'Goldmember' Redeems 'Austin Powers' Franchise, But Still Falls Short of 'International Man of Mystery'
© Heather Wadowski
Austin Powers-- the man who single-handedly made 'Shall we shag now, or shall we shag later?' a popular pick-up line in bars everywhere-- is back in this summer's last sure-fire hit, "Austin Powers in Goldmember." And despite what the trailers show (and unlike in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me") Austin's Mojo is almost back in full swing.
Almost.
In "Goldmember," everyone's favorite thawed out spy returns to save the world from evil-- Dr. Evil, that is-- and this time he's bringing almost legal Pop Diva Beyonce Knowles along for the ride. (Right away this is a better combination than the pairing of the shagadellic swinger with the beauty-over-acting-skills likes of Heather Graham's Felicity Shagwell, but still not quite as enjoyable to watch as Myers with the original Austin babe, Elizabeth Hurley.) Also along for the groovy adventure is Michael Caine as Austin's swingin' yet absentee father, Nigel Powers, whose kidnapping by the mysterious Goldmember causes Austin to travel back to the '70s (pimp coat and all) and reunite with his ex-honey, Foxxy Cleopatra (Knowles), to save Daddy. When Goldmember uses Dr. Evil's time machine to take Austin's father back to 2002 though, Austin and Foxxy must brave the new millennium and fight the double-trouble combination of Dr. Evil and Goldmember to save Nigel-- a journey that will change Austin's life forever.
Rumored to be the last installment in the ever-popular "Austin Powers" franchise, "Goldmember" is the perfect end to a trilogy that's revolutionized modern day pop culture. Filled with laugh-out-loud moments, enough celebrity cameos to please the president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and-- most importantly-- no Heather Graham, "Goldmember" is the stereotypical third installment of a franchise that goes completely above everyone's expectations. Myers and director Jay Roach seem almost apologetic with the film, using a witty script and a talented cast of newcomers (to the "Austin" franchise, that is) to thank audiences for giving "Austin" another chance after the severely unfunny "The Spy Who Shagged Me."
Nevertheless, "Goldmember" is not without its flaws, and some pretty big flaws at that. "Goldmember" falls into the same trap as "The Spy Who Shagged Me" by taking the same jokes that got a laugh in now the first two "Austin" movies and putting a new spin on them. Needless to say, the same old jokes aren't nearly as funny the second and third time around, and in some cases, what was funny about the jokes are completely forgotten. The once hilarious tent scene with the shadows is now horribly dull (minus one big laugh at the end of the gag), and various other scenes that once caused viewers to cry with laughter now leave audiences silent in their seats. At least Myers and Roach use these opportunities to poke fun of themselves and the script's lack of originality, but even pointing out the recycled jokes is only worth a chuckle or two. Furthermore, several of the new jokes sound more like they came from a juvenilish, popular E-mail forward than the mind of a former "SNL" writer. Granted these jokes cause majority of "Goldmember"'s targeted PG-13 audience to laugh out loud, but the only reason adults will be chuckling is because of the pure cheesiness of it all.
