Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

Hilarious return to the international man of mystery with this non stop laugh ride of a film with Myers doing it again as Austin, Dr. Evil and a new character named Fat Bastard. There are many funny moments in the film especially the Scott/Dr. Evil episode of Jerry Springer and the emergence of Mini-Me, perfectly played by Verne Troyer. The laughs are constant. You'll laugh so hard, you'll have a headache when you leave the theater.

Austin Powers is one of those movies that has become MORE popular as time wears on. Austin's slang has worked its way into the lexicon and everything from the redhot video to the Austin Powers Penis Enlarger is on sale and raking in meeeeeelions. When news of a sequel hit the streets, fans freaked. It's safe to say that AP2 is rivaled only by The Phantom Menace as 1999's must see.

The wait is over.

The second-most anticipated movie of 1999 finally comes to theaters. We're ecstatic to report that AP is a friggin' laugh riot, as Myers and crew have strung together another brilliant collection of one-liners and over the top, sometimes horribly disgusting, sight gags. The follow-up to 1997's video hit has Austin heading back to the 60s to track down his mojo, stolen by one of Dr. Evil's comically evil hapless henchmen. What's mojo? A multi-colored, stringy looking mess that makes Austin irresistible to the ladies. But the plot isn't so important. This is the Austin you know and love, only this time he's even more raw and hardcore.

It's clear that Myers was given a much larger budget to bring his vision to the screen after the runaway success of Austin Powers on video. The sets in Spy are much more vibrant and huge, the effects (yes, effects) are top-notch, and the pacing is completely nonstop. I had a perma-grin stuck on my face through the whole thing and will need to see it again just because the audience drowned out some lines with laughter.

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty Spy picks up with Austin taking a trip in a time machine back to the smashing 60s where, as we all know, he is a sexual dynamo. The time travel bits can get confusing, but as Basil Exposition of British Intelligence says, "Just sit back and enjoy yourself." Back in the 60s, Austin quickly draws the attention of his nemesis Dr. Evil. The hilarity begins as a patchwork parade of moronic henchmen attempt to wipe out Austin.

Still, the best reason to shell out your cash is that AP2 is clearly Dr. Evil's movie. If he's your favorite, you're in luck. Most important, we see him get some.

The film does lean a bit too heavily on gags from the first flick and some of the "Yeah, baby" schtick grows old fast. (When your Mammy starts saying "Yeah, baby," it's clearly tired, right?) Still, fans of the original will feel right at home with the budget destructo devices, the horrid teeth, and the clumsy bumblings of Austin himself. In a summer full of high concepts and big budget, AP2 is just the ticket.

Some people don't think AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY was worthy of a sequel. Some think there should be a large series of AUSTIN POWERS movies, like the infamous Bond movies. Trust me, I'm kinda sick of everyone doing impressions of Austin Powers and Dr. Evil, (and I do one fine Dr. Evil if I do say so myself, even though both are easy to impersonate), but I thought AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME was even better than the first one. So if you asked me if there should be a series of AUSTIN POWERS movies, and I wasn't so sick of all those impersonations, I might say "Yeah baby!"

Austin Powers (Mike Myers) is sent back to 1969 by Basil Exposition (Michael York) to stop Dr. Evil (Mike Myers) who has stolen Austin Powers' "mojo" and plans to build a giant laser on the movie and destroy all major cities on Earth. In the sixties, Austin Powers meets Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham), who is just as sexy and hip as Austin is. Scott Evil (Seth Green) is still trying to work out things with his father, even though Dr. Evil has turned his attention to his clone in 1/10 size, Mini-Me (Verne Troyer). Number Two (Robert Wagner, then Rob Lowe), Frau Farbissina (Mindy Sterling) and Mustafa (Will Ferrell) all return to help Dr. Evil, in addition to Fat Bastard (Mike Myers), the disgusting, overweight, Scottish henchman.

Let's face is, Austin Powers has never been about plot. Considering that this movie is basically a spoof of OUR MAN FLINT and the JAMES BOND movies, the plot is pretty entertaining and funny. The giant laser on the moon was great, obviously spoofing MOONRAKER, in addition to many other movies of its type.

