Director: Jay Roach
Starring: Mike Myers
Genre: Comedy/Action
Studio:   Release date: 1999   Rated: PG-13
Language (Country): ( USA )
Summary: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was one tough act to follow. When it debuted in 1997, nobody knew that it would become the massive pop-cultural phenomenon that it has. With such a successful showing at the box office, and later on home video (Austin Powers held, at one time, the title of #1 best-selling DVD, but by now has probably been unseated by Blade or The Matrix), a sequel was inescapable.

Mike Myers returns as the swinging 'Sixties super-spy in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Like the film before it, Myers also does a turn as Austin's mortal enemy, Dr. Evil. One-upping the previous movie, however, Myers ALSO pulls triple-duty by portraying one of Dr. Evil's nefarious hired guns, Fat Bastard-a bloated Scotsman that lives up to his name. Michael York, Robert Wagner, Seth Green and Elizabeth Hurley all reprise their roles from the first feature, and rounding out the main cast are new additions Heather Graham and Rob Lowe, playing Felicity Shagwell and Young Number Two, respectively. Cameos abound in this sequel-some from the previous film, and some from the ranks of Hollywood's finest.

The plot revolves around a time-travel scheme, concocted by Dr. Evil, to steal Austin's "mojo"-not that the plot really matters. The story is merely a formality. All the audiences really care about is seeing Austin fly in the face of politically-correct 'Nineties values, and seeing more of Dr. Evil's dysfunctional family life. The reason the Austin Powers films have been so closely taken to heart are these two characters, both deftly played by Our Man Myers. Austin represents the free, uninhibited side of all of us; he is a man unafraid of anything, least of all the popular consensus. Austin does what he wants, when he wants, and is never apologetic. Dr. Evil, on the other hand, depicts the drudgery and failure that seem hard to escape-even for a megalomaniac bent on world domination. It puts our own lives in perspective to see a man like Evil, a man who seems to be running the show, get back-talk and disrespect from his son. Austin is our hope and potential; Evil is our reality and our adversity.

One cannot discuss the film in detail without really spoiling the best bits for those that have not seen it. I will therefore say only this: if I have one complaint, it is that Myers and Co. try far too hard in The Spy Who Shagged Me. One of the great joys of the first film was the understated acting that was present throughout. The term "understated" is not the first one would associate with the character of Austin Powers, but it is appropriate. In International Man of Mystery, Myers wasn't just playing Austin-he WAS Austin. He took his role and his responsibilities very seriously, and his enthusiasm for the part and his 110% belief in the character is what drew audiences in. In The Spy Who Shagged Me, Myers seems to be in on the joke; he is no longer Austin, but a middle-aged man in a crushed-velvet suit. Myers is still very funny and near-inspired in some sequences, but Myers' self-realization of the popularity of the Austin character-and his responsibility to his fans-has led him to overdo it a bit. As a result, believability is stretched a bit in this sequel (if, indeed, "believability" can be associated with these films), and we are no longer drawn into Austin's world of light and color as before; we are instead watching a very funny man try far too hard to make us laugh.

Kevin Kaup (DVDTown.com)