DOWN IN FRONT: Austin Powers in Goldmember

DAN’S GRADE: A A: MUST SEE B: WORTH WATCHING C: RENT IT D: POOR F: WICKED BAD

Before you put too much stock in what I’m about to say about “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” you should know that I liked the other two Austin Powers movies so much that I went out and bought copies.

I did not approach this film with any sense of journalistic objectivity. I am an Austin Powers fanatic, and I have been looking forward to this movie all summer.

Mike Myers returns as Austin Powers, a groovy, womanizing, 60’s era English spy with bad teeth. Myers also reprises his role as Powers’ nemesis, Dr. Evil and Evil’s scale-tipping cohort Fat Bastard. And, apparently feeling that he was not playing enough roles in the movie already, Myers cast himself as Goldmember, a creepy Dutch villain with a variety of personal hygiene issues.

In this installment, Dr. Evil has hatched a plan to use a “tractor beam” called “Preparation H” to pull a large asteroid toward the Earth with the help of Goldmember who is hiding, conveniently, in the 1970s. Powers must time travel to the 70s and back again to foil Evil’s plan, while relying on the help of 70s disco queen Foxy Cleopatra, played by Beyoncé Knowles.

Of course the plot is merely an excuse for a lot of immature humor, much of which involves bodily functions. It also does a good job spoofing the already ridiculous James Bond films. The film includes a lot of new jokes and puts a new twist on some of the best bits from the first two films.

As always, Dr. Evil comes across as a somewhat sympathetic villain, especially when it comes to his strained relationship with his son (Seth Green) and Evil’s tiny clone, Mini Me. Michael Caine joins the cast as Austin’s father.

I would have loved this movie regardless, but I loved it that much more because it offered some much needed comic relief from summer downers like “Road to Perdition” and “K-19: The Widow Maker.”

Beware people of good taste who desire in a movie some profound statement on the human experience. You will not find it here. Beware also people who are easily offended or lacking in a sense of humor. If you do not consider “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” a classic, or if you cannot stand old Peter Sellers movies, you will probably not like this movie.

Finally, beware parents. You should not worry that sending your thirteen-year-old to this PG-13 comedy will cause permanent damage, but you may find the child driving you nuts for weeks on end repeating Austin Powers lines.

My wife already regrets sending me to this film.

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