Rating: NN
Mike Myers never heard a dick joke he didn’t like. In the third Austin Powers flick, Austin Powers In Goldmember, co-writer/star Myers is obsessed with his characters’ willies. Austin is constantly commenting on the size of his rod, Dr. Evil keeps getting kicked in the balls, new villain Goldmember has, well, a giant gold member. Even Fat Bastard, when he’s not playing with his turds, is obsessed with his prick.
Don’t get me wrong — genital humour is great. But when it becomes the basis for a whole movie, well, it’s kinda creepy.
There’s no doubt Myers is a brilliant comedian. The fact that he keeps this could-be-tired series alive is a feat in itself. For this third instalment he adds another cameo for himself, playing stuck-in-the-70s Dutch evil mastermind Goldmember. Myers’s weird portrayal of the freckled freak is hilarious, and includes lines such as “Can I offer you a pancake and a shhhmoke, Belgian waffle and a pipe?”
Myers’s forte is coming up with new characters who don’t necessarily hog the spotlight. Dr. Evil started out that way, but now he’s become the real star of the films and his schtick is getting tired.
I realize that I laugh at the Austin Powers universe only because Myers pushes a gag or joke way past its limits. Take the Dr. Evil/Scotty one-upmanship gag, where Dr. Evil won’t let Scotty finish a sentence. You laugh, but it keeps going, so you stop laughing.
Thirty seconds go by, and when you feel like you’ve been hammered like a nail into a bamboo shoot, you start to laugh again, acknowledging the fact that Myers outlasted you.
The film’s plot revolves around Austin going back to the 70s to rescue his spy father (Michael Caine), hook up with agent Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyoncé Knowles) and stop Goldmember from moving into the future to team up with Dr. Evil.
There are inventive bits, but Myers makes sure everything gets back down to genital level, so his failure to aim higher is disappointing.
If you do go see the film, you’ll see a few jaw-dropping cameos. No one should give those away, or else they’ll ruin the film’s biggest and best laughs.ingridr@nowtoronto.com
austin powers in goldmember directed by Jay Roach, written by Mike Myers and Michael McCullers, produced by Myers, Eric McLeod and John S. Lyons, with Myers, Beyoncé Knowles, Michael York, Michael Caine and Seth Green. 98 minutes. An Alliance Atlantis release. Opens Friday (July 26). For venues and times, see First-Run Movies, page 88. Rating: NN
