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"My mother was a 15-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet."

[year/rating] 1997 PG-13 [genre] Spy Comedy [director] Jay Roach [starring] Mike Myers Elizabeth Hurley Seth Green Robert Wagner

Tagline

If he were any cooler, he'd still be frozen, baby!

Summary Capsule

A cryogenically frozen hippy spy is awakened in the 90's to combat his alter-ego, a bald man with a bald cat.

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Justin's Rating: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? Austin Powers knows, baby!
Justin's Review: If any film genre exists long enough, it always spawns satires, my old film prof once said. But then, he was always bragging about how many magic 'shrooms he consumed in the 60's, so maybe I should look up Bartlett's for a better quote.

"Austin Powers is such a perfect entry into our little cult world that many of my friends were meowing in pleasure"

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a spoof in the vein of such classics as Airplane!, Hot Shots!, and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, but it is also so much more. So, so much more. Am I stalling because I don't want to rehash the plot? You bet your sweet undercarriage, baby.

So, Austin (Mike Myers with bad teeth plus exciting eyebrows) is a very popular British spy in the 60's, chasing down his elusive nemesis, Doctor Evil. Evil escapes from a nightclub shootout and freezes himself until the 90's, which causes Austin follows suit. Upon re-emergance into our futuristic and perfect culture, Austin devotes himself to finding out what Soylant Green is made out of.

Whoops! I hate plot rehashing, if you couldn't tell from my other 57 reviews. Executive decision: I'm skipping it! Austin Powers is such a perfect entry into our little cult world that many of my friends were meowing in pleasure (you made a woman meow?). Witty and funny (which are two very distinct concepts), smart and sassy, this film is one of the best entries of 1997. Mike Myers strikes gold again, bringing to life two terrific characters: the oversexed Austin Powers, and the not-that-evil Doctor Evil. Surprisingly, the Doctor Evil character is by far and away the more popular of the two, delivering scenes and lines with malevolant arrogance and childlike gullibility.

I recommend this film widely, not because I've received large sums of money to do so (no, Maureen, I'll give you those figures later! I'm writing a review now!), but because one day you will die and then shoot yourself because you never saw this film. A life without Austin Powers. Think about it, will you?

I forgive it for descending into base humor now and then because it exceeds a mere spy spoof (stealing off of James Bond classics and more). It gives off a vibrant, insane energy that makes you feel like you might want to try to take over the world yourself. There are too many quotable lines to mention, but if you can memorize them and do the Austin/Dr. Evil accent to boot, you will be forever cool in my book.

PoolMan's Rating: Don't worry. This movie won't bite. Hard.
PoolMan's Review: Seeing as Justin won't do it, and because I'm a plot-rehashing FREAK, here's the breakdown. After a climactic showdown at a nightclub in the sixties, Doctor Evil cryogenically freezes himself and his cat (the infamous Mr Bigglesworth!) and launches himself into orbit in a Burger Boy statue. To prevent his threat from ever returning, the British secret service freeze his rival, the heroic Austin Powers, and vow to bring him back to service should Dr Evil ever return.

"Austin Powers is entertaining from so many aspects, that it's too good to be true."

Well, return he does (Duh, otherwise it'd be a pretty short movie! I could just picture it... "And Doctor Evil was never seen again!" "BOOOO!!!! We paid good money for this flick!"), and the two enemies do battle in the nineties, as Powers tries to stop Evil from exploding a nuclear weapon in the earth's core, igniting the volcanoes of the world.

Austin Powers is entertaining from so many aspects, that it's too good to be true. It's a GREAT James Bond spoof (and you've got to admit, Justin, the Lotta Fagina character is a wonderful shot at such names as Pussy Galore), it's a good character movie, and it's just a plain funny sex/spy/sign-of-the-times comedy. You will find yourself seeing this movie, then calling everyone you know "baby", and telling them they're "groovy, baby", and thinking aloud "I bet she shags like a minx".

Whoops. Maybe that's pushing it. Or not!

Anyways, my heartiest recommendations go out for this film. Never will you regret seeing it.

Kyle's Rating: Live vicariously through Austin, ‘cause you don’t look good in velvet, baby!
Kyle's Review: Fantastic! The first time I was exposed to this movie was when I found the movie poster for it a few months before it came out. The poster was crazy, and I didn’t have much hope for the movie.

"But if you by chance haven’t seen this movie yet, take my rhyming advice and see it twice, it’ll be nice."

