Myers Plays Hero And Villain In ‘Austin Powers’

I loved the last James Bond movie. I’ve watched it multiple times on cable since I first saw it in the theater.

But every time I watch a James Bond movie, I have to ask myself, “Can they possibly be serious?”

Does Pierce Brosnan really have the talent to jump off a cliff, land on the wing of a plane, climb in, and save the craft from a nose-dive - all while avoiding machine gun fire? Like I said before, can they possibly be serious?

Fortunately for all of us, Mike Myers asked himself the same question. If his new movie “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery” is any indication, he decided they must be serious - but they certainly have no reason to be.

Myers is great in this movie. The only Hollywood actor who is less like Pierce Brosnan (or Sean Connery, the former James Bond) is Martin Short. That makes the parody even better.

Myers’ smile alone is a great gag. When Austin smiles, he might as well say, “please help me, I need an orthodontist.” It’s the exact opposite of Pierce Brosnan’s, “I’m so attractive I could have any woman I want” smile.

The film starts in the 1960s. Austin has a showdown with his nemesis, Dr. Evil (also played by Myers). Dr. Evil gets away by cryogenically freezing himself in a spacecraft that’s shaped like a restaurant logo. He plans to return at a time when, “greed rules again,” he says.

In a move of unrivaled bravery, Austin volunteers to have himself frozen so that he can follow Dr. Evil into the future.

I don’t want to give this movie too much credit. It’s not an artistic masterpiece. But Austin’s culture shock is one of the funniest, and perhaps the most poignant, moments ever captured on film.

One thing that makes this movie even better is the fact that culture shock is something that James Bond never deals with. In “Goldeneye,” the 1990s James Bond is surrounded by modern characters and embroiled in a modern plot. But he acts the same as he did in the 1960s. Bond apparently never suffers from culture shock.

In “Austin Powers,” however, both the hero and the villain experience culture shock. For example, Dr. Evil tries to develop a plan to blackmail the world by using a laser beam to put a hole in the ozone layer. He demands that the United Nations pay him $1 million. But then Dr. Evil’s assistant, Number Two (Robert Wagner), reminds him that there is already a hole in the ozone layer. Not to mention the fact that $1 million is chump change in today’s world.

Austin doesn’t get lucky as much as James Bond does. His attempts to pick up British agent Vanessa Kensington (supermodel Elizabeth Hurley) are greeted coldly. Poor Austin can’t even lure her with romantic music. Compact discs won’t play on his record player.

The best running gag in the movie, though, is the intentional lack of nudity. Anyone who has seen 1960s spy films knows that in at least one scene the characters are supposed to be naked, but never actually expose any skin. Similarly, in “Austin Powers,” careful, strategic planning prevent Hurley and Myers from even showing a hair.

Whether you like James Bond movies or hate them, you’ll love “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.” The constant, sophisticated humor has Mike Myers exploring a new vein of comedy. And you won’t wonder for a second whether or not he’s serious.

Grade: A