Originally Posted by nuknuk

The Austin Powers series is a series of action-comedy films written by and starring Mike Myers as the title character, directed by Jay Roach and distributed by New Line Cinema. The franchise parodies numerous James Bond, Derek Flint, Jason King, and Matt Helm films, characters, and video games, incorporate a myriad of other elements of popular culture and follows the British spy's heroic quest to bring the villain Doctor Evil to justice.

The films poke fun at the outrageous plots, rampant sexual innuendo, and one-dimensional stock characters characteristically associated with 1960s spy films, as well as the cliché of the ultra-suave male superspy. Contrary to the handsome, super-smooth leading men of the James Bond genre, Austin Powers is not characterized as being conventionally attractive (he is especially known for his bad teeth), although female characters in the films seem to find him irresistible. The general theme of the films is that the arch-villain Dr. Evil plots to extort large sums of money from governments or international bodies but is constantly thwarted by British super-spy Austin Powers, and (to a degree) his own inexperience with life and culture in the 1990s. In the first film, Austin and Dr. Evil are awakened after being cryogenically frozen for 30 years. Continuing to incorporate cultural elements of the 1960s and 1970s, the second and third films features time travel as a plot device and deliberately overlook inconsistencies.

Contents [hide]
1 Development
2 Cast & characters
3 Cars
4 Reception
4.1 Box office performance
4.2 Critical reaction
5 Media
5.1 Films
5.2 Games
6 References
7 External links


[edit] DevelopmentMyers 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 his character who would become Austin Powers. The first phrase he thought the character might say was "Do I make you horny?" which later did indeed become a catch phrase 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 TV chat show in the UK in 1967 which ended with his driving off in a sports car with a young blonde in the passenger seat.

A Canadian by birth, Myers' parents are native of Liverpool, England, and Myers holds dual nationality. Although the films parody the plots and characters of 1960s spy movies, the humour is influenced by Myers' British heritage particularly the Carry On films, Benny Hill and Peter Sellers of whom Myers is a self-confessed fan (his favourite films being the Bond spoof Casino Royale and The Party). Influences from Sellers' films are apparent throughout the series with the character of Austin Powers being inspired by Seller's portrayal of Roger Danvers in the 1972 film There's a Girl in My Soup. Powers' dandyish appearance is inspired by Jason King - the adventurer from Department S who starred in his eponymous spin-off show. Other influences are The Beatles films, The Monkees television series and the cocktail party scene from Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In.

[edit] Cast & charactersMain article: Characters of Austin Powers
List indicator(s)

A dark grey cell indicates the character did not appear in the film.
Character Film
International Man of Mystery The Spy Who Shagged Me Goldmember
Austin Powers Mike Myers (Tom Cruise: Famous version in Goldmember)
Doctor Evil Mike Myers (Kevin Spacey: Famous version in Goldmember)
Basil Exposition Michael York
Number 2 Robert Wagner Robert Wagner
Rob Lowe (younger version)
Frau Farbissina Mindy Sterling
Scott Evil Seth Green
Vanessa Kensington Elizabeth Hurley
Mini-Me Verne Troyer (Danny DeVito: Famous version in Goldmember)
Fat Bastard Mike Myers
Mrs. Kensington Mimi Rogers
Felicity Shagwell Heather Graham
Foxxy Cleopatra Beyoncé Knowles
Nigel Powers Michael Caine
Goldmember Mike Myers/John Travolta (Famous version)

[edit] CarsThe series featured two cars–number plates "SWINGER" and "SWINGER2" and collectively dubbed the "Shaguars"–that were portrayed by a 1961 Jaguar E Type and a 2001 XK8 convertible respectively. The Ministry of Defence creates two cars to transport Powers through time: a psychedelic-rainbow painted 1999 Volkswagen "New Beetle" convertible in the second film, and a purple 1975 Cadillac Eldorado Fleetwood "pimpmobile" (number plate "SWNGR 3") in the third. Additionally, Felicity Shagwell drives a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray with an American flag paint job in the second film and Nigel Powers has a 2001 Mini Cooper–able to travel underwater–and which bears the number plate "GR8SHAG" in the third.

