Austin Powers in Goldmember

YEAH, BABY...
My twenty years old daughter and her boyfriend invited me to the movies with them to see the latest Austin Powers film. I went, somewhat reluctantly, as it is not the film I would have chosen, even though I had previously seen the two other Austin Powers films and enjoyed them. Well, am I ever glad that I did! It was, without a doubt, the funniest Austin Powers film to date.

From the great opening scene to the surprise ending, replete with cameos by Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Danny Devito, the Ozzie Osbourne Family, Steven Spielberg, Britney Spears, Burt Bacharach, Quincy Jones, Nathan Lane, Katie Couric, and John Travolta, the film is a laugh riot. Austin Powers (Mike Myers) still has his mojo amd, together with his gorgeous female sidekick de jour, Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles), sets out to rescue his father, Nigel (Michael Caine), from the evil clutches of the notorious Dutchman, Goldmember (Mike Meyers). To do so, they must go back in time to 1975, the era...

More than meets the eye....
There's much more to this movie than might be seen by your average reviewer. Yes, it repeats itself. Yes, it uses obvious gags. But, such is the spirit and style of the Austin Powers series. Myers may reuse jokes, or use obvious gags.... but the point here is that he does them WELL. He isn't repeating material from the first two movies because he's lazy. Anyone who knows him will tell you very quickly that he'd never let that happen... he is doing is because its funny. The opening is an obvious preparation for such total absurdity (and even a mockery of its own popularity) and all references to earlier movies are done with such self-consciousness that he obviously wants us to think about the previous films. He isn't trying to make it seem new.

Its barely a shallow movie, either. If anyone knows the background to the Austin Powers series, you've probably heard about Mike's amazing devotion to his father, Eric. (note the name of the production company.... Eric's Boy) And,...

I Love Goolllldddd(member)!
YEAH BABY!!!! Austin Powers is back, and as funny as ever. This movie features non-stop laughs that will have you rolling on the floor. I swear, what they said is right about how it has more laughs in one minute than some whole films (Zoolander!). Okay, I'll admit that the story is pretty nonexistant (there is some nonsense about a satellite and a meteor), but we don't go to Austin Powers movies for the plot, we go for the jokes, and this one has some killers. I especially enjoyed the opening credits scene with all the celebrity cameos. Dr. Evil (my hero) is funnier than ever, though its Mini-Me who really steals the show. Fat Bastard, while crude and gross, has his share of laughs. But we can't forget Austin himself, now with his father Nigel. Go see this movie if you want to laugh without having to use your brain for an hour and a half. You'll love it.

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