AUSTIN POWERS: GOLDMEMBER

[MARCBLEE]

Synopsis: Teaming up with the mysterious yet peculiar Goldmember, Dr. Evil hatches a time-traveling scheme to take over the world, one that involves the kidnapping of Nigel Powers, Austin's beloved father and England's most renowned spy. As he chases the villains through time, Austin visits 1975 and joins forces with his old flame, Foxxy Cleopatra, a streetwise but stylish detective. Together Austin and Foxxy must find a way to save Nigel and stop Dr. Evil and Goldmember from their mischievous mayhem.

It sings. It dances. It sumo wrestles.

I hope the European market translates the hundreds of "inside american" jokes well into their own languages. This always bothers me when our comedies go abroad. We Americans have a "stylized brand" of humor much like the Brits....whom I've never understand entirely myself and is demonstrated in a funny sequence during the film.

In a spectacular opening sequence, AP parodies such movies as Mission Impossible: 2, Singin' in the Rain, The Matrix, The Silence of the Lambs, and further into the movie, Godzilla. This worked so well that they had to pick me up off of the theater floor. They out-Woo John Woo in the Mission Impossible number. Wait till you see the cameos in this segment.

Yeah, baby!!

But is Austin Powers in Goldmember -- funny?

Yeah, baby!

They pack singer Beyonce Knowles into very tight outfits and showcase her as Foxxy Cleopatra, an Afro'd blaxploitation heroine from the '70s whom Austin brings back to the present. To my European friends, films such as Foxy Brown, Shaft, Cleopatra Jones, Three The Hard Way, were black-oriented films I grew up with during my early teen years. In this movie, I fell in love with this woman the moment I saw the trailers. WOW! WOW! WOW!!!

They dress Myers as Austin, as Austin's nemesis Dr. Evil and as the obese Scots villain, Fat Bastard who still whines about his weight problem and enjoys the noise coming out of his arsch on numerous occasions.

Dr. Evil raps. Mini-Me breakdances. Austin still has his parties. Yeah, baby!!!!!

With four Oscar winners in the cast -- Michael Caine plays his dad; I won't give away the rest -- who has time for Austin?

A legion of funny cameos trots across the screen, Ozzy Osbourne and the hysterical Nathan Lane among them.

And Myers introduces a feeble golden-genitaled Dutch villain named Goldmember (also played by Myers). Myers doesn't do a very good Dutch accent and the countries of Dutch and Belgium are ridiculed a whole hell of a lot in this film. Expect complaints from those countries just like Brazil complained about a Simpsons episode this year. And really, is there anything particularly funny about the Netherlands anyway?

The other title character, the mod spy Austin, sings and stages a pretty cool dance number or two. But Austin, "the original Sexy Beast, baby!," has been reduced to the odd nudge-nudge-wink-wink joke. Goldmember catches Myers in mid-transformation. He's turning into low-brow Brit-ham Benny Hill.

The whole enterprise collapses from exhaustion about two-thirds of the way through. Still, a staggering number of the gags that Myers and Co. fling against the screen stick. Roll your eyes at the poo-poo/pee-pee/pull-my-finger jokes. Shake your head over the shameless product placements. But revel in the flashback scenes to Austin's boys-school past (Dr. Evil was a roommate). Crack up at the ways the film uses and abuses Mini-Me (Verne Troyer), who is both a walking sight gag and a gifted silent comic.

But give in to the dork side of Myers' humor -- the endless variations of genitalia jokes ("Goldmember" doesn't refer to the villain's American Express status, baby!), the silly sibling rivalry between Dr. Evil's son (Seth Green) and his clone.

There's a finality to the farce, a sense that they're wrapping the whole shooting-shouting-shagging match up. Good thing too. Once you've made a movie within a movie about the International Man of Mystery, the mystery's gone, man.

There aren't enough mod '60s or funky '70s jokes left to sustain the franchise. Even the outtakes at the end of the film feel played.

I truly haven’t laughed this hard this long since………….since………..hmmmm………..I’ll get back to you on that one.

