Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery 1997

Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Some times he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy, the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament.

My childhood was typical, summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds, pretty standard really. At the age of 12 I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen, a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum, it's breathtaking, I suggest you try it.

“Who does number two work for?”

This is way more clever and funny then it should be.

Even today, long after its launch timer reached zero, Mike Myers's first romp as the gregarious gentleman spy with a heinous grill is mercilessly funny, shockingly well-written and every bit as entertaining as it was on day one. It's impressive enough for a film of this age to still retain so much of its initial charm, but to do so with the added weight of two derivative sequels, aping the original's best jokes at every turn, is borderline miraculous.

Myers is at his rapid-fire best throughout this picture, setting up punchlines like dramatic authors might dangle plot threads, while somehow keeping the simple, delightful, central storyline in sight at all times. A biting satire of ’60s culture and, naturally, the James Bond flicks that primarily celebrated it, there's no shortage of ammunition for the SNL alum's comic WMDs, but amidst so many presses of that red button there's also a sweet, tangible thought at its core. Clever, side-splitting comedy that might just stay fresh for decades to come.

A great parody on 60's and 70's James Bond movies. If you've seen those Bond movies, you'll instantly recognize so many of the, in retrospect, laughable plotlines, semi-evil villains, cheesy dialogues and oldfashioned special effects. Don't get me wrong; I love those Bond movies. But compared with 90's movies, they appear so old. And this parody just makes great fun of almost every aspect of it. Since it's a parody I won't go into the quality of the story, the acting, or presentation, because the only thing it should do is make you laugh. And for me that is just what it does, even 15 years after it's release.

Cheesy and predictable, but still it makes me laugh so hard!

The stuff with Dr. Evil is great, there’s a reason why it spanned so many memes over the years.
On the other hand, the Austin Powers scenes can be a bit hit or miss.

A pretty funny movie, however, one that pins most of its hopes and jokes on the audience's familiarity with 60's-90's James Bond & "In Like Flint" spy movies. Great dialogue and Mike Myers does well in the dual role of Austin & Dr. Evil. And, of course, Elizabeth Hurley looks fantastic and was a great choice for the female sidekick. 1st sequel was great. 2nd sequel...not so much.

Rated a Connor 10, normal 9.5

No matter how many times I watch this, seeing him wedge the cart in that narrow hallway cracks me up every single time

I don't know, probably someone liked it and maybe even now it finds fans. It did not convince me.

Mike Myers’ crass take on spy spoofs mostly fell flat, but at the same time introduced memorable characters that would later bloom in the sequels. The only few jokes that worked have been redone better in the sequels, and the direction still lacks the gaudy sensibility the protagonist asks for. Nobody asked, but when I was a kid I was convinced that Austin Powers and Woody Allen were the same person…

“Yeah baby, yeah.” Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a groovy comedy that’s quite happening. The story follows ‘60s superspy Austin Powers who’s awoken from cryostasis when the infamous supervillain Dr. Evil rises to threaten the world with annihilation. The writing is rather good and pretty clever in how it satirizes the ‘60s spy genre (particularly James Bond). Mike Myers and Elizabeth Hurley lead the cast and give fairly strong performances. Myers is especially suited for this type of outlandish comedy and pulls it off well. However, the humor does get a bit too juvenile at times and a number of the jokes outstay their welcome. Yet despite its flaws, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a swingin’ joint that’s far out.

Just like every comedy there are a few slow parts to this one. But it's overall a capturing flick. Nonetheless it probably didn't help I had to multitask on the laptop. Definitely a must watch if you really appreciate dumb 80s comedy