Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | |
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Directed by | Jay Roach |
Written by | |
Based on | Characters by Mike Myers |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Ueli Steiger |
Edited by |
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Music by | George S. Clinton |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $33 million [1] |
Box office | $312 million [2] |
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me is a 1999 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the second installment in the Austin Powers film series, after International Man of Mystery . It stars franchise co-producer and writer Mike Myers as Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, and Fat Bastard. The film also stars Heather Graham, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, Mindy Sterling, Rob Lowe, and Elizabeth Hurley. [3] The film's title is a play on the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). The film centers on Dr. Evil returning again from cryostasis to strike at Powers from the past, using a time machine to remove Powers's charisma ("mojo") and deprive him of whatever qualities made him an effective secret agent so he can no longer interfere with Evil's plans.
The most commercially successful movie in the Austin Powers series, the film grossed around $312 million in worldwide ticket sales, taking more money during its opening weekend than the entire box office proceeds of its predecessor. It was nominated at the 72nd Academy Awards for Best Makeup (Michèle Burke and Mike Smithson). [4] [5] It is followed by Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).
In 1999, time-displaced 1960s British spy Austin Powers enjoys his honeymoon with his wife, Vanessa Kensington. However, Vanessa is soon revealed to be a fembot controlled by Dr. Evil. Vanessa attacks Austin, then self-destructs. Austin grieves briefly before realizing he is single again and can have sex without commitment. A NATO monitoring facility observes Dr. Evil's return from space. Dr. Evil then reunites with his estranged son, Scott, while Scott appears on The Jerry Springer Show . Scott is unhappy to see his father, and a fight involving multiple people on the show occurs.
At Dr. Evil's Space Needle lair in Seattle, he is presented with a dwarf clone of himself, whom he names Mini-Me. Dr. Evil outlines a plan to time travel back to the 1960s and steal Austin's mojo, the source of his sexual appeal. Dr. Evil and Mini-Me travel to 1969, meeting a younger Number 2 and Frau Farbissina. Fat Bastard, another henchman of Dr. Evil, extracts Austin's mojo from his frozen body at the Ministry of Defence (MOD). British intelligence warns Austin that one of Dr. Evil's agents is after him. The agent, Ivana Humpalot, seduces Austin but decides not to kill him. After they have sex, Austin discovers he has lost his mojo and is impotent.
The MOD sends Austin to 1969 using a time-travelling Volkswagen New Beetle. Austin arrives at a party in his London pad. With the assistance of CIA agent Felicity Shagwell, Austin escapes an assassination attempt by Dr. Evil's operatives. Austin and Felicity are pursued by Mustafa, another of Dr. Evil's henchmen, but manage to subdue him. Mustafa reveals the existence of Dr. Evil's volcano lair. Before he can divulge its location, Mini-Me causes him to fall from a cliff.
Examining photographs from the crime scene, Austin discovers Fat Bastard stole his mojo. Fat Bastard presents Austin's mojo to Dr. Evil, who drinks some of it and has sex with Frau Farbissina. Scott arrives through the time portal. Dr. Evil announces he will hold the world ransom by threatening to destroy cities using a laser located on the Moon. Austin and Felicity get to know each other, but when Felicity propositions him for sex, he turns her down because of his lost mojo.
Under MOD instructions to implant a homing device into Fat Bastard, Felicity has sex with him, enabling her to plant the device in his anus. Fat Bastard forces it out of his bowels into a toilet, but a stool sample reveals traces of a vegetable that only grows on one Caribbean island. Austin and Felicity arrive on the island but are apprehended. They escape their cell after Felicity distracts the guard by flashing her breasts at him.
Dr. Evil and Mini-Me leave for the Moon to install the laser, pursued by Austin and Felicity on Apollo 11. At Dr. Evil's Moon base, Austin battles Mini-Me, eventually flushing him into space. He then confronts Dr. Evil, who gives him a choice: save the world or Felicity, who is locked in a chamber with poison gas. Felicity tells Austin to save the world, then dies. Before Austin can kill him, Dr. Evil suggests Austin use the time machine to save both Felicity and the world. Austin travels ten minutes into the past, meeting up with himself and saving the world and Felicity. Dr. Evil initiates the self-destruct mechanism of the Moon base and escapes after throwing Austin's mojo into the air. Both Austins fail to catch it and it is destroyed. Felicity points out that all the things Austin has done show that he never lost his mojo. They escape through the time portal to 1999.
