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.
The series is a satire of numerous films and characters, particularly the James Bond series and Jason King, and incorporates many other elements of popular culture as it follows a British spy's quest to bring down his nemesis. The character of Powers represents an archetype of 1960s Swinging London, with his advocacy of free love, his use of obscure impressions, and his clothing style. The films also poke fun at the outrageous plots, rampant sexual innuendo, and one-dimensional stock characters associated with 1960s spy films.
DEVELOPMENT
Myers himself has stated in interviews that the idea for Austin Powers came to him one night while driving home from ice hockey practice. Hearing the song "The Look of Love" by Burt Bacharach on his car radio, he wondered "Where have all the swingers gone?" and conceived the character who would become Austin Powers.
In an interview in November 2018 with Access Hollywood, Myers stated, "After my dad died in 1991, I was taking stock of his influence on me as a person and his influence on me with comedy in general. So Austin Powers was a tribute to my father, who [introduced me to] James Bond, Peter Sellers, The Beatles, The Goodies, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore."[2]
The Austin Powers character first appeared in the band Ming Tea, with Myers as Powers, Susanna Hoffs as Jillian Shagwell, and Matthew Sweet as Sid Belvedere. Myers' wife Robin Ruzan said Myers should write a movie based on Powers.
The first phrase he thought the character might say was "Do I make you horny?", which later did indeed become a catchphrase for the character. He has also disclosed that the character also draws on his recollections of former Radio Caroline DJ Simon Dee, who hosted the first real television chat show in the United Kingdom in 1967, which ended with his driving off in a sports car with a young blonde in the passenger seat. An important inspiration for the series is British super spy James Bond. Myers said of Bond, "I can't even tell you how huge it was in our house ... That's really why I wanted to do Austin Powers. Austin Powers is out of pure love for James Bond."
Though Myers is Canadian by birth, his parents are natives of Liverpool, England, and Myers holds dual nationality. Although the films parody the plots and characters of 1960s spy movies and the Swinging London fashion scene of the era, the humour is influenced by Myers's British heritage, particularly the Carry On films and the comedic works of Benny Hill and Peter Sellers, the latter of whom Myers is a self confessed fan (his favorite films being the Bond spoof Casino Royale and The Party).
Austin Powers is everything I watched (on TV in the late sixties). My parents were from Liverpool, and there's no one more English than an Englishman who no longer lives there. Every molecule of British culture that came across the Atlantic was tasted and worshipped.
— Mike Myer
Powers' bad teeth were created by Los Angeles dental technician Gary Archer. Myers came to Archer and told him, "I want bad British 1960s teeth", based on a widely held stereotype. Archer took pictures of expat patrons at an English pub that he frequented in the San Fernando Valley, made sketches, and showed Myers the design. Myers told him that he had "nailed it".
Influences from Sellers' films are apparent throughout the series; the character of Austin Powers reflects the inspiration of Sellers' portrayal of the character Robert Danvers in the 1970 film There's a Girl in My Soup. Myers states Powers' dandyish appearance was also inspired by that of Jason King – the adventurous character (played by Peter Wyngarde) from the ITV Spy fi series Department who was featured in the eponymous spin off series. Myers was also influenced by the comedy troupe Monty Python, with film critic Robbie Collin writing "the Austin Powers series chugs along on Pythonisms."
Other obviously apparent influences are the BBC's Adam Adamant Lives! television series, whose protagonist was a Victorian era spy, who was frozen in 1902, and then revived in the year 1966; The 1965 James Bond parody Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, in which a mad scientist builds a small army of attractive female robots; the Matt Helm series of films starring Dean Martin; the Derek Flint movies starring James Coburn; The Beatles films, The Monkees television series, and the "cocktail party" skits from Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Powers was also influenced by the secret agent Harry Palmer (played by Michael Caine in three films, beginning with the 1965 film The Ipcress File), especially Caine's thick horn-rimmed glasses. Caine himself starred in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), with his portrayal of Nigel Powers, father of Austin Powers, spoofing Harry Palmer.
INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (or simply Austin Powers) is a 1997 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the first installment 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.
The film, which cost $16.5 million to produce, was released on May 2, 1997. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $67 million worldwide. It is now regarded as one of the best comedy films of all time, ranking 42nd on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies of All Time" list.
THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME
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. 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 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).
GOLDMEMBER
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.
Goldmember opens with a self-parody of the Austin Powers film series called Austinpussy, where Austin Powers is featured in a bio-pic parody of the James Bond film Octopussy. The self-parody is directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Tom Cruise as Austin Powers, Gwyneth Paltrow as Dixie Normous, Kevin Spacey as Dr. Evil, Danny DeVito as Mini-Me, and John Travolta as Goldmember.
The film was distributed by New Line Cinema and released in the United States on July 26, 2002. Goldmember finished its box office run with an international haul of $296.9 million and received positive critical reception. It was the seventh-highest-grossing film of the year domestically in the United States.