First of all let me stress that I'm a HUGE Austin fan. When Mike Myers created the character in 1997, I was thrilled, discovering to my great relief that "one can have bad teeth and still be a sex symbol." (Do I make you horny, baby?) Although it was also incredibly hilarious, the first Austin flick was so much fun because it was genuinely lovable--the innocence and naivete of our hero made for a winning combination.
Now Powers is back, in the same hideous lenses on loan from Lisa Loeb. Unfortunately, Austin has lost much of the friendliness and charm that made the 1997 movie so terrific. The storyline has degenerated into a non-stop parade of penis sight gags and double entendres. (Granted, there were some similar jokes in the first film, but "The Spy Who Shagged Me" has gone completely overboard, substituting groin-oriented humour for creative plot development.) It's sad to see Mike Myers so enthusiastically embracing the "style" of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, since Myers is the far more talented comedian.
There are a couple of high points: Dr. Evil skewers a number of deserving targets, such as Will Smith's nauseating ballad "Just the Two of Us" and the 1996 ridicuflick "Jerry Maguire". And Heather Graham--sadly without her roller skates--manages to upstage her leading man in an enjoyable role as a sexy swinger. Overall, though, this latest Austin is a letdown, even for Powers loyalists like yours truly. Hopefully the next installment in the franchise (I can't believe I just said that) gets a better effort from Myers and his writers.
Now Powers is back, in the same hideous lenses on loan from Lisa Loeb. Unfortunately, Austin has lost much of the friendliness and charm that made the 1997 movie so terrific. The storyline has degenerated into a non-stop parade of penis sight gags and double entendres. (Granted, there were some similar jokes in the first film, but "The Spy Who Shagged Me" has gone completely overboard, substituting groin-oriented humour for creative plot development.) It's sad to see Mike Myers so enthusiastically embracing the "style" of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, since Myers is the far more talented comedian.
There are a couple of high points: Dr. Evil skewers a number of deserving targets, such as Will Smith's nauseating ballad "Just the Two of Us" and the 1996 ridicuflick "Jerry Maguire". And Heather Graham--sadly without her roller skates--manages to upstage her leading man in an enjoyable role as a sexy swinger. Overall, though, this latest Austin is a letdown, even for Powers loyalists like yours truly. Hopefully the next installment in the franchise (I can't believe I just said that) gets a better effort from Myers and his writers.