Reviewed by Graham Reid
****
Cast: Mike Myers (times three), Heather Graham, Rob Lowe, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, Liz Hurley
Director: Mike Myers
Rating: M
Funny how times change. Only a month ago the big question was, Will Star Wars top Titanic? Now it's, How come Austin Powers outsold Star Wars at the
box office Stateside last week?
By taking itself less seriously, being more entertaining, funnier and less hyped, perhaps?
From the opening credits (which parody Star Wars) to the final scene (which comes after the closing credits, so stick around) this Austin Powers is a celebration of all that is hilariously juvenile, unsubtle, rude - and it is very, very funny.
There is a plot, although in a direct-to-camera Austin (Myers) tells us we shouldn't worry about the details, just enjoy the ride as he flicks back to 1969 - in a manner reminiscent of both Back to the Future and the 60s tele-series Time Tunnel - to rescue his mojo (libido) from the clutches of his arch nemesis Dr Evil (also Myers) who is now assisted by a one-eighth size clone, Mini-Me.
The mojo has been stolen by one of Dr Evil's henchmen, a grotesquely obese, baby-eating, toilet-bowl filling, sexually rapacious, kilt-wearing Scotsman called Fat Bastard (also Myers under a mountain of terrifyingly real prosthetic flesh.)
As before, Austin is assisted by a radiant offsider, this time Felicity Shagwell (the gorgeous Graham), and there are, again, temptations along the way such as the statuesque Soviet spy Ivana Humpalot (3rd Rock From the Sun's Kristen Johnson) and Robin Swallows (Gia Carides).
This Austin Powers deliberately repeats some of the routines from the previous one: the hilarious "shh" sequence here becomes "zip it" with equally side-splitting effect, Mr Bigglesworth is back, there is ongoing tension between Dr Evil and his son Scott (who simply cannot be as evil as his dad would like) ...
But this Austin Powers also shows Myers at his most knowing: in passing, Austin says his favourite movie is In Like Flint (James Coburn's 1967 Bond parody), Tim Robbins does a ersatz-Jack Kennedy presidential turn, there are references to Jerry McGuire and Will Smith ...
Rob Lowe plays an uncannily accurate younger Robert Wagner as Number Two, and the Jerry Springer Show is perfectly skewered by Jerry himself.
There are also hilarious cameos: Burt Bacharach is back, this time joined by Elvis Costello (both enjoying themselves immensely), the Swedish penis enlarger makes a brief appearance, as does Willie Nelson ...
And Liz Hurley (dispatched early), Wagner, Michael York (as Basil Exposition but with real 69 hairstyle) all return to add continuity.
As before, this movie is full of very stupid jokes (the "laser" aimed at Earth was developed by Professor Parsons, so it's "the Alan Parsons Project") and has a deliciously dumb-smart soundtrack.
So what have we learned here, as Jerry Springer asks. Well, that this Austin Powers is bigger, more gross and more stuffed with in-jokes, parodies, mini-skirts and music than its predecessor.
It's very, very silly - and even looks set up for another sequel.
Yeah, groovy baby! Yeah!
