Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
A worthy successor to International Man of Mystery, The Spy Who Shagged Me surpasses the original in most respects. Mini Me breathes new life into the series, and steals the show. I can take or leave Fat Bastard, but Felicity Shagwell serves an important role in the movie.
Narratively, she allows the fish-out-of-water dynamic from the first movie to continue. Now that Powers has acclimated to the Nineties, he’s still out of place; he’s out of place in the Sixties this time, with Shagwell representing how much he has changed from his former self.
The numerous gags in the movie hold up better than the first entry, even after as many viewings. I still laughed uncontrollably at several points. Sure, the “plot” involving Powers’s mojoguffin couldn’t matter less, but of course, the Bond movies have always had similar weaknesses, and I enjoy those, too.
Ultimately, I enjoy this movie less than when I was younger, and for the same reason as with Man of Mystery: I’m burnt out on Austin Powers. Still, there are so many solid laughs in this movie that will never fade with age and repeated viewings. This is the Powers movie I originally fell for, and I will always enjoy returning to it.
Links: IMDb | Blu-ray (3-film collection) | Blu-ray (individual) | DVD
