Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002, DVD)

Comedy Type: Slapstick, Raunchy
Laugh Factor: Gut-Busting
Look-at-these: No Nudity

Synopsis

Austin Powers, international man of mystery, comes back once again to do battle with his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. An imprisoned Dr. Evil arranges to have Goldmember, a Dutch scientist who has mastered cold fusion and loves gold, to kidnap Austin's father Nigel and create a tractor beam that will destroy the Earth. Austin Powers travels back to the year 1975 where he teams up with Foxxy Cleopatra to rescue his father, stop Goldmember and put an end to Dr. Evil's scheming once and for all. As usual, things don't go exactly according to plan. While I found the ending to be truly awful, I'll leave that aside for this review.

Title Significance

This is the third installment of the Austin Power's Trilogy, titled for the new evil in town -- Goldmember. Initially the makers of James Bond objected to the use of the title Goldmember because it was too similar to Goldfinger, the title of an early Bond film. The controversy was eventually resolved and stands as another example of people making mountains out of mole hills. I simply don't feel that the titles or characters are similar enough to show copyright infringement.

Cast and Acting

Mike Myers (Wayne's World, Saturday Night Live): Once again Myers proves himself to be an extremely talented actor/writer/producer. As with previous Austin Powers films, he takes on the grueling task of simultaneously playing the protagonist (Austin Powers), the antagonists (Dr. Evil and Goldmember) and other characters (Fat Bastard). Myers continues to be outrageously funny and witty, upholding the SNL graduate legacy of going on to do great things. Despite the fact that the icons of good and evil never share the same screen, the film seems smooth and complete.

Beyonce Knowles: Destiny's Child's Beyonce Knowles delivers an amazing debut performance as Foxxy Cleopatra, a 70's solid gold dancer. She is sexier and more charismatic than both of Austin's previous partners (Heather Graham and Elizabeth Hurley) combined. Knowles perfectly portrays the sweet, spunky and strong-willed Foxxy with a libido that rivals that of Powers himself. In case you are curious, there is a brief scene where she wears her hair down -- a site that is worth the price of admission on its own. Yes folks, she's Foxxy Cleopatra and she is a whole lot of woman. Purrrrrrrrr.

Michael Caine (Get Carter, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels): Caine was born to play Austin's father, Nigel Powers. He exudes sensuality and brings a humorous touch to the role of absentee father. Although his soft-spoken dialogue frequently slows the pace of the film, he was ideal for the role.

Other Familiar Faces: Verne Troyer (as Mini Me), Mindy Sterling (as Frau Farbissina), Michael York (as Basil), Robert Wagner (as Number Two) and Seth Green (as Scott Evil) all return to deliver admirable performances on par with those in the two previous episodes.

CAMEOS: The film boasts a number of cameo appearances from Britney Spears, Tom Cruise, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny DeVito, Quincey Jones and, as usual, Mr. Burt Bacharach. While I can't really complain about getting to see Britney or Gwyneth, the cameo performances add nothing of substance to the film. They hint at a need for star power, when, in fact, the film would have done quite well without them.

Analysis

I was outside myself with excitement when I discovered that Myers was going to play alongside the tantalizing Beyonce Knowles. Unfortunately, while Heather Graham and Elizabeth Hurley received substantial screen time, Knowles is given a rather paltry part for her enormous talent. Austin's previous partners arrived very early in the game, while I had to wait in torturous anticipation to catch my first glimpse of Knowles. Perhaps Myers was afraid of losing the entire show to this glowing ball of spunk, but his own insecurity is no excuse for a let-down of this magnitude. In my opinion, this is as big as flaws come.

Myers is an exceptional actor, pulling off performances that nobody else could. The chemistry between he and Knowles is tremendous, but her glaring absence during many scenes is distracting. Scaling up Knowle's part could only benefit Myers and the film. If it was an issue of money, the useless cameos could have easily been dispensed with. Ok, I'll stop whining for now.

The most common complaint I have heard with Goldmember is that the humor has stayed the same throughout the entire trilogy. There are a few recycled jokes, but the script is largely original. Yes, thanks Captain Obvious, the slapstick nature of the film remains unchanged -- but why would anyone expect it to? The first two films were wildly popular. Adjusting a formula with a record of success has largely proven to be disappointing in the past. Had the film been completely reinvented, an even louder groan would be heard.

Despite my earlier griping, this film is a gut-buster. I found myself laughing at things that, quite frankly, I wish I hadn't found so damn funny. For example, Fred Savage plays a mole with a huge mole on his lip. (Which reminds me, Savage didn't deserve the $5/hour he probably earned for this film. He should have retired after Working completely bombed.) Power's inability to control his use of the word 'mole' is, for no apparent reason, quite hilarious. The humor is raunchy and goes beyond low-brow, but remains very satisfying in the end. If you disagree, all I have to say is that I'm a master debater.

Final Comments

If you haven't enjoyed previous installments of Austin Powers, then you'll probably want to skip this one. For everyone else, Goldmember will have you rolling in the aisles for hours. Despite the films flaws, it delivers the comic intensity that it promises. If you need a good chuckle, it is only as far away as your closest box office.

Similar Movies: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me