At Austin's pad, Fat Bastard attempts to assassinate Austin, but Felicity disarms him. Felicity and Austin throw a party. In 1969, Dr. Evil recovers Mini-Me from space and vows revenge. On The Jerry Springer Show, Scott learns he is the love child of Dr. Evil and Frau Farbissina. Austin returns to his pad to discover Felicity with the past Austin, who claims that since he and Austin are the same person, he is not cheating.
There were two variations of the posters; one of them asterisked out the middle of the offending word "shag".[ citation needed ] Other posters had named the film as Austin Powers 2. [6] According to the Collins English Dictionary , the use of the word "shag" in the film's title helped to increase the word's acceptability, reducing its shock value and giving it a more jocular, relaxed connotation. [7]
Singapore considered changing the title to The Spy Who Shioked Me (shiok derives from the Malay word, syok, which means, "to feel good"). [6]
The Spy Who Shagged Me was a hit at the box office, landing the top position in its opening weekend grossing $54.9 million from a then-record 3,315 theaters. Its debut total was more than the entire gross of its predecessor (the first sequel to ever achieve this), set a record for a June opening (beating Batman Forever 's 1995 record), and was the biggest opening ever for a comedy. [1] [8] [9] For four years, it would hold the June opening weekend record until 2003 when Hulk surpassed it. [10] The film grossed $206 million domestically and $312 million worldwide. [2]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 53% based on 91 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Provides lots of laughs with Myers at the helm; as funny or funnier than the original." [11] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. [13] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a 2.5 stars out of 4, noting that it has "big laughs" but also that "too many scenes end on a flat note, like those Saturday Night Live sketches that run out of steam before they end." [14]
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me: Music from the Motion Picture | ||||
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Soundtrack album by Various artists | ||||
Released | June 1, 1999 | |||
Recorded | Various | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 52:30 | |||
Label | Maverick | |||
Producer | Various artists | |||
Austin Powers series chronology | ||||
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Singles from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me: Music from the Motion Picture | ||||
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More Music from the Motion Picture Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | ||||
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Soundtrack album by Various artists | ||||
Released | October 26, 1999 | |||
Genre | Rock, pop | |||
Length | 60:00 | |||
Label | Maverick | |||
Producer | Various Artists | |||
Austin Powers series chronology | ||||
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The movie's soundtrack contains the 1999 hit "Beautiful Stranger" by Madonna. The song won a Grammy Award in 2000. Mike Myers appears as Austin Powers in the video, directed by Brett Ratner. Another single "Word Up!" by Mel B, was released on June 28, 1999. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.
Dr. Evil also sings a parody of Will Smith's popular 1997 cover of the Grover Washington Jr. classic "Just the Two of Us", referring in this case to his clone Mini-Me. The film's soundtrack had a rating of three stars at AllMusic. [18]
Another single "American Woman" by Lenny Kravitz, was released as a single and was later included in the 1999 reissue of Kravitz's album 5 . The cover reached the top 20 in Australia, Finland, Italy, New Zealand, and Spain, as well as number 26 in Canada and number 49 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Kravitz's version is slower and softer than the original, without the signature guitar solo; he later said to Randy Bachman that the reason why he skipped the lead guitar part was "I couldn't get the sound. I couldn't get the tone." [19] The music video (directed by Paul Hunter) featured actress Heather Graham (who starred in The Spy Who Shagged Me); the original political themes of the song were largely replaced by sex appeal. In 1999, Kravitz and his band were joined by The Guess Who for a live performance of "American Woman" at the MuchMusic Video Awards. It was also used as the theme song of the Madusa monster truck in monster jam events.
The soundtrack sold over one million copies in the United States and was certified Platinum. A second soundtrack was also released, entitled More Music From the Motion Picture.
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [20] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [21] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [22] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [23] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [24] | Platinum | 1,500,000 [25] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
In addition, a score album featuring cues from both George S. Clinton scores (tracks 1–7 from the first film, track 8 an arrangement of Quincy Jones's "Soul Bossa Nova," and tracks 9–16 from the second) was released.
Weekly charts
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Sir Austin Danger Powers is a fictional character from the Austin Powers series of films, and is created and portrayed by Mike Myers. He is the protagonist of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).