The acting in this movie is all very good. Mike Myers does a great job playing three very different characters. Heather Graham beats the crap out of Elizabeth Hurley (not literally in this movie, but how cool would that be) and is way sexier in my book. Seth Green and Mindy Sterling are great, especially when together. Will Ferrell was one of my favorite performers and characters in this movie. Robert Wagner is good, but his role is taken over by Rob Lowe after they go back in time. Lowe does an unbelievable job and is almost exactly like Wagner was as the character. Michael York does a fairly good job too. There are some great cameos by names like Clint Howard, Tim Robbins, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Kristen Johnston and Jerry Springer.

Unlike in AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY, there is great character development. This first AUSTIN POWERS movie did a good job laying a foundation for these characters, but this movie really set them off. Dr. Evil stole the show, which is great because he is obviously the best character. Austin Powers, Number Two and Basil are about the same as in the first one. Felicity is way more interesting and sexier than Hurley was. Frau is much more interesting in this movie, as is Scott who is still saying "Why don't you just kill them?" to his father. Mustafa, who you might not even remember from the first one, is hilarious in this movie. Mini-Me was fun, but in the next AUSTIN POWERS movie, it shouldn't revolve around him as much. Fat Bastard is my least favorite character and I hope he isn't in the next AUSTIN POWERS movie.

Go see this one, you won't regret it. It sure won't win any Oscars, but it's one of the funniest movies of the year. Turn your brain off and enjoy it!

I don't know the character's name of Mindy Sterling but she is the German ally to Dr. Evil. There is a bit of chemistry between them too. Austin's back and single again and I won't tell you how. The gang includes Michael York who should be knighted as Basil Exposition. Dr. Evil is back along with his son, Scott played brilliantly by Seth Green. This time, they go on the Jerry Springer Show entitled "My Evil Dad wants to take over the world." I have to say that is a brilliant moment. My favorite moments are not with Austin but with Dr. Evil and his son, Scott. I love Mini-Me who is Dr. Evil's clone. He's more his son than Scott Evil ever was. Anyway we learn of Scott's mother's identity but I knew all along and won't spoil the surprise. Robert Wagner is back and it's another spoof of the Bond films but I still love watching Dr. Evil and Scott bond best of all or at least try too.

I believe that the general consensus is that the first Austin Powers movie is the best of the bunch. I happen to disagree (as you can probably tell from my one-line-summary). I feel that the second film actually improves on the first film by adding a few new characters and generally cutting loose on the humor making it even more bizarre and funny than in the first film. I don't expect people to agree but at least hear me out as to why I think the second film is better.

As I said a few new characters have been added to the roster and we get to see some older characters in new and exiting ways. The best addition to the character rooster is Mini-Me, Doctor Evil's clone, played brilliantly by Verne Troyer. Not only is he hilariously funny but he also brings out a different side to Doctor Evil which I found to be extremely funny. On a related note I found Doctor Evil to be much more interesting as a character in the second film than in the first. Probably because the Austin character had to be established in the first film. Second there is the addition of Fat Bastard, played by Myers himself. A lot of people have responded negatively to Fat Bastard but I found him quite funny in a very weird way. Mike Myers definitely took a step up the weird ladder when he came up with him. Elizabeth Hurley is written out of the script very early in the film and instead Heather Graham is introduced as Felicity Shagwell. Heather Graham is not as strong as Hurley was as Austin's love interest but she remains nice as eye-candy and what can you expect more than that. Seth Green pretty much reprises his role from the first film. Nothing much to come after there. The supporting cast is pretty much the same as in the first film except this time we get to see Number Two in a young version played by Rob Lowe who does an uncanny imitation of Robert Wagner. Mindy Sterling and Michael York returns in their respective parts as well. There are also quite a few cameos in the film. Including Tim Robbins, Woody Harrelson, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and many more.

The film still spoofs Bond obviously and the title in itself is of course a reference to The Spy Who Loved Me and once again I find that no-one does it better than Myers. After the success of the first I think they gave Myers free reigns because a lot of the stuff in this film is pretty far out. An example could be the hilarious fight between Austin and Mini-Me and an equally funny scene in a tent. I won't reveal any more than that. Another thing is that the overall effects seem much more polished this time around which is probably also caused by the success of the previous film.

The story is pretty much non-existent which I found to be an improvement over the previous film which actually attempted to incorporate a story rather than just be all out fun.

All in all I think it is a matter of taste. Either you prefer the first or you prefer the second but you should definitely give this film a try just for the heck of it.

All in all

7/10