When it came out, I didn’t think I’d like it. I went to see it in the theater, and while I laughed a few times I didn’t think I’d ever want to own it or anything.

But something happened. My friends and I who had seen it didn’t really discuss the plot or anything, we just started putting “yeah, baby” on the end of every sentence and started putting our pinky fingers to our lips. That was all she wrote, and suddenly we were die-hard Austin fans. Austin is okay, for an international man of mystery who is trying to stop a madman from taking over the world. But Dr. Evil is fantastic as the madman with loveable quirks who is convinced that everyone who dares talk back to him is being frickin’ insolent.

I’m sure you’ve seen this by now, and you’re more than familiar with practically every line uttered by both Austin Powers and Dr. Evil (both played to perfection by Mike Myers). But if you by chance haven’t seen this movie yet, take my rhyming advice and see it twice, it’ll be nice. You may think it’s dumb the first time around, but it will grow on you to the point you’ll look in the mirror and curse your clean American teeth. So just see this movie if you haven’t, and if you have please go right now and watch it again for me. Weren’t you planning to anyway?

Even when Austin has a bad day, it's a very, very good day Myers rump, $5.99 a pound MEANWHILE, at the Legion of Doom... Didja Notice? [some sources: IMDb] When Austin enters the "Electric Psychedelic Pussycat Swingers Club" he exclaims, "It's my happenin' baby and it freaks me out!" This is the same line delivered by Z-Man in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls when he enters the party scene. The tuneful ring of Austin's picturephone is the same as the hotline phone in Our Man Flint Many of the scenes during the opening credits are similar to the opening of A Hard Day's Night Mrs Kensington describes one of Austin's best features as "his knowledge of fine wines." In Wayne's World, Wayne says, "I may not have his looks, his charm or his knowledge of fine wines..." In the hot tub scene with Alotta Fagina, she offers him sake and tells him "In Japan, men come first and women come second." This is a reference to You Only Live Twice, where James Bond is in a hot tub with several Japanese women, and his friend Tiger Tanaka tells him the same thing. The defrosting scene, particularly the "laser cutting" and "warm liquid goo" sequences, are nearly identical to the defrosting scene in Demolition Man Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits? There's a photo shoot scene, so, why not? Intermission! [some sources: IMDb] Both Elizabeth Hurley and Mimi Rogers asked to keep their tight leather outfits and were allowed to. The word "fembot" was coined by teleplay writer Arthur Rowe for an episode of The Bionic Woman entitled "Kill Oscar" which first aired on Oct 27, 1976. Mike Myers has revealed in interviews that the Austin Powers character was created based on a couple of instances involving his family. His father loved watching British comedies with actors like Peter Sellers and Alec Guinness, so Myers always wanted to play an English character in a comedy. He also said that one night after coming home from hockey practice, he started flirting with his wife in an English accent. His wife laughed and told him to write the routine down, so he could do it again. Writing the routine down led to this script. Groovy Quotes Scott Evil: Well my friend Sweet Jay took me to that video arcade in town, right, and they don't speak English there, so Jay got into a fight and he's all, "Hey quit hasslin' me cuz' I don't speak French" or whatever! And then the guy said something in Paris talk, and I'm like, "Just back off!" And they're all, "Get out!" And we're like, "Make me!" It was cool. Dr. Evil: When I get angry, Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset. And when Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset... people die! Scott Evil: I was thinking I like animals. Maybe I'd be a vet. Dr. Evil: An evil vet? Scott Evil: No! Maybe like work in a petting zoo. Dr. Evil: An evil petting zoo? Scott Evil: You always do that! Dr. Evil: My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a 15-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims, like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy - the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical: summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring, we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent, I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds. Pretty standard, really. Austin Powers: Allow myself to introduce... myself. Dr. Evil: You know, I have one simple request, and that is to have sharks with freakin' laser beams attached to their heads. Now evidently my cycloptic colleague informs me that that can't be done. Can you remind me what I pay you people for? Honestly, throw me a bone here! Austin Powers: I can't