Originally considered a low-budget James Bond parody, about a cryogenically frozen British secret agent from the 60’s unthawed in modern times, Mike Meyers’ Austin Powers, in his mocking accent and decaying dentures, quickly exploded into an American icon mimicked by millions wanting to know one thing: “Do I make you horny, baby?”
With characters like Dr. Evil, a dimwitted spoof of every 007
villain whose plans for world domination are constantly foiled by our
hero, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was crammed with
invigorating potty humor and sweet sentiments of monogamy. None of these
qualities are evident in the third installment, Austin Powers in Goldmember,
which butchers every gag from its predecessors to such an extent, the film feels like a
funeral service spreading the ashes of deceased jokes.
The
absence of new material, disappointing when considering Meyers’ comedic
talents, leaves Goldmember with a stale ‘been-there-done-that’
feeling of familiarity. It’s so intent on rehashing or expanding on gags from
the previous installments that director Jay Roach even inserts a cameo of Ozzy
Ozzbourne bitching about the movie’s constant repetitiveness. Nothing is
solved by acknowledging the problem, but Meyers and
Roach feel they have exonerated themselves from the responsibilities of
creativity. Problem is, the new stuff, like an agent played by Fred Savage with
an abnormally large Cindy Crawford-like mole on his upper-lip, is lamer than
what’s being recycled.
In
1999’s sequel, The Spy Who Shagged Me, audiences were introduced to new
and conceptually hilarious characters such as Dr. Evil’s infantile clone of
1/8th size, Mini-Me (Verne Troyer), and obese Scottish henchman Fat
Bastard (Meyers in prosthetics). While Fat Bastard was comically disgusting (his
unusual appetite for babies was a nice touch) this chapter’s roller-disco
dancing Goldmember (Meyers, again), the bullion-loving Dutchman who enjoys
eating his peeled skin, is plain disgusting. While Goldmember's Dutch accent is
amusing, when compared to
familiar characters like Number Two (Robert Wagner), he is ultimately a
weak addition reducing worthier characters’ screen time.
This time around, Austin Powers must time-travel to 1975 and rescue his playboy
father (Michael Caine) from the clutches of the aptly named Goldmember.
Recruiting soul-sister Foxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles), an
undercover agent who has a personal score to settle with the title character,
Austin has to also prevent Dr. Evil’s (Meyers) plans for world annihilation.
Meanwhile, the evil doctor’s angst-y son Scott (Seth Green) fights for his
pop’s attention by trying to be eviler than Mini-Me.
Dealing
with serious issues like absent fathers, a mature topic that has little room
among elaborate urination humor, briefly lend Goldmember an admirable
dimension. But that’s quickly demolished by some of the most convoluted
storytelling to come out this year. One second Austin is being knighted by the
Queen of England, the next he’s reminiscing about his high-school years, and
some minutes later Dr. Evil tells of his adopted childhood through flashbacks.
And yet the movie still manages to squeeze in a story of bad guys holding the
world ransom for “one billion gajillion fafillion” dollars.
Known
for tapping into pop-culture, The Spy Who Shagged Me referenced
everything from Jerry Springer (where Scott appeared in an episode titled “My
Dad Is Evil and Wants to Take Over the World”) to Hot Pockets, Goldmember
doesn’t have to settle for references when it has appearances from A-list
stars Tom Cruise and Gwyneth Paltrow. Fans should appreciate how big a following
their beloved ‘swinger’ spy developed, but most will probably feel let down by the
minimal amount of effort Meyers and co-writer Michael McCullers give. Did the
two forget Mr. Biggelsworth, or did Dr. Evil suddenly develop an allergy to
cats?
Relaying
on improvisations to generate laughter, the screenplay must have been no thicker
than a Literature student’s footnotes. Meyers and his many characters lose
their quirks amongst all the ad-libbing going on. Even Fat Bastard has a
space-filler moment (improv, improv, improv) articulating the many fragrances of
his flatulence. But this is an Austin Powers movie after all, meaning
laughs will be had regardless. Michael Caine is particularly good, given some of
the movie’s funniest lines. “There are two things I hate", Caine says.
"People intolerant
to others’ cultures, and the Dutch”.
Tackling
four roles must be tiresome, especially when each requires hours of cosmetic
appliance, yet Meyers has a quadruple blast and enough fuel to charge
Austin, Dr. Evil, Fat Bastard, and the ill conceived Goldmember with distinct
characteristics. So fond is he of the series, when the sequel was released he
stated he’d be glad making a new one every three years. singer/actress
Knowles, whose only other screen-acting experience was in MTV’s musical Carmen:
A Hip-Hopera, does a decent Pam Grier impersonation, but takes her role too
seriously to be funny; something Elizabeth Hurley avoided in the original.
In a summer where sequels are released on a weekly basis, not to mention television shows adapted to the big-screen, originality isn’t a popular quality. From Men In Black II to Halloween: Resurrection , sequels think they needn’t try a new formula when the old one racked in large profits. While Goldmember is no exception, its formula still has the power to flip audiences into an uproarious laughing fit. For now.
GRADE: C+
-Copyright
2002 by Shaun
Sages