Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Austin Powers, the international man of mystery and hipster extraordinaire, cryogenically freezes himself for 30 years in order to follow his nemesis, Dr. Evil, through his frozen path into the year 1997. In the future, both men soon discover that the simpler times of the 60s has been replaced by the rapid-paced lifestyles of the 90s.

In the infamous words of Dr. Evil, with his pinky finger diabolically strangling off his mouth, this movie is frickin’ clever, man…no need to throw anyone a bone here, man! It’s got plenty of kitchy-retro style, a groovy soundtrack, a handful of over-the-top but humorous characters, Mike Myers, who plays both of his characters brilliantly, and a sexy Elizabeth Hurley, purring her way through one of the most purposely overdone and sexist scripts ever to hit the big screen. I personally didn’t find any particular scenes laugh out loud funny, but did appreciate almost all the humor in this film, which placed its tongue deep inside the cheek of our favorite James Bond spy flicks from that era.

Will everyone like it? Certainly not. This film will only appeal to those swingers that are “in on the joke” and who could appreciate such low-brow entertainment tactics as jokes featuring penis-enlargement pumps and a man peeing for close to a minute…on-screen. All in all, I was taken in by this film’s utter originality, unique dialogue, smashing characters, self-deprecating attitude and Mike Myers’ superb performances as both Austin Powers and Dr. Evil. But most of all, I was taken in by this film’s infectious enthusiasm, which should lasso in most open-minded lovers of Myers’ earlier forays into the World of Wayne. The rest of you could either take it or shag it, baby! Now does that make you horny??

My favorite line came by the way of Austin Powers himself: “Do you like to wash up a bit before? Personally, before I’m on the job I like to give me undercarriage a bit of a “How’s your father.”

(c) 2021 Berge Garabedian