Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

The Age of Commercialism

Memorable, crazy movie

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Simply put, your enjoyment of this second Austin Powers installment will hinge on your feelings regarding the first one, as there isn't a whole lot of change in tone.For a basic plot summary, "The Spy Who Shagged Me" sees Dr. Evil (Mike Myers) return to Earth to continue his battle with British super-spy Austin Powers (Myers). This time around, the action takes place in the "groovy" 1960s.Though the jokes are very similar (in some cases almost identical) to the original, a few key changes add in enough originality to keep things relatively fresh.The addition of Mini-Me (diminutive Verne Troyer) creates another classic character. Plus, just when you thought a female lead couldn't get any hotter than Elizabeth Hurley, they find Heather Graham (!).Essentially, this movie is a simple continuation of its predecessor, for better or worse. I thought it actually slightly eclipsed the first one due to less "Bond spoofs' and more focus on the crazy character antics/humor.

The original Austin Powers film kind of took a lot of people by surprise by its success. Therefore, a sequel proved too hard for studio bosses to resist. The first film lovingly lampooned the early James Bond films perfectly, always poking fun while never being cruel. Some may think that it would be hard to stretch this concept out into two movies. I myself was cynical, but I'm glad to say that I was wrong.'Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me' is - amazingly - even funnier than the first film. It's even more daft, even more crude and just simply great fun to watch. You have to have a kind of silly sense of humour to really appreciate it, but I'm glad to say that, judging by the fact that it took lots more at the box office that its predecessor, I'm not the only one to think so.Its success is majorly down to the cast. There's never a bad performance and nearly every smutty joke is timed to perfection. Special credit to its writer/star Mike Myers who introduces yet another disgustingly wonderful character to his repartee - 'Fat B*****d' who, dare I sat the voice was a precursor to a famous green ogre he was later to voice.Dr Evil is again back to stop his ultra trendy nemesis Austin Powers from thwarting him by... well, who cares? The film-makers certainly don't let story get in the way of giving you a fun time. Ignore the plot holes in this film - the film itself even pokes fun at how not everything actually makes sense and just enjoy the ride (again).

Mike Myers reprises his multiple roles as Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, and Fat Bastard, a sumo wrestler, in the second of the James Bond spoof. Myers saves the uneven script with his Peter Sellers like versatility. Added to the mix is a little clone of Dr. Evil named Mini-me, played by the funny Verne Troyer. On his honeymoon, Powers discovers that his wife, Vanessa(Elizabeth Hurley), is actually a fembot sent to kill him. The colorful cast is sent back to 1969 in a time machine, where Austin drives around in a VW. He winds up at a secret location for Dr. Evil's lab in a volcano, where he confronts Evil, Mini-me, Fat Bastard and Number 2(a surprisingly good Rob Lowe). Robert Wagner, Heather Graham, and Will Ferrell, round out an esoteric cast. There are also several cameos which are unexpected and made me laugh. Overall, Myers talent is undeniable, and if you've had a bad day Austin might be the right medicine.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me is an excellent movie with a well developed plot and an outstanding comedic cast. It is everything a sequel should be, a film that both continues and expands on the previous movie. Here, we have a bigger and better adventure for the title character, putting him up against Dr. Evil once again, and including the addition of some great new characters, including Austin's love interest Felicity, who have a great back and forth with one another, as well as Evil's little clone Mini-Me, who steals every scene he is in. I did think it went out of the way to be overly complicated. The plot was far more convoluted and a lot less straight forward in comparison to the first Austin Powers. It's just that, at times, it felt like it was trying too hard to be bigger than its predecessor rather than being its own movie. The cast is stellar, with each member, old and new, fitting in effortlessly to this absurd, wacky universe. Mike Myers steals the show, of course, playing three characters this time around, with the likes of Heather Graham, Seth Green, Michael York and Verne Troyer shining in their respective roles. Ridiculous fun from beginning to end. Zany hilarity, I would certainly recommend Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me to anyone looking for a good comedy adventure. Austin Powers must put a stop to Dr. Evil's next big plan while also gaining his manhood back. Best Performance: Mike Myers