Theres no denying it - all is not well in the Austin Powers franchise. While the third film, Goldmember, had an extremely strong opening weekend, there was a strong dropoff in business after that. I work in a movie theatre, and after two weeks, the owner had no problem returning the film to the distributer, who had been getting similar reactions from other movie theatres: unlike the first sequel, THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME, this Powers film was not bringing crowds back or growing in popularity by word of mouth. Why? Because it isn't very good.

It's not that it isn't funny. It may actually feature funnier sequences than either of the previous films. It's just that it's cons tend to bury it's pros...

- It feels tired. Unlike the first two films, which had a breezy quality to them - this film has a darker, more exhausted aura to it. This is probably because the characters and premise are inevitably getting old, but likely can also be attributed to...

- Plot overload. I think another reviewer was correct in assuming that Mike Myers probably thought up a bunch of weird jokes, then went out of the movie's way to make the plot accomodate them. Thus, the plot is waaaaay overly complex - there is no flow to it, far too many elements, and it's all so pointless. They would have been better off just throwing in the jokes more randomly rather than building unnecessary story arcs to accompany all of them (ie, Michael Caine as Austin's father is a clever throwback to the old spy films, but the storyline that introduces him is a bore. The bit involving Japanese subtitles may be amusing, but taking the plot to Tokyo is a chore that goes nowhere.)

- They get serious on us. Austin is having "daddy issues", which leads to a number of scenes that are played for horrid drama - even worse, it makes Austin into a sympathetic geek rather than a crude, outdated superspy.

- The title character, Goldmember, really has no place and is one of the most underdeveloped characters I've ever seen in a comedy. The movie really isn't about him, it's about Austin vs. Dr. Evil yet again. He is merely an excuse for the Bond-spoof subtitle. By undeveloped, I mean he really has no definable personality, just a bunch of little quirks that are supposed to make him funny - he has shiny gold genitals, he eats his flaking skin, has an exagerated dutch accent, is alarmingly flexible, likes smoking and eating pancakes at the same time, has an obsession with how "tight" everybody's body is (even the pudgy Dr. Evil, oddly enough) - strange, but not particularly funny, unless you are in a very silly mood. I imagine this character was more fun to play around with on the set than to watch on screen.

- Mike Myers is getting a wee bit self-indulgent. He plays four characters in this film, and is almost always on camera in one, two - sometimes three at a time. He also resorts to constant mugging at the camera for laughs, which is the sign of inflated ego or desperation...I'm guessing a bit of both.

- and finally - theres a lot of recycling going on. Some of it works, but a lot of it makes you long for the better, previous movies in which a lot of the jokes debuted. Having Ozzy Osbourne pop up randomly and point out the problem doesn't help, either.

What is GOOD about it? Despite my negativity, it is not devoid of high points whatsoever:

- Myers Dr. Evil character, unlike Austin Powers, has maintained hilarity. The best scenes, as usual, involve Dr. Evil engaging in seemingly improvised dialogue between his henchmen, clone and son.

- The much talked-about 'cameo' gag at the beginning is cheap, but one of the celebrities can't help but evoke laugher from most of the audience. It's a surprise that raises the bar a bit too high for the remainder of the movie.

- There is another joke involving flashbacks that show the characters at younger ages (a la Rob Lowe as No. 2 in THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME). This time we see Austin, Dr. Evil, No. 2, & Basil as teenagers, and they found young actors exceptionally good at immitating them.

- Another musical number involving Dr. Evil and Mini-Me (a la "Just The Two of Us"), that may be a rehash at heart but actually works quite well.

- Fat Bastard has one moderately funny line, but you have to wait till the end for it.

- It's not MASTER OF DISGUISE.

So there you have it. It can be a funny movie, but on the whole - and I work at a movie theatre, so I've gotten so see a lot of people react to it - it is likely to leave you feeling unsatisfied. It's one of those films that gets a lot of giggles, but doesn't make you feel like your money or time was particularly well-spent, and you might have gotten more laughs just goofing around with your friends for free. It will be a decent rental for fans of Dr. Evil though..


Recommended:
No

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older