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Austin Powers in Goldmember delivers
by MATTHEW HAYS Sequels are tricky things at the best of times. Basically, they’re one gigantic high-wire balancing act: give the audience much of what they want (the same thing the last entry delivered) while also injecting some cool surprises. Mike Myers has managed to do it again with Austin Powers in Goldmember. Yes, there are seemingly endless gross-out gags, countless celebrity cameos, chase sequences, oddball monologues and a few new characters thrown in for good measure. As with the first two movies, try not to be late. The opening sequence is one of the best parts of the film, and Myers has outdone himself with it in terms of Bond satire and inventive cameos. As a sense of déjà vu set in while seeing the film, that same sense hits me as I sit down to write about it. This is an extremely difficult film to review, as the fun in the movie comes with each outrageous gag, each nutty cameo (Myers fully understands how to mine the ridiculousness of pop culture for everything it’s worth) and every silly sexual scenario. If you’re a Powers fan-and at this point, the short list is made up of who isn’t-then don’t let anyone give away too much of the film, just see it. What is fascinating about these films (in particular the last two) is the boundary-pushing gross-out humour that Myers toys with. Never satisfied, it seems, he pushes jokes about just about everything we find viscerally disgusting to new ends. And much of the time what he’s doing isn’t very funny and doesn’t evoke much laughter from the crowd. He’s just putting things into such a surreal direction we can’t help but be a bit stunned in between the laughs. It’s an odd combo, but clearly one people like to endure. \If there are complaints, they are minor. Goldmember himself, the new baddie Myers created for this entry, is no Dr. Evil (not even a Fat Bastard). And though Powers does travel back to 1975 (allowing for a fantastic disco club sequence), he almost immediately travels back to the present. Why not have Powers coping in a ’70s world? Still, these are truly minor complaints. As usual, Myers has delivered the goods: this is pure, silly, crazy-and often disgusting-summer fun. : Austin Powers in Goldmember is now playing >> Movie Listings |
