[Screen It]

 

"AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY"
(1997) (Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley) (PG-13)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Moderate Minor Mild None Moderate
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Mild None None Mild Mild
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Moderate Mild Minor Minor *Heavy


QUICK TAKE:
Comedy: A spoof of the James Bond films of the 1960's. A hip British agent is thawed out of frozen storage to stop his former nemesis who plans to blackmail the world.
PLOT:
Austin Powers (MIKE MYERS) is a mod, 1960's British secret agent and self-proclaimed ladies man. Along with fellow agent Mrs. Kensington (MIMI ROGERS), he battles Dr. Evil (also MIKE MYERS), a man intent on world denomination. When Evil escapes and puts himself into orbit in his own cryogenic facility, Powers is also put on ice. Decades later, Dr. Evil thaws out, steals a nuclear missile, and plans to blackmail the United Nations with the help of Number Two (ROBERT WAGNER). Powers is then thawed out and teamed up with Kensington's daughter, Vanessa (ELIZABETH HURLEY) who's assigned to "re-climatize" Powers to the 1990's. As Powers and Vanessa attempt to stop Dr. Evil, they must contend with his many assassins, a femme fatale, Alotta Fagina (FABIANA UDENIO), and an array of robotic female vixens.
WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Teens probably will, especially if they're fans of Mike Meyers ("Wayne's World, and TV's "Saturday Night Live").
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For nudity, sex-related dialogue and humor.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • MIKE MYERS plays both Austin Powers and Dr. Evil. Both are caricatures with Powers being the good guy and Evil, the bad. Powers is still stuck in his 1960's swingers mentality, calls women "baby" and "chicks," and has a tremendous sexual libido. Evil simply wants Powers dead so that he can blackmail the United Nations.
  • ELIZABETH HURLEY plays an agent assigned to help Powers, but she isn't developed enough to be considered a good role model (the worst she does is fire guns at Evil and his men).
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    OUR TAKE: 8 out of 10
    Movies that spoof other movies or styles and eras are a risky venture. Usually funny at the start but weakening as they proceed, the films almost always succumb to their plots that vary from the material that's being spoofed. That's not the case with "Austin Powers" whose plot is tied directly to the material it's poking fun at. While the James Bond series has been a target before ("Casino Royale," "Spy Hard," etc...), it's never been this clever or done this well. For not only does it spoof Bond, but it also takes on the mod look and feel of the 1960's. At times, of course, it successfully uses bodily functions as humor, but the fact that it expertly captures and exploits the look and feel of the 60's makes this film stand out from the rest. Using several Bond films as the basis of the plot, the film, and Myer's split performances, are extremely funny. Meyers has always been guilty of self-mugging, and this title character provides him with more than enough opportunities to ham it up. The scenes where his or others' nudity is hidden by objects in the foreground of the shot ring of the old Benny Hill show and while considerably sophomoric, are also very funny as are the quick 60's looking "Laugh In" dance numbers that occasionally pop up. Inside jokes abound, such as a character's name, Alotta Fagina (say it aloud to hear what it sounds like), that is a tongue-in-cheek take on an actual Bond character, "Pussy Galore." Sure, the movie's stupid and pointless, but that's half the fun of it. Never taking itself seriously, the film is filled with more than enough hilarious material to make Mike Meyers fans, and others, happy he's returned to the big screen after a four-year absence. We fall into that group and give this very funny film an 8 out of 10.
    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    Parents should note that much of the material listed in this review shouldn't be taken at face value since this film is spoofing other films and times. Still, there are some sexually related discussions. Several other scenes involve Myers or Hurley being nude in the background of a scene, while something in the foreground covers their private parts in such a way to also create other sexual connotations. Profanity isn't too bad with 3 "s" words being the worst. Violence includes several people being killed in a non-graphic, cartoonish way, and some judo fighting between the good and bad guys. In addition, There are several bodily function scenes used for humor:
  • After Austin is thawed out, he goes through "stage five -- evacuation." During this time he pees for quite some time (we only hear the sound), and then pauses and continues many times, each time making us think he's finished.
  • An assassin tries to strangle Austin while in a bathroom stall, but Austin finally gains control and dunks the man's head in the toilet. During this time, a man in the next stall thinks in scatological terms, hearing Austin's grunts and groans. He hears Austin say, "Who does Number Two work for?" and replies, "Show that turd who's boss."
  • In a hot tub, Austin relaxes and bubbles float up from underneath him.
  • Looking up at the night sky, Vanessa says, "Isn't that the big dipper?" and he says, "It looks just like Uranus."
    Since some children will want to see this film based on its goofy quality, you should examine the content to determine if this film will be okay for them to see.

  • ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Austin says (about the 1990's), "As long as people (have sex) while at the same time experiment with mind-expanding drugs, I'll be sound as a pound."
  • Austin and Vanessa have cocktails in a jet.
  • People drink in a casino and Fagina has a martini.
  • Austin and Vanessa have champagne with dinner. Later, they're seen drinking more and Vanessa appears to be slightly drunk. She wants Austin to kiss her, but he refuses saying it wouldn't be right since she's drunk.
  • Austin and Fagina drink saki.
  • People drink in a casino bar.
  • Evil and others have wine with dinner.
  • Austin and Vanessa drink champagne.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • Austin lowers a guard's head into a pool of "mutant sea bass." When he pulls the man back up, his head is missing and all that's left is a (rather fake looking) stump.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • Evil and his followers have both, though it's all done in a comic, flippant way.
  • Austin calls Vanessa "baby" and "hot chick" (terms he used in the 60's), but she calls him on that and makes him stop.
  • Austin says about his boss' mother, "If this is a woman, she looks like she was beaten with an ugly stick."
  • Austin tells a man, "You fight like a woman."
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • None.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Handguns: Carried by Austin, Mrs. Kensington and Vanessa and used to fire at Evil and his men. Several people are hit by the shots and appear to be killed, but it's uncertain if that's the case.
  • Knife: Used by an assassin to threaten Austin.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "Idiot," "Bastard," "Shut up," "Blow me," "Turd," and "Shut your cake hole."
  • Some children may imitate Power's speech patterns (British accent and long, drawn out words) or his wacky moves.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • None.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • A song by the group the Divinyls includes the lines: "I get down on my knees and do anything for you" and "When I think about you, I touch myself" the latter of which is repeated in the chorus.
  • The final credits have a song that includes the line, "Make love to me."
  • PROFANITY
  • 6 uses of "Freakin'" (in place of the "f' word), 3 "s" words, 2 hells, 1 "ass" word, 1 damn, and 5 uses of "Good God," 3 uses of "My God," and 1 use each of "Oh my God" and "Jesus Christ" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • (Some of the scenes listed below aren't intended to be taken at face value as this is a spoof).
  • Both Vanessa and especially Fagina (whose name "Alotta Fagina" is a verbal take on "a lot of vagina") show cleavage in several scenes.
  • After he's been thawed out, Austin is nude and the side of his bare butt is seen as he walks with his hands covering his private parts.
  • Austin says (about the 1990's), "As long as people have promiscuous sex with many partners without any protection...I'll be sound as a pound."
  • Austin is given back his belongings after being thawed out and part of that includes a "Swedish made penis enlarger (a pump-like device) and a book, "Swedish Made Penis Enlargers and Me."
  • Austin says, "If you see the jet a rocking, don't come knocking."
  • Austin reads from a form that's asking his sex (as in male or female) and he says, "Sex? Yes, please."
  • Austin tells Vanessa, "Why don't we go in the back and shag (have sex). I've been frozen for thirty years — I've got to see if the pieces (that he calls "wedding tackle) are still working. He then invites her over on to his bed and says, "I won't bite...hard."
  • Later he asks her, "Do I make you horny?" and "Shall we shag now or shag later?" She responds that she'll never have sex with him.
  • Austin stands nude, but due to what Vanessa does in the foreground, the composite shot of the two of them has sexual connotations focusing on his crotch. Hear fingers dangle in the foreground, one of which resembles a penis when seen with Austin in the background of the shot. She then holds a magnifying glass that, held from a distance, inverts his image superimposed over his crotch. He then walks toward her, carrying a bottle of champagne in front of his crotch. The scene ends as Vanessa bites into a sausage in the foreground which, when combined with Austin standing sideways, makes it look like she's performing oral sex.
  • When Vanessa asks Austin how he knows the identity of Dr. Evil's cat, Austin says, "I never forget a pussy...cat."
  • Austin and Vanessa are partially seen in a compromising situation with her grunting and saying, "Oh Austin." We then see that they're playing the children's game, "Twister."
  • Fagina tells Austin, "Let's slip into something comfortable." She's then seen in silhouette and her shapely body is seen as she takes off her bra. She then says, "Come on in and I'll show you everything you need to know." She undresses and slips into a hot tub and the tops of her large breasts are clearly seen floating in the water. He gets in with her and she begins to wash his back and says, "In Japan, men come before the women." He replies, "Sometimes not at all." She then climbs on top of him in the hot tub, but the scene ends there.