As the ever-more-Canadian Dr. Evil might say, "Let's move on, eh?"

My score: 9 out of 10.

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[gbsweetie]

I am looking forward to it. And maybe they will show it also as original language film nearby.

Behave!

[Der Fürsorger]

My english is very bad therefore in german.

ich schau mir den film erst gar nich an weil ich die gesamte austin powers reihe blöde finde. hab den lezten teil gesehen und . so viel anders wird der auch nich sein.

[Werewolf]

I like Austin and I´m also going to watch the next part.

So long and:

"Austin, I´m your father!"

[TheOssi]

"Austin, I´m your father!"

"Really?"

[Locutus]

My english is very bad therefore in german.

ich schau mir den film erst gar nich an weil ich die gesamte austin powers reihe blöde finde. hab den lezten teil gesehen und . so viel anders wird der auch nich sein.

Die Argumentation ist stichhaltig, wasserfest und gut durchstrukturiert. Partiell mysteriös und widersprüchlich.

Ein Austin Powers würdiger Spruch, welcher darauf schliessen läßt, dass wir hier einen grossen Fan vor uns haben. Der zwar noch etwas schüchtern ist, aber sich eindrucksvoll, schlüssig und offen zu Powers bekennt.

So lieben wir es!

My german is good to gooder - but no way goodest. With this background, you know, it´s logical I say it in english.

And, The Caretaker, you are not alone. I love these films, too. :0  

In Austin we trust!

[Werewolf]

Die Argumentation ist stichhaltig, wasserfest und gut durchstrukturiert. Partiell mysteriös und widersprüchlich.

Ein Austin Powers würdiger Spruch, welcher darauf schliessen läßt, dass wir hier einen grossen Fan vor uns haben. Der zwar noch etwas schüchtern ist, aber sich eindrucksvoll, schlüssig und offen zu Powers bekennt.

So lieben wir es!

Nimmst du Nachhilfe bei Sir Nuss? Du entwickelst dich zu meinem Lieblings-Zyniker!  

[Apogee]

oh behave!

I fuckin' love austin powers!

[gbsweetie]

OH *schwärm*! Da spielt ja auch Michael Caine mit.... Ich liebe diesen Mann.

Ein Grund mehr, den Film zu sehen...

[CaptainNuss]

Hinweis: NIEMALS EINEN AUSTIN POWERS FILM AUF DEUTSCH ANSEHEN!!!

[buri01]

hello Marc B. Lee

I was actually in america and saw the movie, and i must give you right, the film ist very Good, i laughed all the Time.

Every one in Germany must see this Movie i think, but still i´am looking forward for Star Trek Nemesis which i would see on the Premiere in USA, while i´am visiting a friend in san Francisco.

[TalShiar]

Yesterday -or today or whenever it was- Mike Myers recieved a star on the walk of fame! SHAGADELIC!!!

Next step: Academy Award! *g*

But back to the topic: I love the Austin Powers movies. I've watched all three of them and if there's another one it'll be me screaming and laughing in the movie theater.

But, as Captain Nuss already said, I would never (I admit, I did it once) watch them in German. The translations are a nigthmare, but I guess they are doing their best.

[Apogee]

I love meyrs since WAYNES WORLD! he's great. I heard this will be the last powers movie but: No Problem: It is definitly not the last meyrs film!

[MARCBLEE]

This WILL NOT be the last POWERS film.

[Apogee]

This WILL NOT be the last POWERS film.

I hope you're right!

[TheOssi]

Oh, wow, people! I've just watched the movie and it's great! But to be honest, the second Austin Powers was better. - Some of the jokes of Goldmember were just poor! The worst one was "There are only 2 things I can't bear: People who are intolerant of other people's culture. - And Dutchs!". That such a joke would be made was clear from the point where we could see (or better hear) that Goldmember is a Dutch.

What really suprised me was the sequence before the opening credits: Tom Cruise, Gwynneth Paltrow, Danny DeVito, Kevin Spacy (or so), Steven Spielberg and Britney Spears! I'd never thought that they'd get a so expensive guest cast!

[Apogee]

I agree!