MarketAustin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Company Profile

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a 1997 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach and written by Mike Myers. It is the first installment in the Austin Powers film series and stars Myers as both the British spy Austin Powers and his nemesis Dr. Evil, alongside Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Seth Green and Mindy Sterling. The film is a parody of James Bond films and 1960s popular culture.

Plot
In 1967, Austin Powers is a flamboyant British spy, renowned for his charm, style, and embodiment of the era's free-spirited hedonism. Unable to defeat Austin, his nemesis Dr. Evil cryogenically freezes himself, intending to return when free love has waned, and greed and corruption dominate society once more. Austin volunteers to be frozen as well, so he can confront Dr. Evil when he returns. In 1997, Dr. Evil is revived and discovers that many of the evil schemes he planned, like damaging the ozone layer and fabricating a sexual scandal involving Prince Charles, have already occurred without his involvement. Meanwhile, his lieutenant Number Two has transformed Virtucon, the legitimate front of Dr. Evil's criminal empire, into a multibillion-dollar corporation. Uninterested in business, Dr. Evil threatens to hold the world ransom with nuclear weapons until he is paid $100 billion. He meets his teenage son, Scott, conceived with Dr. Evil's preserved sperm; Scott rejects Dr. Evil's attempts to form a relationship out of anger at his absence. The British Ministry of Defence revives Austin and assigns agent Vanessa Kensington—daughter of his former spy partner Mrs. Kensington—to help him adjust to the 1990s. Unlike her mother, who shared an unspoken love with Austin, the no-nonsense Vanessa is unimpressed by Austin's outdated attitude toward casual sex and relationships. However, she is won over by his charm and the two soon develop a romantic connection. Undercover as a married couple, Austin and Vanessa travel to Las Vegas and encounter Number Two and his secretary, Alotta Fagina. Austin infiltrates Alotta's penthouse and discovers Project Vulcan, Dr. Evil's plan to detonate a nuclear warhead in the Earth's core, which will trigger volcanic eruptions around the world. After learning that Austin had sex with Alotta, Vanessa is upset, and warns him that he will end up alone if he does not adapt to modern values. As Austin catches up on the historic events he has missed, he contemplates his isolation, his friends who have died or outgrown him, and society's disdain for his archaic behavior. Austin and Vanessa infiltrate Dr. Evil's lair at Virtucon headquarters, but are captured by his henchman, Random Task. Despite the United Nations agreeing to pay Dr. Evil, he continues with his plan. Austin and Vanessa escape, then Vanessa summons reinforcements. Austin encounters Dr. Evil's fembots—irresistibly beautiful female androids with machine guns concealed in their breasts—and destroys them by overloading their systems with a striptease. British forces storm the lair as Austin disables Project Vulcan. He confronts Dr. Evil, who mocks Austin's outdated ideals. Austin retorts that the core value of the 1960s was freedom—a principle that remains timeless. Activating the lair's self-destruct mechanism, Dr. Evil escapes in a rocket, and Austin and Vanessa evacuate before the lair explodes. Three months later, Austin and Vanessa are married. During their honeymoon, Random Task attacks, but they subdue him. In a cryogenic chamber aboard his rocket, Dr. Evil vows revenge. ==Cast==
Cast
Mike Myers as Austin Powers and Dr. EvilElizabeth Hurley as Vanessa KensingtonMichael York as Basil ExpositionMimi Rogers as Mrs. KensingtonRobert Wagner as Number Two • Seth Green as Scott Evil • Fabiana Udenio as Alotta FaginaMindy Sterling as Frau FarbissinaJoe Son as Random Task • Paul Dillon as Paddy O'BrienCharles Napier as Commander Gilmour The film also features Will Ferrell as Mustafa, Clint Howard as Johnson Ritter, Elya Baskin as General Borschevsky, and Neil Mullarkey as the quartermaster clerk. Larry Thomas plays a casino dealer and Brian George portrays the United Nations secretary. Carrie Fisher plays a therapist, Mike Hagerty portrays a hotel manager, and Michael McDonald appears as henchman Steve. Cheryl Bartel, Cindy Margolis, Donna W. Scott, Barbara Ann Moore, and Cynthia Lamontagne appear as the fembots. Tom Arnold plays Texan, while Burt Bacharach appears as himself. The United Kingdom release includes additional scenes featuring Lois Chiles as Steve's wife, Christian Slater as a hypnotized guard, Rob Lowe as John's friend (Bill), and Kelly Preston as a Hooters waitress. ==Production==
Production
