Rating of
4/4
This sort of thing IS my bag, baby!
Beyond Chaos - wrote on 06/12/10
The first Austin Powers flick is still funny today, despite several catchphrases ("Do I make you horny, baby?", "Oh, behave!", etc.) having long since worn out their welcome and an unimaginative second sequel (Goldmember). There are two primary reasons why this movie is comic gold:
1. It's the best James Bond spoof you'll ever see. (You can take my word for it: I'm a HUGE 007 fan.)
2. The dialogue crackles with wit and is delivered flawlessly by the cast.
For reference, check out the scene where Dr. Evil struggles to come up with a contemporary scheme that *hasn't* already happened: "Oh, hell. Let's just do what we always do: hijack some nuclear weapons and hold the world hostage."
Or how about when Austin tries to live dangerously by staying at five while playing Blackjack with Number Two. "I SUGGEST you hit, sir!"
Yes, the movie plays to the adolescent crowd sometimes by throwing in a bunch of sex-related jokes, but at least they're clever and often howlingly funny (especially the Swiss-made penis enlarger bit). To the film's credit, there are no gags that go on for too long and the script is very economical.
Very few comedies have a killer-to-filler ratio as high as the first Austin Powers.
