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Starring: Mike Myers, Heather Graham
Director: Jay Roach
Genre: Comedy
Year: 1999
Rating: 4 / 5

Over the past few years, I have lamented the lack of truly funny comedies in theatres these days. The 1990s have produced a great many classic films, yet many of those would be classified as thrillers, dramas, or science fiction. As the decade has waned, however, there has been a sort of renaissance in the comedic field, beginning with the likes of Analyze This and Forces of Nature in early 1999. This movement may have fully signaled its arrival, though, with Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. This Mike Myers "epic" features virtually non-stop laughter from start to finish, with oddball jokes as well as intelligent in-jokes, offering a wide array of comic styles. Playing Austin Powers and his arch-nemesis Dr. Evil, Mike Myers delivers a hilarious performance, setting the stage for what will surely become one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood history.

The plot of this movie - as though it really matters - centers around Dr. Evil's quest to steal Austin Powers's mojo. His "mojo," that which makes him oh-so-shagadelic, is lifted from Powers's motionless body in 1969, two years after it is cryogenically frozen. This was made possible thanks to a time machine built by Dr. Evil. Learning of Evil's plans, Austin journeys back to the sixties to reacquire his mojo, enlisting the services of the curvaceous Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham). Together, the two attempt to thwart the murderous efforts of Dr. Evil's henchmen (younger versions of the ones we met in the first movie), all the while seeking to retrieve Austin's essence.

That is all well and good, but the gags, one-liners, and asides in this movie are what really drive it. While Dr. Evil was frozen after the initial film, his second-in-command, Number 2 (Robert Wagner), constructed a clone of him, a pint-sized terror known as Mini-Me (Verne Troyer). Watching Dr. Evil's interactions with his diminutive clone, as well as Mini-Me's "sibling rivalry" with Scott Evil (Seth Green), provides some of the film's funniest moments. Scott is still confused about his father, and attempts to sort out some of this confusion in a variety of ways, including The Jerry Springer Show. Mini-Me, on the other hand, is the son Dr. Evil has always wanted, and his doting tendencies only serve to further endear him to the good doctor.

Austin Powers sends off a great many films, most notably the James Bond series. In addition, though, it pokes fun at a great many pop icons of the eighties and today. (Watch for some playful jabs at the Star Wars phenomenon.) Being that it is a secondary concern, the story flows surprisingly well, but the endless string of jokes propels the film. Myers proved me wrong long ago, when I figured that he would never outlive his Wayne's World character. Well, Wayne has come and gone, yet Myers is still churning along, delivering laughs by the barrel. While he is incredibly funny as Austin Powers, Myers is an exceptional riot as Dr. Evil. He adds on even more this time, putting in some quality scenes as the horizontally-challenged Fat Bastard, one of Dr. Evil's undercover spies. Is the first Austin Powers film a must to understand the sequel? No. Does it help to understand some of the jokes? Yes. The Spy Who Shagged Me: Maybe it will allow you to get some of your mojo back...

Cast:

Mike Myers..........	Austin Powers/Dr. Evil
Heather Graham..........	Felicity Shagwell
Robert Wagner..........	Number 2
Rob Lowe..........	Young Number 2
Seth Green..........	Scott Evil
Verne Troyer..........	Mini-Me

Certification: Rated PG-13.
Running Time: 95 minutes.

Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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