Austin Powers in Goldmember (2011)

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, what subject perpetuates Goldmember, in jest or in somber truth? Family and fatherhood. No, this isn't Shakespeare, but he is contemplating an issue in a special way that only a comedian can do. It is as if he is laughing at the Mike Myers that made the first two films. On that level of self-realization, the film is hardly shallow. If comedies aren't your bag, or you have to cry all the way through something for it to say anything to you personally, that's fine, but lets remember that this is a comedy, folks. Laugh a little. It won't hurt. I promise.

With that, I tip my hat to Austin, Dr. Evil, Fat, and Goldmember. Mike is one of the most talented comedians of our era, and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

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 of disco fever.

Fan of Dr. Evil (Mike Myers), Fat Bastard (Mike Myers), Number Two (Robert Wagner), Scot Evil (Seth Green), Frau Farbissina (Mindy Sterling), Basil (Michael York), and Mini-Me (Verne Troyer) will be happy to know that they are all back in this film. Mini-Me very nearly steals the show, and he does this without ever uttering a single word. Fred Savage joins the party as Number Three/The Mole and becomes a running sight gag throughout the film for reasons that will be obvious to the viewer.

The only problem in the film is with the character of Goldmember. He is the weak link, as he is simply gross and not particularly funny. What was Mike Myers thinking? Notwithstanding the fact that the title character is pretty much of a zero, however, the film is still hilarious, overall. The plot, what little there is, primarily exists to set up a lot of sight gags, send ups, and a number of very funny scenes. If, however, scatological humor offends your sensibilities, this is definitely not the film for you. If you are not easily offended by the crude and the lewd, then this film will make you laugh up a storm.

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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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This DVD is made by New Line's division of Infinifilm. For some reason, the functionality of this DVD doesn't work on Panasonic players. About the only functions that work are Stop and Play. I feel sorry for Panasonic, because I got my DVD player for Christmas and thought it was a problem with the player. So I took the player back and exchanged it for another Panasonic player. But the "Pause" still didn't work. I just today found out that it is a DVD/Infinifilm issue and not a player issue. I'm afraid Panasonic is going to lose a lot of money if more people like me start trading in their players, because they think they don't work properly. Maybe Infinifilm should include a list of brands that its discs don't work with.

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In "Austin Powers in Goldmember," Mike Myers reprises his role as the swinging British superspy Austin Powers. He also reprises the roles of Dr. Evil and Fat Bastard, as well as creating a new character: the titular Goldmember, a Dutch villain with a rather unusual anatomical feature. Most of the cast from previous "Austin" films returns. Joining the cast is Beyonce Knowles as Foxxy Cleopatra (whose name is an apparent homage to two "blaxploitation" movie heroines). Also on board is Michael Caine as Austin's father, Nigel.

"Goldmember" continues the successful formula of the last two films: superspy action, musical numbers, outrageous sight gags, gross-out sex-and-toilet humor. There are some clever bits, such as a flashback sequence involving Austin and some other characters as youngsters at school. And Dr. Evil's submarine lair is a great visual device.

Knowles is an inspired addition to the cast as the sexy agent who promises that she's "a whole lotta woman!": she seems like she's really having fun with the role. Myers is likewise excellent in his quadruple role; I really could forget that it was him in all these roles, and enjoyed each one as an individual character. Myers has good chemistry with both Knowles and Caine. The returning Verne Troyer (as Mini-Me) is an impish delight.

I didn't think that "Goldmember" was quite as funny as the preceding Austin epic, but it is still a colorful and enjoyable film, and is further enhanced by a bunch of clever cameos (I won't spoil the many surprises by revealing them). If you're an "Austin" fan, I recommend it.

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