July 05, 2024
'Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'
The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Sean Fennessey travel back to the '60s to reclaim their mojo and rewatch 'Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me' starring Mike Myers, Mike Myers, and Mike Myers.
Cast
Mike Myers as Austin Powers / Doctor Evil / Fat Bastard
Heather Graham as Felicity Shagwell
Seth Green as Scott Evil
Verne Troyer as Mini-Me
Rob Lowe as Young Number Two
Robert Wagner as Number Two
Michael York as Basil Exposition
Mindy Sterling as Frau Farbissina
Kristen Johnston as Ivana Humpalot
Tim Robbins as The President
Directed by: Jay Roach
Written by: Mike Myers
Notes
- Recorded in 2019 as part of a 'Rewatchables 1999' Luminary mini-series, re-posted to the main feed in 2024.
- Chris Ryan was invited but declined, saying 'I'm not a Powers guy.'
- $55 million opening weekend – more than the entire first film's total gross.
- Mike Myers wrote the script in three weeks, inspired by hearing Burt Bacharach's 'The Look of Love' on the radio.
- Demi Moore was executive producer on all three Austin Powers films.
- Dana Carvey believes he created Doctor Evil (via his Lorne Michaels impression) and that Myers lifted it from him, causing a ~15-year rift.
- Myers was originally going to make a Sprockets movie (based on his SNL character) but it fell through, leading to Austin Powers instead.
- Fat Bastard makeup took 2.5 hours daily (not 7 as commonly reported).
- Heather Graham filmed scenes for the third movie (Gold Member) but was cut from the original ~3.5-hour cut.
- The first Austin Powers became a cult hit through DVD and cable rewatchability, driving demand for the sequel.
Categories
Most re-watchable scene
- Bill's pick: the Jerry Springer scene with Scott Evil and Doctor Evil, with the KKK guy and the brawl.
- Sean's pick: the supercut of people making dick jokes about the spaceship (Woody Harrelson and Willie Nelson cameos). Test audiences loved it so much they reshot more.
- Other contenders: Mini-Me's first scene, the Alan Parsons Project scene, Doctor Evil asking the President for $100 billion, the tent/bag scene.
The most 1999 thing about this movie
- Winner: America Online (not even called AOL yet; prominently featured in the movie).
- Other candidates: Fat Bastard singing the Chili's 'baby back ribs' jingle, Rebecca Romijn cameo (peak Romijn), the Jerry Springer scenes, 'Jerry Maguire' jokes.
What aged the best?
- Bill's pick: Mini-Me and Scott Evil's feud.
- Sean's pick: the movie's sketch-based structure – just doing 13 sketches connected together without trying to be a coherent movie.
- The concept of 'mojo' (Bill thinks the word entered common usage partly because of this movie).
- Rob Lowe as Young Number Two.
- Doctor Evil as a cross between Donald Pleasence's Bond villain and Dana Carvey's Lorne Michaels impression.
What aged the worst?
- Bill's pick: Felicity sleeping with Fat Bastard.
- Sean's pick: the musical numbers ('Just the Two of Us' rap, 'What If God Was One of Us').
- Kristen Johnston as Ivana Humpalot (bad accent, not funny).
- Fat Bastard being a rip-off of the uncle from 'So I Married an Axe Murderer'.
Casting what-ifs
- Mike Myers originally wanted Jim Carrey to play Doctor Evil (Carrey passed, this was 1997).
- Colin Quinn turned down the role of Scott Evil in 1997.
- Myers did NOT ask Dana Carvey, the originator of the Lorne Michaels impression that Doctor Evil is based on.
Over-acting award
- Bill's pick: Verne Troyer ('He's going for it this whole movie').
- Sean's pick: Rob Lowe.
- Other candidates: Seth Green, Will Ferrell, Frau Farbissina, Elvis Costello.
Best "that guy"
- Bill's pick: Mindy Sterling (Frau Farbissina) – he couldn't name anything else she'd been in.
- Other mentions: Michael York, Kristen Johnston.
Apex Mountain
- Jay Roach: yes – made a huge amount of money, parlayed into 'Meet the Parents', HBO political movies.
- Mike Myers: yes – coming out of this he had the power to do anything, leads directly to Shrek.
- Verne Troyer: 'No question.'
- Heather Graham: 'Leaning toward yes' – most successful movie, peak of the Maxim era, also had Bowfinger same year.
- Lenny Kravitz: possibly – his cover of 'American Woman' was a big thing.
Picking nits
- Vanessa from the first film turns out to be a fembot and blows up, and Austin says 'I'm single' – funny but dismissive.
- How is Number Two still alive? He died in the fire pit in Part 1.
- The mojo plot hole: Austin loses his mojo and can't perform, but at the end the mojo vial breaks and Felicity says 'you had your mojo all along' – doesn't track.
(Probably) unanswerable questions
Did Austin's mojo create the concept of Viagra? Viagra was FDA-approved March 1998, one year before the movie – Bill speculates mojo was a proxy for Viagra.
Who won the movie?
Mike Myers (both agree). Bill personally feels it's Heather Graham; Sean calls her 'a Hall of Famer of her kind.' Rob Lowe as a secondary winner (Austin Powers + West Wing in the same year).