What do you say about a movie that's obsessed with women's breasts, bodily functions, and making fun of fat people and little people? A movie that's tacky and nerdish and proud of it? I suppose you just say, "Welcome back, Austin Powers!"
Two years after Mike Myers' surprise hit, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Myers and company are back again. This time, Myers plays three roles: the good guy Austin Powers, the nasty archenemy Dr. Evil, and Evil's helper, Fat Bastard. Austin was a 1960s fashion photographer, babe magnet and super-spy who was put into the deep freeze in 1967, to emerge in the late 1990s. There he took on Dr. Evil and defeated him in the first movie. This time, Dr. Evil has returned, intent upon world domination. He has a plan to extort billions from the US government or blow up the world using a powerful laser (called the Allan Parsons Project) installed on the moon. To get Austin out of his way, Dr. Evil travels back in time to the '60s to steal Austin's 'mojo' (i.e. his libido) from the frozen super spy.
If you're getting the idea that this is silly movie, you're right. The whole point is to be silly, and this one definitely goes over the top time and time again. Austin is a total nerd who's a klutz with bad teeth, but woman flock to him. When Austin goes back in time to battle Dr. Evil, he teams up with Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham). Felicity is a gorgeous American spy and she's pretty keen on Austin, even if he is missing his mojo. Will the pair succeed against Dr. Evil and his cronies? Is there any question? The fun is in watching how they pull it off.
Myers is fabulous in his many roles, including his unrecognisable turn as the corpulent Fat Bastard. Despite the multiple roles, he seems totally consumed in each of the parts. The supporting cast really has little to do other than overact appropriately, which they all do.
The Spy Who Shagged Me is packed with bad puns and sophomoric humour. Its portrayal of women is none too progressive. It depends on fat jokes, fart jokes, breast jokes and phallic humour as much as any recent film. It's also just too much campy fun and too well put together to dislike.
