There's nothing malevolent about Austin Powers, he's clearly more Clouseau than Dr. Strangelove, and he is born out of affection, for both the period he's from and for a sense of humour that is peculiarly British.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
Runtime: 90 mins
Synopsis: AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY is the first in the comic series starring this bodacious 1960s spy played by the hilarious Mike Myers. Decked out in the gaudiest mod attire--ruffled shirts, tight-fitting candy-colored suits, horn-rimmed glasses, and prosthetic... AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY is the first in the comic series starring this bodacious 1960s spy played by the hilarious Mike Myers. Decked out in the gaudiest mod attire--ruffled shirts, tight-fitting candy-colored suits, horn-rimmed glasses, and prosthetic teeth--Austin Powers is anything but subtle. His near-constant exclamations of "Groovy, Baby," accompanied an uncandid flash of his flirtatious smile, only add to his wonderfully exaggerated hipster persona. Plotwise, Austin Powers and his enemy Dr. Evil (also played by Myers) awake from 30 years of frozen, cryogenic sleep to find themselves in the year 1997. A conniving Dr. Evil plots a reign of terror and mass destruction, but finds that his ideas and methods are a bit out of date. Our hero encounters a similar dilemma, realizing that he is definitely behind the times. A series of well-meaning though bumbling efforts to thwart the insidious Dr. Evil keep Austin Powers and his devastatingly beautiful partner Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley) hard at work as they travel from London to Las Vegas. With this tongue-in-cheek send-up of James Bond spy films and 1960s cliches, director Jay Roach compliments Myers' over-the-top performance with a lighthearted soundtrack, fun photography, and amusingly retro sets. [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Mimi Rogers, Robert Wagner
Screenwriter: Mike Myers
Producer: Suzanne Todd, Demi Moore, Jennifer Todd, Mike Myers
Composer: George S. Clinton
DVD Info
Release:
Mar 1, 2006
Reviews
It would take a stone face not to crumple at Austin's dodgy catchphrases and irrepressible sexual desperation.
We may not need as many Austin Powers movies as there are James Bond pictures, but one or two more might be nice.
Jay Roach directed with just the right amount of period tackiness.
The originals were spoofs in their own way, too, unless you really believe that secret agents look more like Sean Connery than Aldrich Ames.
A loving paean to Bond, Flint, Helm and their ilk (as well as a myriad of outlandish villains), the film knows its turf and only missteps when it ventures into more contemporary territory.
What I enjoyed more than the specific parodies was the spirit behind them.
While the film feels a bit like a bunch of skits, it's wickedly funny in trashing the conventions of the movies it apes.
Mike Myers has created such an infectious, and joyful character, you will be forced to say, 'Groovy Baby!', at least once.
Director Jay Roach seems helpless to rein in the addled antics of his star or to give the supporting cast much of a grip on what they're supposed to be doing.
It all adds up to one of the most refreshing, ambitious and hilarious comedies I've ever seen.
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