimenting with mind-expanding drugs, I'll be fine!" - don't quote me, I only saw it twice) but Myers choses not to dwell on it too much. His explorations with the culture shock on Dr. Evil are much better, since his initial plan is to make a false contreversy in the Royal Family about Charles having an affair forcing him to divorce and a plan to put a whole with "what we call 'a laser' into what we call 'the ozone layer' for...ONE MILLION DOLLARS!" Hilarity ensues.
The film also has a plethora of 60s references, including: any Bond film, 60s Connery preferably; MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.; BLOW UP, THE AVENGERS, GET SMART, A HARD DAY'S NIGHT and even a line from BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (written by Roger Ebert - the line being, "This is my happening and it freaks me out!" - a great line I will use in everyday life henceforth). Dr. Evil looks exactly like Donald Pleasance's Blofeld, equipped with his cat - Mr. Bigglesworth - who suffers a hilarious mishap in the beginning. And to top that off, his henchmen consist of a woman who looks almost exactly like Lotta Lenya in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and a man named Random Task who is a dead ringer for Odd Job.
Another plot dealing with Dr. Evil's son, Scott (Seth Green), who was made from his sperm which was frozen before he left, is not essential to the plot but gives it a cornicopia of jokes, especially where it winds the two in therapy since he hates him for not being there his entire life.
Also, look for multiple cameos by the likes of Tom Arnold, Carrie Fisher and even...(you knew it, it's anticlimactic) Burt Bacharach himself, singing his tunes. I hear Christian Slater and Rob Lowe were in it too, but I have no clue who they were. Guess I should see it again.
AUSTIN POWERS is a great film, good for multiple viewings and especially fun if you know what it's spoofing. Comedy is hard but Mike Myers is now a Titan of modern comedy, thanks to the greatness of this film. Rush out to see it and stay groovy, baby!
MY RATING (out of 5): ****
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