Austin Powers:
International Man of Mystery

A send-up of '60s spy movies, Austin Powers is a mix of dead-on parody, original absurdity, and a bit of trite bathroom humor that all fit together thanks to Mike Myers. As with Wayne's World, Myers embraces silly (some would say stupid) material with both a giddy enthusiasm and a sarcastic wink. Myers has also written himself two wacky roles to play. First is the title character, a British spy during the '60s who's ridiculously repulsive and tacky yet irresistible to women. As one character describes Powers, he comes from a time when leading men could have bad teeth. Second is Powers's arch-nemesis Dr. Evil, a combination of a cartoon bad guy and a CEO. Both characters, frozen in 1967, have defrosted in 1997 to do battle again. Much of the laughs come from the idea of these strictly '60s characters coping in the '90s. Powers, for one, can't help calling every woman "baby" and asking right off the bat whether she wants to "shag." Dr. Evil, meanwhile, threatens to destroy the world unless the UN can come up with his demand of a mere $1 million.

Not everything works, but Myers's charming goofiness lets him push even the most cliché'd jokes so far that they become funny. And, as in any '60s spy flick, there's the requisite skimpily dressed, knockout sidekick, here played by Elizabeth Hurley. Divine Brown refused the role. Opens Friday at the Harbour Mall, Holiday, Showcase, Tri-Boro, and Westerly cinemas.

-- Mark Bazer