believe Liberace was gay! Women loved him! I didn't see that one coming! Dr. Evil: I will hold the world ransom unless you give me... ONE MILLION DOLLARS! [UN members all start to laugh.] Dr. Evil: Er, that is, unless you give me... ONE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS! [UN members gasp!] Austin: Actually, my name is Austin Powers. Danger is my middle name. Dr. Evil: I like to see girls of that... caliber? By caliber, of course, I mean both the size their gun barrels, and the size of their character. It's a homonym. Austin : See what happen was, I broke in trying to get to Dr. Evil. Then all of a sudden the Fembots came by, and smoke came out of their jubblies, so I thought I'd start working my mojo to counter their mojo. We had cross-mojonation, and their heads started to explode...you know that sort of thing. Then I ended up in my nickers. Dr. Evil: Why must I be surrounded by frickin' idiots? Austin: Shall we shag now, or shall we shag later? How do you like to do it? Do you like to wash up first? You know, top and tails... whore's bath? Personally before I'm on the job, I like to give my undercarriage a bit of a how's your father! Dr. Evil: Let me tell you a little story about a man named Sh! Sh! even before you start. That was a pre-emptive "sh!" Now, I have a whole bag of "sh!" with your name on it. Austin: That ain't no woman! It's a man, man! Quartermaster Clerk: One Swedish-made penis enlarger. Austin: [to Vanessa] That's not mine. Quartermaster Clerk: One credit card receipt for Swedish-made penis enlarger signed by Austin Powers. Austin: I'm telling ya baby, that's not mine. Quartermaster Clerk: One warranty card for Swedish-made penis enlarger pump, filled out by Austin Powers. Austin: I don't even know what this is! This sort of thing ain't my bag, baby. Quartermaster Clerk: One book, "Swedish-made Penis Enlargers And Me: This Sort of Thing Is My Bag Baby", by Austin Powers. Dr. Evil: Scott, I want you to meet daddy's nemesis, Austin Powers Scott Evil: What? Are you feeding him? Why don't you just kill him? Dr. Evil: I have an even better idea. I'm going to place him in an easily escapable situation involving an overly elaborate and exotic death. Scott Evil: I just think, like, he hates me. I really think he wants to kill me. Therapist: He doesn't really want to kill you. Sometimes we just say that. Dr. Evil: No actually the boy is quite astute. I really am trying to kill him, but so far unsuccessfully. He's quite wily, like his old man. Paddy O'Brien: They're always after me lucky charms. U.N. Representative: So, Mr. Evil... Dr. Evil: It's Dr. Evil, I didn't spend six years in Evil Medical School to be called "mister," thank you very much. Austin: That really hurt! I'm gonna have a lump there, you idiot! Who throws a shoe? Honestly! You fight like a woman! Austin: Do I make you horny? Randy? Do I make you horny, baby, yeah, do I? Basil Exposition: Austin, the Cold War is over! Austin: Finally those capitalist pigs will pay for their crimes, eh? Eh comrades? Eh? Basil Exposition: Austin... we won. Austin: Oh, smashing, groovy, yay capitalism! Basil Exposition: What's the other thing that scares you? Austin: Carnies. Circus folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage. Small hands. Austin: It's freedom, baby, yeah! Dr. Evil: I'm with it. I'm hip. Well, don't look at me like I'm friggin' Frankenstein! Come here and give your father a hug. Scott Evil: Get away from me, you lazy-eyed psycho! [Dr. Evil runs after him with his arms out] Dr. Evil: Hug, hug, hug. DVD Review Austin Powers was one of the first great DVDs put out to market. New Line Platinum Series does a smashing job with their DVDs, and this one is no exception. There's both widescreen and fullscreen formats offered. Lots of extras, including 7 deleted scenes, the trailer, a "spy genre retrospective" (read up on the history of spy movies), a cameo menu (go instantly to a cameo's scene), and some hidden stuff in the cast highlights (a sexy scene from "Dangerous Ground" with Liz Hurley, scenes in "Monkey Trouble" and "Rapture" with Mimi Rogers, a scene from "Wide Sargasso Sea" with Michael York, and the trailer for "Lost In Space"). There's a strange "Music To Shag To" sequence that features music from the movie, and an even more bizarre "Swedish Made Penis Enlarger Pump" thing that has you making choices that really don't matter. Anyway... terrific commentary by Mike Myers and director Jay Roach that is pretty funny and entertaining (much better than the one for Austin Powers 2). Beginners to the DVD collection scene would not go wrong to get this great package. If you liked this movie, try these: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Austin Powers In Goldmember Johnny English End Credits This review page was last updated on 8.7.04 MRFH Home . Reviews . Findaflik . Features! . MRFH Forum e-mail Mutant HQ © 2004 Mutant Reviewers From Hell (Original Content). All Rights Reserved.