I hate to rain on someone's parade by saying "enough is enough," but "Austin Powers in Goldmember," a prime example of a fun idea run horribly amok, necessitates it.
It should have worked -- we all love Austin, and we all love Dr. Evil, Mini-Me and the rest of the crew. We've loved them twice already, so why not again? This installment even has a standout new character in Austin's father, Nigel Powers (Michael Caine).
The plot also seems satisfactory enough: Dr. Evil, imprisoned almost immediately in the film, has enlisted his henchman Goldmember to kidnap the elder Powers and lure Austin through time and eventually to present-day Tokyo.
Austin stops in a glamorized 1975 New York and finds his latest partner/bedmate in Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyonc Knowles). Naturally, Dr. Evil also wants to destroy the world, this time using a tractor beam called "Preparation H" to force a meteor to hit and flood the Earth.
So what goes wrong? I think the word "mess" would neatly sum up things. Mr. Myers was given the freedom to stick almost every joke, gag, and playful obscenity he knows into the film. The film consequently lacks cohesion, but, more importantly, it isn't as fun as it should be.
Sure, the audience delights in seeing run-on jokes from the previous two films, yet way too much of the humor is either recycled or just plain bland.
The first "Austin Powers" really exploited the full comic attributes of Austin's character. The second did the same with Dr. Evil. Yet there is no equivalent dominant, multi-faceted character in this round.
The characters of Austin and Dr. Evil (both portrayed by Mike Myers) nonetheless hold up very well, and it is comforting to see them because their presence usually " but definitely not always " ensures quality. Mr. Caine does a hilarious job as Austin's father (what can't this man do?), and it is a shame that he does not have more time onscreen.
Beyonc certainly presents a striking reincarnation of her "Destiny's Child" identity, yet, try as she might, she ain't no Pam Grier. Perhaps she has untapped comedic talent waiting to be exposed, but the film keeps her character one-dimensional, thus limiting the comic potential.
The film could have done with a lot more Frau Farbissina (the vinegary yet lusty Mindy Sterling) and a lot less Fat Bastard (a very vulgar and disgusting Mr. Myers). Perhaps the middle school crowd finds this character amusing; the rest of us sure don't.
And then there is Goldmember himself (Myers again). I guess Mike Myers finds this character fun, but the audience doesn't. He's odd, disgusting -- he likes to eat his peeling skin -- and constitutes the film's largest hindrance.
What is fun about this film? Well, we all want to see Austin Powers onscreen again, so that fact alone is enough to justify seeing it. The celebrity cameos -- Britney Spears, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow and Tom Cruise (just to name a few) -- definitely highlight the film. Fred Savage has a very cute turn as "the Mole," and watch out for an uproarious Nathan Lane.
Just be warned that along with the moments of fun comes a confusing mess of a plot, a healthy dose of tired toilet humor and the sense that this should really be the last we hear from Austin Powers.