  • Evil mentions that his father "had a penchant for buggery" and his "mother was a prostitute." He later mentions that his testicles were shaved when he was fourteen.
  • Austin tells Vanessa that he "shagged" (had sex with) Fagina. She asks if he used a condom, but he tells her that only sailors who go from port to port use them.
  • It's said about Fagina, "She's the village bicycle. Everyone's had a ride."
  • When they see Evil's subterranean drill Austin asks Vanessa, "Does that make you horny?"
  • Evil's son, Scott, says there "was a good titty movie on Cinemax."
  • Deadly gas sprays from a nozzle protruding from a fembots' bra. Austin then says, "Oh, is it cold in here?"
  • Austin bumps and grinds his British flag underwear causing the fembots to short circuit and explode.
  • Austin and Vanessa are seen in bed (after they've been married). Later, she walks nude toward the camera, but Austin's (who's also nude) foreground movements cover her private areas (such as in the similar scenes described above). Pieces of fruit cover her breasts, as does a painting of breasts. He then pours milk from two pitchers that cover her breasts, and one of the spouts looks like it would be Austin's penis. Likewise, Vanessa blows up a balloon that also looks like it's coming from his groin.
  • SMOKING
  • An assassin smokes a cigar.
  • Fagina smokes a cigarette in a casino.
  • Austin lights up many cigarettes at once and then tosses them into the fembots mouths.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Dr. Evil and his son don't get along — and even go to therapy — but none of it's played out too long, or very seriously.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • It's mentioned that some of Evil's semen was taken and he fathered a son while frozen for thirty years.
  • The movies and time period that the movie is spoofing.
  • VIOLENCE
  • (All of the scenes listed below aren't intended to be taken at face value as this is a spoof).
  • Dr. Evil kills four of his assassins by tipping their chairs over and sending them to fiery deaths (not seen). He then proclaims, "We must kill Austin Powers!"
  • Austin punches a woman at a nightclub who turns out to be a man in drag who's working for Dr. Evil. The man then pulls out a knife, but Mrs. Kensington hits him several times, disarming him.
  • Another assassin then fires a small spear intended for Austin, but it lands in the other man's back instead.
  • Austin and Mrs. Kensington shoot their guns at Dr. Evil as he escapes in his cryogenic container.
  • Dr. Evil sends another of his assassins backwards in his chair and into the fiery pit. But the man doesn't die and proclaims that he's badly burned. Evil then sends someone down there to take care of the "problem" and we hear a gunshot. The man then yells that he's been shot, and we then hear another gunshot and (after a long pregnant pause) silence.
  • An assassin tries to strangle Austin while in a bathroom stall, but Austin finally gains control and dunks the man's head in the toilet.
  • Several guards draw their guns on Evil's "fembots" (female robots) but are drawn under their spell and lower their weapons. Gun barrels then come out of a fembots' bra and all of the guards are mowed down by machine gun fire.
  • Austin punches his boss' older mother and then pulls on her hair, mistakenly thinking that she's a man in disguise.
  • Austin uses a judo chop to take out a guard and another guard is run over by a large steam roller (not seen, but the squishing sound is heard).
  • One of Evil's men knocks Austin and Vanessa's heads together, knocking them out.
  • Evil wants to kill Austin and Vanessa in a slow, movie-type way, while his son, Scott, wants to get his gun and "blow their brains out."
  • Austin dunks a guard's head in a tank full of "mutated sea bass." When he pulls the guard up, his head is missing with only a bloody (and very fake looking) stump showing.
  • Austin fights with a guard that's he just sprayed with toothpaste.
  • Austin bumps and grinds his British flag underwear causing the fembots to short circuit and explode.
  • Austin and Vanessa shoot their guns and hit many of the bad guys. Explosions blow others off to the side. Austin also fights with several guards and dispatches them with judo chops.
  • Vanessa knocks out Fagina with a judo chop.
  • Evil's underground plant blows up.
  • One of Evil's men throws his shoe that hits Austin on the head. The man then begins to strangle Austin who puts his penis enlarger pump on the man's crotch. Vanessa finally knocks out the man with bottles of champagne.



  • Reviewed April 28, 1997

    Other new and recent reviews include:

    [Around the World in 80 Days] [Family Camp] [Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]

    Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
    By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

    All Rights Reserved,
    ©1996-2022 Screen It, Inc.