AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME was the 4th highest-grossing movie of 1999, which says “Uh, what, exactly?” about the groupthink that year. The logical-illogical carry-on to 1997’s Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery sees Mike Myers, doubling up again as cheerfully randy Austin and his diabolical nemesis ‘Dr. Evil’. He adds a third Myers morph, another baddie, a gross Scottish eating machine (hide yer baby!) known as ‘Fat Bastard’. Once again Jay Roach directed. The ebullient star shared script duty with Michael McCullers. *

“You know what’s remarkable? Is how much England looks in no way like Southern California.”

The “What’s-It-All-About” part this go-go has Dr. Evil and an array of nefarious agents time traveling back to 1969 (would that we could) in order to steal Austin’s mojo, rendering him impotent and thus less likely to wreck Evil’s plan to blackmail Earth with a Moon-based laser beam. Austin also heads back down to ’69 (FGS, get your mind out of the gutter) and the fight is on for humanity and posh mod togs.

Myers & friends brought along ten of the cast members from the previous frug, and doubled the budget to $33,000,000. Fresh recruits are headed by Heather Graham as Bondgirlish ‘Felicity Shagwell, Verne Troyer as the cloned ‘Mini-Me’, a nasty new sidekick/pet for Dr. Evil, and Rob Lowe, playing ‘young ‘Number Two’, a 1969 version of the older character (from the first flick) done by Robert Wagner. Grosses zoomed to $206,000,000 in the US and Canada and a further $107,000,000 poured in around the sphere. Thus, a sequel was spawned: Austin Powers in Goldmember made the scene in 2002.

It shags, yes, but where, when and how well is a mixed blessing; sort of like getting involved with a hot neurotic (look, since it’s a Bad Taste Movie, just excuse me on that one). There are plenty of clever bits and several laugh-out-loud segments, stuff so raunchy you almost feel guilty for guffawing like a 13-year-old. In between are a surprising number of jokes that fall completely flat, including gags that aren’t just repeated but beat to death with a mallet. The running time is just 95 minutes: if they trimmed the lead weight it could’ve been done in eighty. The send-ups of the crazy old days are visually fun, and the soundtrack pops with era appropriate hits, topped at the finish by Lenny Kravitz unloading a groovy version of “American Woman”. The Oscars nominated the Makeup, presumably due to the creation of Fat Bastard. We do have to say that Rob Lowe makes a better Robert Wagner than Robert Wagner.

A major plus is Heather Graham, 30, fresh off having survived Lost In Space (lost and wasted); a total knockout and obvious good sport, she’s bright, beaming and fully relaxed over being blessed with more than the average supply of Instant Carnal.

Jam-packing the cast: Michael York, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, Mindy Sterling, Elisabeth Hurley, Gia Carrides, Clint Howard, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael McDonald, Woody Harrelson, Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach, Will Farrell, Kristen Johnston (as ‘Ivana Humpalot’), Charles Napier, Jerry Springer, Willie Nelson, Tim Robbins, Rebecca Romijin-Stamos.

* There was a copius amount of Sillypants in 1999—Big Daddy, Stuart Little, American Pie, Galaxy Quest, Bowfinger (with Graham), Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Lake Placid, Mystery Men…but it was, after all, the year of the dreaded ‘Jar Jar Binks‘. Yet, we survived. “Yeah, baby!”