You know, all I REALLY ask is to be entertained. With grand opuses such as “8MM” and “The Other Sister”, the cringe-factor was so high that “Baby Geniuses” began to look like “The Seventh Seal” through my grinding teeth. “The Phantom Menace” was, uh, below expectations. Is there one film this year that will deliver on a promise of two hours of escape? YEAH, BABY! America’s favorite sexual predator (not elected to office) returns in a wackier, bigger-budgeted adventure.
Austin Powers (Mike Myers) quickly dispenses with his new wife from the last film and embarks on a new set of sexual escapades, when his arch-enemy, Dr. Evil (Mike Myers) uses his time machine to go back in time to 1969. There, he sends his henchman, Fat Bastard (Mike Myers), to steal Austin’s “mojo” while the agent is in a cryogenic freeze from 1967. Austin, now having performance issues, returns to 1969 in another time machine to battle Dr. Evil and his minions. The ’90’s, however, have left their mark on the old adversaries in ways they don’t yet understand. Dr. Evil’s son, Scott (Seth Green, not Mike Myers) also returns to bond with his father in this very special episode of “Austin Powers”. Hilarity and Heather Graham in heat ensue.
Remember, this isn’t “Remains of the Day”. It’s a big, sloppy comedy with an awful lot of plot conveniences, but as they tell you in the film, just enjoy the ride. It’s all about jokes and Graham’s tiny costumes as American agent, Felicity Shagwell. The level of the humor seems to be both heightened and lowered to a level of “South Park”-style scatological humor where nothing is off limits. There’re quite a few jokes about objects going in and coming out of someone’s a*s. Enjoy. You may not laugh any harder all year.