[edit] ReceptionSee also: List of accolades received by the Austin Powers franchise.
[edit] Box office performanceFilm Release date Box office revenue Box office ranking Budget Reference
United States Foreign Worldwide All time domestic All time worldwide
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery May 2, 1997 $53,883,989 $13,800,000 $67,683,989 #1,002 $16,500,000 [1]
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me June 11, 1999 $206,040,086 $105,976,772 $312,016,858 #90
#145(A) #198 $33,000,000 [2]
Austin Powers in Goldmember July 26, 2002 $213,307,889 $83,347,542 $296,655,431 #84
#175(A) #221 $63,000,000 [3]
Total $473,231,964 $203,124,314 $676,356,278 $112,500,000
List indicator(s)

(A) indicates the adjusted totals based on current ticket prices (by Box Office Mojo).


[edit] Critical reactionFilm Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
Overall Top Critics
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery 68% (56 reviews)[4] 53% (15 reviews)[5] 51% (25 reviews)[6]
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me 52% (86 reviews)[7] 55% (20 reviews)[8] 59% (34 reviews)[9]
Austin Powers in Goldmember 54% (178 reviews)[10] 58% (36 reviews)[11] 62% (34 reviews)[12]

[edit] Media[edit] FilmsThe series consists of 3 films:

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery released on May 2, 1997
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me released on June 11, 1999
Austin Powers in Goldmember released on July 26, 2002
[edit] GamesVideo games
Austin Powers: Oh, Behave! (Game Boy Color)
Austin Powers: Welcome to My Underground Lair! (Game Boy Color)
Austin Powers in Operation Trivia (PC and Macintosh)
Austin Powers Pinball (PlayStation and PC)
Other
Austin Powers Collectible Card Game by Decipher Inc
[edit] References1.^ "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=austinpowers.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
2.^ "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=austinpowers2.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
3.^ "Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=austinpowers3.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
4.^ "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aust...an_of_mystery/. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
5.^ "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. 2009-11-30. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aust...itic=creamcrop.
6.^ "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. 2009-11-30. http://www.metacritic.com/video/titl...20of%20Mystery.
7.^ "Austin Powers: the Spy Who Shagged Me". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aust...ho_shagged_me/. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
8.^ "Austin Powers: the Spy Who Shagged Me (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aust...itic=creamcrop. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
9.^ "Austin Powers: the Spy Who Shagged Me". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. http://www.metacritic.com/video/titl...ustin%20Powers. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
10.^ "Austin Powers in Goldmember". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aust...in_goldmember/. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
11.^ "Austin Powers in Goldmember (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aust...itic=creamcrop. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
12.^ "Austin Powers in Goldmember". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. http://www.metacritic.com/video/titl...20of%20Mystery. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
USA Today discusses parallel with ***** Galore
Slang City(online) discusses parallel with ***** Galore
The spy who came in from the cold, by Barbara Lester
Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery, Chicago Sun Times, By Roger Ebert May 2, 1997
[edit] External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Austin Powers Trilogy

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery at the Internet Movie Database
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me at the Internet Movie Database
Austin Powers in Goldmember at the Internet Movie Database
Austin Powers 4 at the Internet Movie Database
[hide]v · d · eAustin Powers

Mike Myers • Jay Roach

Films International Man of Mystery • The Spy Who Shagged Me • Goldmember • Austin Powers 4

Characters Agents Austin Powers • Vanessa Kensington • Felicity Shagwell • Foxxy Cleopatra • Nigel Powers • Mrs. Kensington

Villains Dr. Evil • Scott Evil • Mini-Me • Frau Farbissina • Fat Bastard • Number 2 • Goldmember • Fembots


Games Welcome to My Underground Lair! • Pinball • Collectible Card Game

Other Ming Tea

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