Austin Powers in Goldmember *** (2002, Mike Myers, Michael Caine, Beyoncé Knowles, Seth Green) – Classic Movie Review 493

Director Jay Roach’ s 2002 American spy comedy film Austin Powers in Goldmember is the third instalment in the Austin Powers series and stars hysterical Mike Myers in four different roles: Austin Powers, Dr Evil, Goldmember, and Fat Bastard.

Oh baby, get ready for another attack of the killer sequels, as Mike Myers storms back as ultimate swinger-spy Austin Powers, his Belgian arch nemesis Dr Evil, the dribbling 40-stone Scots agent Fat Bastard, and now also the crazed Dutchman, Goldmember. Myers is on hysterical form in director Jay Roach’s 2002 second Austin Powers sequel, and the movie cleverly manages to get new mileage out of all the old 007 spoof situations.

Michael Caine is a big plus as Austin’s spy dad Nigel, Beyoncé Knowles (in her cinema film debut) has fun as Foxxy Cleopatra, a Seventies-style action heroine (spoofing Pam Grier), Verne Troyer is super again as Dr Evil’s smaller and more concentrated pure evil protégé Mini-Me, and Seth Green is another hit as Dr Evil’s son Scott Evil.

And this time the ‘famous’ star cameos are just side-splitting: Tom Cruise as Austin, Gwyneth Paltrow as Dixie Normous, Kevin Spacey as Dr Evil, Danny DeVito as Mini-Me, and John Travolta as Goldmember, as well as director Steven Spielberg. The whole Osbourne family appear too, Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and Jack.

It starts with a self-parody of the Austin Powers series called Austinpussy, where Austin Powers is featured in a bio-pic parody of the James Bond film Octopussy, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito and John Travolta.

It’s a shame about the mean-spirited, homophobic sequence with Nathan Lane in the disco: he should be ashamed of himself and so should Myers. Nathan Lane has an unspeakable non-speaking role as Mysterious Disco Man.

Again, it took seven hours of special make-up work to transform Myers into Fat Bastard. Myers plays him for the second time, this time parodying the wire fight seen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Exiting the cinema showing the film Austinpussy, Austin and Foxxy encounter Fat Bastard, now thin but with sagging flesh thanks to the Subway diet.

Myers and Michael McCullers co-wrote the screenplay, after their success with Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999).

The Bond movie folk took exception to the title as being too close to Goldfinger, and as part of the legal settlement this movie was obliged to be accompanied in cinemas by trailers for the new Bond movie Die Another Day. Free publicity, baby, nice!

MGM, the James Bond film distributors, took legal action that led to the film’s title being removed from promotional material and trailers before the dispute was resolved. Replacement titles were prepared, including License to Shag, Live and Let Shag, You Only Shag Thrice and Never Say Member Again.

Dr Evil’s much smaller, more concentrated evil protégé Mini-Me is gone. RIP Verne Troyer (1969–2018).

British actress Jeannette Charles (15 October 1927 – 2 June 2024) appears as Queen Elizabeth II.

Charles acted in repertory theatre in her twenties, but her resemblance to the monarch made it difficult to find work, and she left acting to become a secretary. But in 1972, a self-commissioned painting of herself was displayed by the artist at the Royal Academy in London, where it was mistaken for a portrait of the Queen, leading to press attention and offers to portray Her Majesty. She played the Queen in many films, including Secrets of a Superstud (1976), Queen Kong (1976), The Rutles’ movie All You Need Is Cash (1978), National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985), The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).

Running time: 94 minutes.

It was released by New Line Cinema in the US on 26 July 2002 and took $296.7 million worldwide on a budget of $63 million, slightly down on the $312 million worldwide take of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and costing nearly twice as much. The budget for The Spy Who Shagged Me was $33 million.

Goldmember (2002) follows Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999).

http://derekwinnert.com/austin-powers-international-man-of-mystery-classic-film-review-470/

http://derekwinnert.com/austin-powers-the-spy-who-shagged-me-classic-film-review-492/

© Derek Winnert 2013 Classic Movie Review 493 derekwinnert.com

Link to Derek Winnert’s home page for more film reviews: http://derekwinnert.com/