Inspiration Mike Myers created the character Austin Powers for the faux 1960s rock band Ming Tea that he started with Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs following his Saturday Night Live stint in the early 1990s. Myers said the character and the original film were inspired by British films, music and comedy of the 1960s and 1970s that his father had introduced him to as a child. Myers said that after his father died in 1991, he reflected on the ways his father had influenced him. He explained that Austin was a "tribute" to his father, who had introduced him to James Bond, Peter Sellers, the Beatles, The Goodies, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Myers also said hearing the Burt Bacharach song "The Look of Love" (itself from the Peter Sellers Bond parody film Casino Royale) on the radio led to him reminiscing about the 1960s, which helped inspire the movie. Dana Carvey, Myers' collaborator on Saturday Night Live and on the ''Wayne's World'' movies, felt that the character of Dr. Evil was copied from Carvey's impression of long-time SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels and was unhappy about it. Myers has denied that Michaels was the inspiration for Dr. Evil, but has said "[t]he Lorne of it is just a little tiny overlay." Casting Myers initially did not intend to play multiple characters in the film, and sought Jim Carrey to play Dr. Evil. Carrey was interested in the role, but had to decline due to scheduling conflicts with Liar Liar (1997). Rhea Perlman turned down the role of Frau Farbissina, while Colin Quinn turned down the role of Scott Evil. Both later expressed regret for declining Austin Powers. Myers cast Robert Wagner and Michael York in supporting roles because of their prominence in late-1960s culture. Myers said Wagner is the "coolest guy" he knows, while York is the "classiest guy" he knows. The popularity of the film revived the careers of both actors. Filming Myers estimated that 30–40% of the film was improvised. Filming locations included Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Riviera Hotel & Casino, and Stardust Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. == Reception ==
Reception
Box office Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery opened on May 2, 1997, to $9.5 million in North American theaters, coming in second that weekend to the thriller film Breakdown, a Paramount release which opened with $12.3 million. In its second weekend, Austin Powers fell to $7 million. Andrew Johnston of Time Out New York wrote: "The film's greatest asset is its gentle tone: rejecting the smug cynicism of Naked Gun-style parodies, it never loses the earnest naiveté of the psychedelic era." Malcolm Johnson of the Hartford Courant described Myers as "a gifted comic with a knack for transformation" but criticized Roach for being unable to cut Myers' worst jokes and fully capitalize on his best ones. Austin Powers was ranked No. 42 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies of All Time" list. ==Soundtrack==
Soundtrack
; Track listing • "The Magic Piper (of Love)" by Edwyn Collins • "BBC" by Ming Tea • "Incense and Peppermints" by Strawberry Alarm Clock • "Carnival" by The Cardigans • "Mas Que Nada" by Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 • "Female of the Species" (Fembot Mix) by Space • "You Showed Me" by The Lightning Seeds • "Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones and His Orchestra • "These Days" by Luxury • "Austin's Theme" by The James Taylor Quartet • "I Touch Myself" by Divinyls • "Call Me" by The Mike Flowers Pops • "The Look of Love" by Susanna Hoffs • "What the World Needs Now Is Love" by Burt Bacharach and The Posies • "The Book Lovers" by Broadcast • "Austin Powers" by Wondermints • "The 'Shag-adelic' Austin Powers Score Medley" by George S. Clinton • "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers • "Happy Together" by The Turtles There are two notable omissions: "Secret Agent Man", which is played during the attack on Dr. Evil's compound, and "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", which plays during the Fembot presentation. Another CD featuring George S. Clinton's scores to the film and its sequel was later released in 2000. ==Home media==
Home media
First released on VHS on October 21, 1997. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was released to region 1 double-sided DVD on October 22, 1997, by New Line Home Video, with widescreen and full-screen versions on opposing sides of the disc. It was one of the first movies to be released in the DVD market. International versions are uncut and 94 minutes long (assuming the correct frame rate). ==Legacy==
Legacy
Daniel Craig, who portrayed James Bond on screen from 2006 to 2021, credited the Austin Powers franchise with the relatively serious tone of later Bond films. In a 2014 interview, Craig said, "We had to destroy the myth because Mike Myers fucked us", making it "impossible" to do the gags of earlier Bond films which Austin Powers satirized. ==References==
tickerdossier.comtickerdossier.substack.com