|
Goldmember opens with a sleek, Bond-esque sequence
complete with Powers skydiving to his automated motorcycle
while being chased by a helicopter. The intro seems a little
too serious considering Powers’ past films both opened with
group dancing bits—but then you just have to wait. Once Powers
makes it safely to the ground after blowing up the helicopter,
he takes off his helmet and it’s Tom Cruise as Austin
Powers in a film within a film. The film’s other stars are
Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, and Danny DeVito
in perfectly cast cameos.
Austin Powers must save his father, Nigel Powers ( Caine)
who has been kidnapped by Dr. Evil. He has enlisted Goldmember,
a Dutchman (no one ever makes jokes about the Dutch, so
Mike Myers has to do it) with a disgusting skin problem
and a very large member, to help him take over the world.
There is a strong father element in Goldmember that
spools to parallel plot lines. Scott Evil (Green) finally
gets in his father’s good graces and takes Mini-Me’s place.
Austin copes with the childhood absence of his father, and
there’s even a new twist, which I can’t spoil.
This third (and, one hopes, final) Austin Powers installment
recycled many of the same jokes that didn’t smell too bad
the third time around. Like the other two Powers flicks, acuity
is not necessary and most of the times not preferred.
Beyonce Knowles does a fair job of playing Powers’
shagadelic sidekick, Foxxy Cleopatra, sporting a stereotypical
street-wise attitude that for the most part, doesn’t distract
too much. Heather Graham (Felicity Shagwell in the
second coming of Powers) grated on the nerves, with her ditsy
demeanor and corny candor. Unfortunately, neither of these
femmes can live up to Powers’ original love interest, Vanessa
Kensington, who was hip and intelligent, with a subtle sexiness
(and I’m not a big Elizabeth Hurley fan).
Fred Savage returns to the big screen as the “Mole”
whose face has the mark to prove it. Unfortunately, the joke
is delivered too many times and becomes repeatedly more tired,
but it’s good to see Savage back in the business.
The eagerly anticipated Goldmember lives up to most
of its buzz and doesn’t drop too many jokes. Go have a few
beers and check this flick out, and it should produce a hearty
share of laughter.
— Jennifer Prestigiacomo
|
While we would never encourage anyone to destroy a video... 
