Rating- * * * (3/5)
It is hard to overstate the anticipation with which I entered the theatre to see this film. I have been a fan of Mike Myers since I was old enough to watch SNL and I consider myself to be one of the earliest fans of the Austin Powers franchise (that’s right, I liked it when it was underground!), a fact that I take great snobbish pride in. The original film, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was basically a brilliant parody of the James Bond films as well as the entire spy movie genre. All of the characters, including the funniest and most brilliant Dr. Evil, were based on characters from Bond films except for one: Austin Powers himself. The title character, as the legend goes, was created by Myers during a car ride when he heard “The Look of Love” by Burt Bacharach playing on the radio. He is a very fun and charming character but not all that funny on his own; it was the situations and the interactions with the other characters that made the film funny, rather than just the crazy antics of the title character. Over the course of the two sequels, however, Myers and his director Jay Roach seem to have forgotten that simple fact. The first Austin Powers movie was not funny because of Austin but because of his reactions to other people. While they are still funny, the two sequels descend into bathroom humor and sexual innuendo for their laughs rather than the more intelligent brand of humor the first film used. Normally, the gross humor would deter me to the point of not recommending the movie, but in a weird way it seems to work in Goldmember. Maybe it’s because of my love for the characters or my enthusiasm for the series but when Myers makes a gross or crude joke, it doesn’t seem to bother me as much as it normally would from anyone else. I think it is because Myers has an unmistakable charm and is relentlessly good-natured. None of his jokes are about laughing at someone else’s expense but just at their funny comments and mannerisms. I don’t care how old I am or how juvenile it may seem, Fat Bastard is just funny. He’s funny like that uncle you’re embarrassed to be around in public. And Dr. Evil; has there ever been a more perfect satirical movie villain than him? The point is, even though Goldmember is a substandard movie by traditional means, it somehow manages to entertain us, partly because of jokes that were set up in the first two films. If you’re a fan of the series, I would definitely recommend this film because, while you certainly won’t be in awe of the production you will certainly be entertained and get a few good laughs out of it. If you are not a fan of the series, the first five minutes will probably be the best part of the experience for you and are probably worth the rest of the movie. As I said before, don’t expect any inspired satire like the first film but for some good, plain, gross, low brow comedy you can’t fail with Goldmember.