Beyoncé Knowles in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)

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This film, the third installment of the Austin Powers series, got decidedly mixed reviews from the critics, but I didn't think it was substantially different in quality from the first two, maybe down a little because it tried to wrap up some plot threads. Mini-me leaves Evil Enterprises to go work for Austin. Dr Evil, Austin, and Austin's dad reconcile. Scott Evil reconciles with the Doc, but then breaks off again. And so forth. That all took up some screen time without providing any laughs. Like we really care about the friggin' plot! The running time was further eaten up by re-introducing the characters from earlier films without giving them anything funny to do. Number Two, Basil, and Frau Farbissina were just there, nothing more. Just think of it as the Return of the Jedi of the series, and try to forget about Darth Vader waving g'bye to the camera.

Although that gratuitous characterization and some overlong song and dance numbers took up too much time, and despite the repetition of some gags from the previous films as well as within this film, and despite some continued unfunny obsessions with unpleasant bodily functions, there are some big belly laughs as well. I think the most incisive review was written by the Washington Post, which called it, "Puerile, pitiful, grotesque, offensive, immature, repulsive and, of course, extremely funny."

I think Michael Elliott of Movie Parables had the most incisive negative comment: "This multimillion dollar franchise has become somewhat tiresome... rather like an aging uncle who insists upon telling the same stories every time he visits." There is a lot of truth to that.

My highlights:

(1) The first 15 minutes or so are not the movie proper, but a movie within a movie. In the film's universe, Austin is so popular that they are making a movie about him. Tom Cruise plays Austin, Kevin Spacey plays Dr. Evil, Spielberg plays himself as the director, but the guy who steals that part of the show is Danny DeVito as Mini-Me. It also features a brilliant parody of the James Bond openings. The audience was in stitches.

(2) There are some funny flashbacks to the main characters in Spy Prep School, with the teenagers doing excellent send-ups of Austin, Evil, Number Two, and Basil Exposition.

(3) There is a hilarious fight scene between Austin and Mini-me. That little guy is a real trouper.

(4) Ya gotta love the dance number that Austin does with Britney Spears.

(5) There are some other fun cameos as well.

To me, the best thing about Mike Myers is his complete passion for his projects. He's just out there, givin' it everything he has, ingenuous, silly, sometimes dumb, but so damned enthusiastic that you can't help but be swept away by his buoyancy. Galdarn it, the kid actually wants to entertain us, and he'll do anything to make us laugh, no matter how flamboyant, no matter how silly. Ya really gotta kinda love that in an environment where Jim Carrey and Robin Williams want to be "thespians".

As for this particular movie, I laughed so much in the first 20 minutes that I honestly didn't care that the rest of the film often slowed to a crawl.

By the way, if you ever wondered what became of Fred Savage from The Wonder Years, he's in this as Number Three.

This film is a C+. Fans will be satisfied. Powerhouse appeal against teen audience, adults will like a lot of it as well.

Nudity Report: We see a lot of sexy outfits and cleavage from Beyoncé Knowles.

Critics Vote: Ebert 2/4, Berardinelli 2.5/4.

IMDb Summary: IMDb voters score it 6.6/10.

Box Office: A smash! It was budgeted at $63 million for production, and the distribution/advertising costs were estimated around $50 million. It grossed $213 million in the USA, so the studio had already broken even before foreign, rental, or retail income.

DVD Info: Commentary by Jay Roach and Mike Myers; 12 behind-the-scenes featurettes; 4 music videos; The World of Austin Powers; Visual FX Segment; 24 minutes of deleted and alternate scenes; DVD-ROM: Austin Powers Revoice Studio (record your own voice to certain scenes); Full-screen format.


Written by: Scoopy …courtesy of Scoopy.net