Austin Powers - Il controspione

Mike Myers brings his absurdist brand of funny to the secret agent genre. At his peak Myers delivered a highly stylized form of comedy in an Airplane sense that holds up even today. This is his peak.

In this hilarious spoof of 60's spy flicks, a swinging secret agent is thawed out of his cryogenic state in order to combat his old nemesis. The laughs never stop as Myers entertains in two pivotal roles. Hurley is sexy as Austin's partner and love interest. Robert Wagner finds ways to make fun of his "It Takes a Thief" character and is very entertaining in the process. A quickly paced film that generates constant laughs with each viewing. A sequel is soon to be released...Yeah, baby!

Aside from it's overwhelmingly raunchy humor,I consider this to be a great spoof of the spy genre and 60's culture.Mike Myers has created yet two more endearing characters in Powers and his nemisis,Dr.Evil.When certain characters inspire imitation (and who hasn't at least heard imitations of these two,or perhaps even Robert Wagner's character, Number 2 and others),then you have done something right.This movie is good for it's amusing characters and good story line,but again I think it would have worked without so much vulgar humor.Worth a look.

I didn't see this original Austin Powers movie until a year after I saw the sequel, "...The Spy Who Shagged Me." Both involve suspended animation through cryogenics, and set both in the 1960s and the 1990s. In each, Mike Myers plays both the British spy Austin Powers, a spoof of James Bond, and also plays the evil and funny Dr Evil. In both films, some of the funnier scenes are between Dr Evil and his back-talking son.

This movie spoofs lots of different things, has many subtle sexual references, but in the hands (and delivery) of Mike Myers they always come out funny. One of the references, however is not a spoof. The "bad teeth" of the British. They really do have bad teeth! Otherwise, this is not a movie to be taken seriously, just silly entertainment, and there it succeeds almost perfectly.

However, as pretty as she is, Elizabeth Hurley, in this film, is not nearly as entertaining as is Heather Graham in the latter Austin Powers film. Hurley just does not have the comic timing nor the natural "playfulness" that is demanded for the female role. Heather Graham does, and she is even prettier!!

Some day, when they sell a two DVD set of Austin Powers films, I'd like to buy the set.

One of the great 90s spoof comedies. The vibe is just right, the jokes are almost over the top but manage to land just right. Mike Myers is hilarious and amazing at playing both Austin and Dr. Evil.