| Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery | |
| Director: | Jay Roach |
| Producer: |
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| Starring: |
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| Music: | George S. Clinton |
| Cinematography: | Peter Deming |
| Editing: | Debra Neil-Fisher |
| Production Companies: |
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| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $16.5–18 million[2] |
| Gross: | $67.7 million |
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (or simply Austin Powers[1]) is a 1997 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the first installment in the Austin Powers series. It stars franchise co-producer and writer Mike Myers, playing the roles of Austin Powers and his arch enemy Dr. Evil.[3] [4] Supporting roles are played by Elizabeth Hurley, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, and Michael York. The film is a parody of the James Bond films and other popular culture from the 1960s,[5] centering on a flamboyant, promiscuous secret agent and a criminal mastermind arch-nemesis, who go into and come out of cryostasis at the same time as each other as their conflict spans decades.
The film, which cost $16.5 million to produce, was released on May 2, 1997. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $67 million worldwide. It is now regarded as one of the best comedy films of all time, ranking 42nd on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies of All Time" list. The film spawned two sequels, (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). In the years following Austin Powers in Goldmember, Myers has discussed the possibility of a fourth film, though as of 2025 nothing official has come to fruition.[6] [7]
In 1967, Austin Powers is a flamboyant British spy, renowned for his charm, style, and embodiment of the era's free-spirited, hedonistic ethos. Unable to defeat Austin in this time, his nemesis Dr. Evil cryogenically freezes himself, intending to return when free love has waned, and greed and corruption dominate once more. Austin volunteers for cryostasis to counter Dr. Evil's eventual return.
In 1997, Dr. Evil is revived and discovers that many of his evil schemes, like damaging the ozone layer, have already occurred. Meanwhile, his henchman, Number Two, has transformed Virtucon, the legitimate front of Evil's empire, into a multibillion-dollar corporation. Uninterested in business, Dr. Evil conspires to hold the world ransom with nuclear weapons for $1 million—only to learn this is now an insignificant sum—and increases his demand to $100 billion. He also meets his teenage son, Scott, conceived with his preserved sperm. Scott, angry at his father's absence, rejects Dr. Evil's attempts to bond.
The British Ministry of Defence revives Austin and assigns agent Vanessa Kensington, daughter of his former partner Mrs. Kensington, to help him adjust to the 1990s. Unlike her mother, who shared an unspoken love with Austin, the no-nonsense Vanessa is unimpressed by his outdated attitude toward casual sex and relationships. However, his charm and romantic side eventually win her over.
Undercover as a married couple, Austin and Vanessa travel to Las Vegas to track Number Two and his secretary, Alotta Fagina. Austin infiltrates Alotta's penthouse and discovers Project Vulcan, Dr. Evil's plan to detonate a nuclear warhead at the Earth's core, triggering global volcanic eruptions. Alotta seduces Austin to learn his identity. Realizing Austin is closing in, Dr. Evil deploys fembots—irresistibly beautiful androids with machine guns concealed in their breasts.
When Vanessa learns of Austin's encounter with Alotta, she scolds him for pursuing a relationship with her while being unfaithful, and warns that he will end up alone if he does not adapt to modern values. A reflective Austin contemplates his isolation, caused by the historic events he has missed, his friends who have died or outgrown him, and society's disdain for his archaic behavior.
Austin and Vanessa infiltrate Dr. Evil's lair at Virtucon headquarters but are captured by his henchman, Random Task. Despite the United Nations agreeing to Dr. Evil's demands, he continues with his plan. Austin and Vanessa escape and reconcile. While Vanessa summons reinforcements, Austin encounters the fembots and destroys them by overloading their systems with a striptease.
British forces storm the lair as Austin disables Project Vulcan. He confronts Dr. Evil, who mocks Austin's outdated hippie ideals. Austin retorts that the core value of the 1960s was freedom—a principle that remains timeless. Activating the lair's self-destruct mechanism, Dr. Evil escapes in a rocket. Austin and Vanessa evacuate before the lair explodes.
Three months later, Austin and Vanessa are married. During their honeymoon, Random Task attacks, but the couple subdues him and retires to their balcony. Among the stars, Austin spots the cryogenic chamber containing Dr. Evil, who vows revenge.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery also features Will Ferrell as Mustafa, Clint Howard as Johnson Ritter, Elya Baskin as General Borschevsky, Neil Mullarkey as quartermaster clerk, and Joe Son as Random Task. Other cast includes Larry Thomas as casino dealer and Brian George as UN secretary. Cheryl Bartel, Cindy Margolis . Donna W. Scott, Barbara Ann Moore, and Cynthia Lamontagne appear as the Fembots.
The film has several cameo apperances, including Burt Bacharach as himself, Tom Arnold as Texan, Carrie Fisher as therapist, Mike Hagerty as hotel manager, and Michael McDonald as henchman Steve. The UK release includes additional scenes featuring Lois Chiles as Steve's wife, Christian Slater as hypnotized guard, Rob Lowe as John's friend (Bill), and Kelly Preston as Hooters waitress.
