Date: Fri 25-Jun-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: SARAH

Quick Words:

Myers-Shagwell-Playing-Bond

Full Text:

NOW PLAYING: Many Laughs, But New "Powers" Is Missing Bit Of Its Original

Punch

By Trey Paul Alexander III

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum recently (actually, it happened

at Borders)... a mother and her son were in the check-out line when junior

asked, "Mommy, what does `shagged' mean?" The slightly embarrassed parent

replied, "What?! What are you talking about? Where do you see that word?" At

this point, the curious tyke began sheepishly pointing to the CD soundtrack of

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me which was displayed at the counter.

Despite going over little Johnny's head, Austin Powers II (and its spoof of

the James Bond title The Spy Who Loved Me ) is about as subtle as the old

cartoon gag of an anvil falling on the villain's head. Thankfully, that gag

doesn't occur here. But we do get Mike Myers reprising his dual roles of

super-spy Austin Powers and his arch-nemesis Dr Evil, as well as adding a

third character, a corpulent Scot named Fat B-----d. Now, I ask you, how

subtle do you think jokes surrounding an obese, 700-pound evil henchman with a

voracious appetite are going to be?

Myers has been quoted as saying that the first Powers film established his

spoof universe and this one gives him the opportunity to play in it. In many

ways, he's correct. There is an unbridled energy that's apparent as Myers,

along with director Jay Roach, returns to the playground that includes the

famed international man of mystery and his rogues gallery of characters. This

time around, Powers must return to the swingin' '60s to retrieve his "mojo,"

which Dr Evil has stolen via an elaborate time travel scheme. (Don't ask,

baby!)

The ensuing mayhem includes a lot of surprisingly over-the-top, gross-out

humor, much of it stemming from Fat B-----d and his bodily functions. But

there's also a prolonged sequence with Powers and his new cohort, CIA

operative Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham), in which their silhouettes get

an obscene workout; and an unusually high percentage of gags about the male

member, including a phallic spaceship and the number of puns it inspires.

Despite the number of juvenile jokes in Austin Powers II , it rarely misses

the mark when Dr Evil is the center of attention. He remains the funniest

character in this twisted universe. Once armed solely with the furless feline,

Mr Bigglesworth, Dr Evil now has a new sidekick, a diminutive clone he names

Mini-Me (played by Verne Troyer). These two are hilarious together, and they

even make a remarkable song-and-dance duo. The fact Dr Evil warms to his squat

double more than to his own flesh-and-blood son, Scott (Seth Green), makes

their acerbic father-son spats even more funny. In fact, it highlights one of

the reasons why Dr Evil, though the villain of the piece, has a leg up on

Austin Powers: Dr Evil has a number of interesting characters from which to

play off, including the aforementioned Mini-Me and son Scott, the ear-piercing

screams of Frau Farbissina (Mindy Sterling), and the loyal Number Two (Robert

Wagner, and the subtly side-splitting Rob Lowe, doing an incredible Wagner

impression).

Myers as Powers, on the other hand, misses Elizabeth Hurley, who only makes a

cameo here. Hurley is not a great actress, for sure, but her Vanessa

character, who regarded Powers with slight bemusement and incredulity, was a

nice foil for Powers and made him even more amusing. Graham, though definitely

smashing in her '60s wardrobe, proves less a complement to Myers because her

character adds little to the comedy; she's already too accommodating to

Powers' charm.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me is rated PG-13 for sexual innuendo and

heavy doses of crude humor. There's no denying it has quite a few laughs, but

it doesn't match the level of the first film.