Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

"I put the grrr in swinger, baby!" a deliciously randy Austin Powers coos near the beginning of The Spy Who Shagged Me, and if the imagination of Austin creator Mike Myers seems to have sagged a bit, his energy surely hasn't. This friendly, go-for-broke sequel to 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery finds our man Austin heading back to the '60s to keep perennial nemesis Dr. Evil (Myers again) from blowing up the world--and, more importantly, to get back his mojo, that man-juice that turns Austin into irresistible catnip for women, especially American spygirl Felicity Shagwell (a pretty but vacant Heather Graham). The plot may be irreverent and illogical, the jokes may be bad (with characters named Ivana Humpalot and Robin Swallows, née Spitz), and the scenes may run on too long, but it's all delivered sunnily and with tongue firmly in cheek.

Myers's true triumph, though, is his turn as the neurotic Dr. Evil, who tends to spout the right cultural reference at exactly the wrong time (referring to his moon base as a "Death Star" with Moon Units Alpha and Zappa--in 1969). Myers teams Dr. Evil with a diminutive clone, Mini-Me (Verne J. Troyer), who soon replaces slacker son Scott Evil (Seth Green) as the apple of the doctor's eye; Myers and Troyer work magic in what could plausibly be one of the year's most affecting (and hysterically funny) love stories. Despite a stellar supporting cast--including a sly Rob Lowe as Robert Wagner's younger self and Mindy Sterling as the forbidding Frau Farbissina--it's basically Myers's show, and he pulls a hat trick by playing a third character, the obese and disgusting Scottish assassin Fat Bastard. Many viewers will reel in disgust at Mr. Bastard's repulsive antics and the scatological bent Myers indulges in, including one showstopper involving coffee and--shudder--a stool sample. Still, Myers's good humor and dead-on cultural references win the day; Austin is one spy who proves he can still shag like a minx. --Mark Englehart Amazon.com

One of the funniest sequels ever made

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me is a great follow up to Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery . In some senses the film is better the original. Meyers is funnier this time around as Doctor Evil with his one-liners and Verne Troyer is great and steals almost all the scenes as Mini-Me as does Seth Green. A great sequel if you've never seene it you're in for a treat. March 25, 2008

The second is just as good as the first, if not better.

I've seen all three movies in the Austin Powers series and The Spy Who Shagged Me is probably my favorite. With over the top jokes and quirky characters, what's not to love?

For those who don't know the general storyline of the Austin Powers series, here's a brief synopsis. Austin Powers, played by Mike Myers, is a man stuck in the 60's. He's really not that good looking (in fact, I think I could even say that he's borderline disgusting) but women love him anyway. The reason? His irresistible mojo. In The Spy Who Shagged Me, Austin's mojo is missing. His goal is to find his mojo as well as attempt to stop his nemesis, Dr. Evil, from blowing up the world.

Let's talk about the positives first. As I said above, the jokes are over the top but completely funny. The jokes are childish but that's what makes them funny. Second, each character is funny in their own way. Dr. Evil and Mini-Me are my absolute favorites. Dr. Evil tries way too hard to be "evil" but comes off as silly. Mini-Me reminds me of a chihuahua-cute but annoying. Lastly, the movie runs rather smoothly and the end of each scene leaves me wondering what the next scene is going to be about.

And now for the negatives. Two things. First, you have to have a certain sense of humor to enjoy the Austin Power movies. Most jokes will have the average person rolling their eyes. Further, although there is a general storyline, a lot of scenes are thrown in just for laughs, not to aid the storyline. Lastly, this movie is not Oscar-worthy by any means so don't expect much from it.

Bottom line-If you're looking for an entertaining movie to pass a couple of hours with some friends, be sure to check out this movie. August 27, 2007

a viable sequel, good fun

i was very disappointed in some of the ridiculous plot twists. and esp that Vanessa was only a fembot, and then Basil says "i knew all along". i'm like what? and then austin is like, oh i cant believe i was going to be a one woman man for a fembot! what great news, i'm single again! is that all he cared about her. holy ****. i didnt like the really really ridiculous plot, creativiity goes low. but yes it was still funny. almost as much as the original. if you liked the original. you should still enjoy this one. August 26, 2007

I know it's a silly movie, but I loved it

Having not been that thrilled with the first Austin Powers movie, I was completely surprised that I giggled all the way through this one.

Maybe it was because the female lead is Austin's equal in the free love game. Maybe just because I have loved Micheal York since I was a young teenager and he was in The Three Musketeers. Maybe because Fat Bastard just cracked me up. Ditto for Mini-Me. Or that I finally 'got' Dr. Evil.

Whatever it was, I loved this silly story. You have to be in the right mood for it to hit you the right way, I think, but if you're in that mood, this is a funny movie. July 5, 2007

A bit too much at times

This is what happens when you get a film that does modest business, but becomes a huge cult sensation once it hits the home audience. You make everything bigger and better and hope the audience eats it up without noticing how empty the film feels at times. Ironically this was also one of the principle flaws of the James Bond series, which Austin Powers chiefly parodies.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me lacks the heart of the first film. That may seem like an odd comment for a comedy film like this, but it was really the character-driven bits in the first one (and the third) that kept the comedy bits together. Here the plot feels kinda random and disorganized. There are defnitely some new concepts and gags (Mini-Me!), but a lot also feel recycled. The gags are also a little much this time around, even for someone used to this kind of bathroom humour. I found the gags in the first and third much more clever and entertaining.

So we get a 3 star film, which has flaws but is generally a nice reunion of old characters. The dvd however, presents a lot of great extras that boost the final rating to 4. Lots of hilarious deleted scenes, a great commentary track, music videos, and other fun extras. A lot of care was put into this set and it shows.

The weak link of the Austin Powers trilogy, but worth owning for fans, and worth a rental for those who haven't experienced Austin Powers yet. July 25, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...