Mike Myers created the character of Austin Powers for the faux 1960s rock band Ming Tea that Myers started with Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs following his Saturday Night Live stint in the early 1990s.[8] [9] Myers said that the movie and the character were inspired by the British films, music and comedy of the 1960s and 70s his father had introduced him to as a child. "After my dad died in 1991, I was taking stock of his influence on me as a person and his influence on me with comedy in general. So Austin Powers was a tribute to my father, who [introduced me to] James Bond, Peter Sellers, the Beatles, The Goodies, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore." Myers also said hearing the Burt Bacharach song "The Look of Love" (itself from the Peter Sellers Bond parody film Casino Royale) on the radio led to him reminiscing about the 1960s, which helped inspire the movie.[10] Dana Carvey, Myers' collaborator on Saturday Night Live and on the Wayne's World movies, felt that the character of Dr. Evil was copied from Carvey's impression of long-time SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels and was unhappy about it.[11] [12]
The film parodies many characters, lines, set pieces, and plot points of the James Bond films. Primarily these elements are drawn from the early 1960s Bond movies, but there are references to later films in the series as well. These allusions include:
Additionally, Mike Myers has stated that Austin's thick chest hair is based on Sean Connery's.
The film also references the film In Like Flint by utilizing the same chime sound effect when Austin is contacted on his car video phone, and the TV series Danger Man (a.k.a. Secret Agent) as its American theme song, "Secret Agent Man" plays during the final battle.
Myers sought Jim Carrey to play Dr. Evil, as his initial plan was not to play multiple characters in the series. Carrey was interested in the part, but had to turn the role down due to scheduling conflicts with Liar Liar.[16]
Since the 1960s had a big influence on his childhood, Myers cast Robert Wagner and Michael York, two household names from the late 1960s, in key supporting roles. The popularity of the film revived both Wagner's and York's careers. Myers has referred to Wagner as "the coolest guy I know" and York as "the classiest guy I know." Rhea Perlman was in talks to play Frau Farbissina, but had scheduling conflicts. She later expressed regret about turning the movie down. Colin Quinn turned down the role of Scott Evil and expressed regret for declining the part.[17]
Myers estimated that 30–40% of the film was improvised.[18] Filming locations included Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Riviera Hotel & Casino, and Stardust Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.[19]
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery opened on May 2, 1997, to $9.5 million in North American theaters,[20] coming in second that weekend to the thriller film Breakdown, a Paramount release which opened with $12.3 million.[21] [22] In its second weekend, Austin Powers fell to $7 million. Its overall take after it left theaters was $53.8 million domestically and $13.8 million overseas for a worldwide total of $67.8 million, four times the amount of its production budget.
The low grosses in the UK have been partly attributed to the death of Princess Diana, which occurred in August 1997 just prior to the film's UK September release date. The film grew a steady following due to strong word of mouth and its release on VHS and DVD.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery received positive reviews. The film has acquired a 73% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 71 reviews, with an average rating on 6.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A light and goofy comedy which provides laughs, largely due to performances and screenwriting by Myers."[23]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars out of four, calling it "a funny movie that only gets funnier the more familiar you are with the James Bond movies, all the Bond clones and countless other 1960s films."[24] Time Out New York critic Andrew Johnston observed: "The film's greatest asset is its gentle tone: rejecting the smug cynicism of Naked Gun-style parodies, it never loses the earnest naiveté of the psychedelic era."[25]
Malcolm Johnson of the Hartford Courant praised Myers' turn in multiple roles, writing: "Myers, flashing his cruddy grin as Austin and doing implacable slow burns as Evil, again proves himself a gifted comic with a knack for transformation. But he needs to find a director who will spin out his best ideas and toss out the worst ones. With [Jay] Roach at the helm, Austin Powers
| Original Soundtrack: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery | |
| Type: | soundtrack |
| Artist: | Various artists |
| Released: | April 15, 1997 |
| Recorded: | 1996–1997 |
| Genre: | Rock, pop, jazz |
| Length: | 78:44 |
| Label: | Hollywood Records |
There are two notable omissions: "Secret Agent Man", which is played during the attack on Dr. Evil's compound, and "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", which plays during the Fembot presentation.
Another CD featuring George S. Clinton's scores to the film and its sequel was later released in 2000.[27]
First released on VHS on October 21, 1997. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was released to region 1 double-sided DVD on October 22, 1997 by New Line Home Video, with widescreen and full-screen versions on opposing sides of the disc. It was one of the first movies to be released in the DVD market. The widescreen transfer is unusual in that it is a modified version of the theatrical ratio: despite being filmed in 2.39:1 aspect ratio via Super 35, on DVD it is presented in a Univisium 2:1 ratio, "as specified by the director", according to the disc packaging. The film was featured in the correct theatrical aspect ratio for the first time when it was released on Blu-ray in the Austin Powers Collection.
All versions of the film released on home video (including VHS) have two alternate endings and a set of deleted scenes, which were then rare to include on VHS. The DVD and Blu-ray versions also feature a commentary. However, all US versions of the film are the 89-minute PG-13 cut, with edits to sexual humor/language.[28] International versions are uncut and 94 minutes long (assuming the correct frame rate).
Daniel Craig, who portrayed James Bond on screen from 2006 to 2021, credited the Austin Powers franchise with the relatively serious tone of later Bond films. In a 2014 interview, Craig said, "We had to destroy the myth because Mike Myers fucked us", making it "impossible" to do the gags of earlier Bond films which Austin Powers satirized.[29]