Action/Adventure/Comedy
1 hour and 34 minutes
Rated: PG-13
Written by: Mike Myers & Michael McCullers
Directed by: Jay Roach
Produced by: John S. Lyons, Eric McLeod, Demi Moore, Mike Myers, Jennifer Todd, and Suzanne Todd
Cast:
Mike Myers
Beyoncé Knowles
Seth Green
Michael York
Robert Wagner
Mindy Sterling
Verne Troyer
Michael Caine
The grooviest movie of the summer has a secret, baby!
Following the enormous successes of both Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Austin Powers: They Spy Who Shagged Me, it seemed only logical that actor and creative mastermind behind the films Mike Myers would continue to ride the gravy train for as long as economically possible. After all, the James Bond franchise, which the Austin Powers films directly spoof, had been going strong for twenty movies up until the time of Austin Powers in Goldmember was released. Who was to say the success of Austin Powers ever had to stop? Goldmember, like its two predecessors, did prove to be a success, likely performing as well as it did on the established fanbase of the franchise alone. That being said, Goldmember was a genuinely funny movie, however it did not measure up when it comes to the quality of the other two films in the series.
To begin with, there's much to like about Goldmember. Many of the jokes and avenues explored within its story are fresh and new. Like its predecessors, not a moment is wasted in Goldmember in referencing and poking fun at the James Bond movies - as well as other spy and action films of the past. The Japan setting offers some humorous jabs toward the Bond films of the 1960s, arguably the bread and butter behind the entire Austin Powers franchise, by spoofing the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. A sumo wrestling stakeout as well as some corporate espionage are all direct nods to this film. Similarly, the sequence involving a fist fight between Powers and series staple Fat Bastard leads to a hilarious take on the famous sequence from Live and Let Die where James Bond escapes danger by running across the backs of crocodiles. Powers must, instead, run across the stomachs of bathing sumo wrestlers in order to avoid Fat Bastard.
The character of Foxy Cleopatra, played terrifically by Beyoncé Knowles, is another direct reference to the action films of yesteryear. Foxy Cleopatra is clearly a riff on Foxy Brown and other blaxploitation heroines of the 1970s, particularly those played by genre legend Pam Grier. Knowles confirmed this in interviews for the film, stating she watched Grier's movies in order to prepare for the role. Knowles's Cleopatra is a hilarious edition to the Austin Powers universe.
Similarly, other knew characters are introduced and fit right in with the returning ones that fans have come to love. Best of all is Mike Myers playing Freaky Deaky Dutch villain Goldmember. Goldmember's bizarre foreign and stereotypical qualities as well as his .... well, namesake, nod directly to Bond villains of the past, in particular Auric Goldfinger. Another brilliant edition is Michael Caine as Nigel Powers, Austin's faja ... or father. Caine showcases his terrific abilities as a comedic performer, and the scenes where he and Myers riff off of one another are truly comedic gold, and were undoubtedly improvised given the level of talent the two men hold.
All of these additions, as well as the familiar characters that the fanbase has come to love, make Goldmember feel fresh in many ways, and lend to it being a funnier movie than any sequel has any credit in being. However, Goldmember remains what is probably the weakest entry within the Austin Powers franchise for a number of reasons.
For starters, many of the previous jokes that were made in the first two Austin Powers movies are recycled into this one. While it's easy to understand why - if it ain't broke, don't fix it - one would much rather have seen Myers and director Jay Roach take the time to come up with more new material. After all, what made The Spy Who Shagged Me a sequel that was on par with the first film in the series was that it hardly utilized recycled jokes, and mainly focused on new material. This is not how Goldmember turned out. So many recycled jokes are present, that at one point the movie even pokes fun at itself for doing so. Which leads into the next problem with Goldmember, its persistent breaking of the fourth wall. In some cases, this too is humorous. But the truth is none of the meta jokes in Goldmember receive the kind of laughs as the original ones delivered within.
Equally problematic is the film's third act. By this point it just feels as if Myers and Roach were looking for some way in which they could wrap up the film (and possibly even the franchise) and panicked because they realized they were entirely out of ideas, and did not want to recycle the endings of the first two (despite their recycling of literally everything else). One wishes they would have taken a little more time to flesh out the story and maybe watch some more James Bond movies for inspiration. Instead, what we're given is an uninspired deus ex machina of a conclusion, that undoubtedly left more fans saying, "really?" than it did laughing.
While it is still a movie packed full of hilarious moments, and one whose newest characters add enough levels of fresh humor to make it an entertaining watch, Austin Powers in Goldmember ultimately fails to live up to the comedic precedent set by its two predecessors in the franchise. Its recycling of jokes from those movies, its meta references, and its completely uninspired conclusion would likely leave even the most ardent Austin Powers or Mike Myers fans feeling in more ways than one let down.
5.5/10
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