Michael John Myers is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2017, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for "his extensive and acclaimed body of comedic work as an actor, writer, and producer."
Austin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the third and final installment in the Austin Powers film series and stars Mike Myers in four different roles: Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Goldmember, and Fat Bastard. Myers and Michael McCullers co-wrote the screenplay, which also features Beyoncé Knowles in her theatrical film debut, as well as Seth Green, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Mindy Sterling, Verne Troyer, and Michael Caine.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a 1997 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the first instalment 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. 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, 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.
Verne Jay Troyer was an American actor, best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers film series. He had cartilage–hair hypoplasia and was 2 ft 8 in (81 cm) tall.
Mini-Me is a fictional character from the Austin Powers film franchise, portrayed by Verne Troyer. He debuts in the second film in the trilogy, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and appears again in the third film, Austin Powers in Goldmember.
Chili's Grill & Bar is an American casual dining restaurant chain founded by Larry Lavine in Texas in 1975 and is currently owned and operated by Brinker International.
Frau Greta Farbissina is a fictional character played by Mindy Sterling in the Austin Powers film series. Farbissina is a German attack and defense specialist and the founder of "the militant wing of the Salvation Army". She is also Dr. Evil's henchwoman and tries to help in his schemes to terrorize and take over the world. She has a heavy German accent and is well known for a running gag in which she shouts her orders needlessly loud and screeching, often startling Dr. Evil. For her performances, Sterling was nominated for Favorite Supporting Actress in a Comedy at the BMI Film & TV Awards.
"Beautiful Stranger" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on May 19, 1999, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records as a single from the soundtrack of the film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the song with William Orbit. The soundtrack for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was a much expected release and Madonna's song was chosen by the album's executive producers to promote it. "Beautiful Stranger" has appeared on three separate Madonna greatest hits collections: GHV2 (2001), Celebration (2009) and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022). Musically, "Beautiful Stranger" is a psychedelic pop and disco song that features heavily reverberated guitars and bouncy drum loops. Its lyrics tell the tale of a romantic infatuation.
"Number One Spot" is the second single from rapper Ludacris' 2004 album The Red Light District. The song heavily samples "Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones, which was used as the theme tune of the Mike Myers James Bond parody film series Austin Powers; the films' references play a major part in "Number One Spot" and its video.
5 is the fifth full-length studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on May 12, 1998, by Virgin Records. The album produced six singles released over the course of 1998 and 1999.
Ming Tea is a faux retro-mod band consisting of Mike Myers, Susanna Hoffs, Matthew Sweet, Stuart Johnson, and Christopher Ward. The band was formed by Myers after he appeared on Saturday Night Live in the 1990s, and appeared in the Austin Powers film series, with the members performing under pseudonyms.
Mindy Lee Sterling is an American television, film and voice actress. She portrayed Frau Farbissina in the Austin Powers film series and starred in the web series Con Man, the latter of which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She has had recurring roles as Miss Francine Briggs on the Nickelodeon series iCarly, Principal Susan Skidmore on the Disney Channel series A.N.T. Farm, and Linda Schwartz on the ABC series The Goldbergs.
Austin Powers is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of International Man of Mystery (1997), The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Goldmember (2002), all of which were directed by Jay Roach, and co-produced and released by New Line Cinema.
Fat Bastard is a fictional character appearing in the second and third films of the Austin Powers series: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers in Goldmember. A morbidly obese henchman hailing from Clydebank, Scotland, Fat Bastard serves Dr. Evil in his quest to destroy Austin Powers. The character is portrayed by Mike Myers.
Suzanne Todd is an American film and television producer, and the owner of the film production company Team Todd.
Douglas “Dougie” Powers, commonly known as Dr. Evil, is a fictional character portrayed by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers film series. He is the main antagonist and Austin Powers' nemesis. He is a parody of James Bond villains, primarily Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Dr. Evil routinely hatches schemes to terrorize and take over the world, and is usually accompanied by "Number Two", his second-in-command who fronts his evil corporation Virtucon Industries, his personal assistant Frau Farbissina, and his sidekick Mini-Me, a dwarf clone of himself.
Austin Powers Operation: Trivia is a 1999 trivia question video game based on the Austin Powers films. It was developed by Berkeley Systems and published by Sierra Attractions for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh. In North America, it was released in May 1999 to coincide with the theatrical debut of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.