|
|
Austin Powers in Goldmember
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Daft spy spoof in which a British secret agent (Mike Myers) tries to rescue his father (Michael Caine) from the clutches of an evil madman who has teamed up with a new villain (both played by Myers as well) with plans for world domination. The third installment of the series, which is written by Myers and directed by Jay Roach, rehashes the same old jokes in a muddled plot loaded with silly sideline gags and puerile humor, but a few laughs are scattered throughout, including some from surprise cameos. Much sexual innuendo, some vulgar toilet humor and comically intended violence, fleeting rear nudity and brief crass language with an instance of profanity. A-III -- Adults. (PG-13) 2002
Full Review
The psychedelic British secret agent Austin Powers is back to serve up another daft spy spoof in "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (New Line).
In this third installment of the mock James Bond series, Mike Myers plays no less than four roles and introduces the new character of Goldmember, a dastardly Dutchman with a bizarre Euro accent and a distinguishing characteristic concerning a certain body part that gives the movie its title. This character is not as funny or creative as Myers' other creations -- Dr. Evil, Powers and the roly-poly Scot with an expletive for a name -- all of whom reappear in "Goldmember" and are played by Myers.
The movie itself is a rehash of familiar jokes about the groovy Sixties, including a good dose of puerile humor tossed in with a bunch of silly gags. Myers, who also co-wrote the script, throws in several musical numbers (take-offs on everything from "Singin' in the Rain" to a hip-hop version of a song from "Annie"). Although the scenes are sometimes quite funny, they are unnaturally crammed into the story line with the obvious hopes of squeezing out a few laughs.
It's been three years, rather than two, between the "Austin Powers" films, and with the extra time Myers and director Jay Roach have gathered enough clout to entice Hollywood's superstars to make "guest appearances." Since these cameos -- nearly a dozen -- offer the film's most hearty laughs, it would be unfair to divulge the juicy list of who's who. But this is at least one aspect of the International Man of Mystery's third flick that is unlikely to disappoint audiences.
The story itself is haphazardly constructed, somehow muddling through to the end -- leaving logic and engaging storytelling on the sidelines. And the sexual innuendo is in full force as it was with the first two.
The audience is once again reminded that Dr. Evil wants to take over the world. This time he joins forces with Goldmember to send a gigantic meteor smashing into Earth unless their demands are met. They've also managed to kidnap Austin's swinging spy dad Nigel Powers (a randy Michael Caine, seemingly enjoying playing a sassy daddy). This creates an opportunity for Austin to examine the rocky father-son relationship he has had with legendary daddy Nigel.
Austin travels back in time to 1975 to hook up with an old partner of his, Foxxy Cleopatra (a confident Beyonce Knowles), a singing "sistah" supersleuth with big kinky hair. Together they leap back to 2002 to try to thwart Dr. Evil and Goldmember's plan and rescue Nigel.
The story is beside the point, of course, with the comic set pieces being the main focus. A behind-the-screen scene at a doctor's office involving Austin and Mini-Me (Verne J. Troyer) is a total ripoff of the tent scene from "The Spy Who Shagged Me," but may elicit chuckles nonetheless. A scene mocking "Silence of the Lambs," in which Myers plays opposite himself in the same frame, is fun if not very funny.
There are also a number of childish toilet-humor scenes, such as one where Austin must hide behind a cherub fountain and somehow provide the water effect himself in order not to be discovered. This scene, as well as the many double entendres, is reminiscent of the antics and style of British comedian Benny Hill.
The cast delivers pretty much what one would expect, but director Roach could have done more with the all-too-willing Caine. All in all, "Austin Powers in Goldmember" is a familiar concept that, despite some laughs, is beginning to wear thin.
Because of much sexual innuendo, some vulgar toilet humor and comically intended violence, fleeting rear nudity and brief crass language with an instance of profanity, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic
merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating,
the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief
synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
- A-I -- general patronage;
- A-II -- adults and adolescents;
- A-III -- adults;
- A-IV**
- L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
- O -- morally offensive.
** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.
|