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Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

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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.[3] 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 charisma ("mojo") and deprive him of whatever qualities made him an effective secret agent so he can no longer interfere with Evil's plans.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJay Roach
Written by
Based onCharacters
by Mike Myers
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyUeli Steiger
Edited by
Music byGeorge S. Clinton
Production
companies
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Release date
  • June 11, 1999 (1999-06-11)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$33 million[1]
Box office$312 million[2]

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).[4][5] It is followed by Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).

Plot

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In 1999, time-displaced 1960s British spy Austin Powers enjoys his honeymoon with his wife, Vanessa Kensington. However, Vanessa is soon revealed to be a fembot controlled by Dr. Evil. Vanessa attacks Austin, then self-destructs. Austin grieves briefly before realizing he is single again and can have sex without commitment. Meanwhile, a NATO monitoring facility observes Dr. Evil's return from space, where he reunites with his estranged son, Scott, while he appears on The Jerry Springer Show. Scott is frustrated to see his father, and a fight ensues between multiple people on the show.

At Dr. Evil's Space Needle lair in Seattle, he is presented with a dwarf clone of himself, whom he names Mini-Me. Dr. Evil outlines a plan to time travel back to the 1960s and steal Austin's mojo, the source of his sexual appeal. Dr. Evil and Mini-Me travel to 1969, meeting a younger Number 2 and Frau Farbissina. Fat Bastard, another henchman of Dr. Evil, extracts Austin's mojo from his frozen body at the Ministry of Defence (MOD). British intelligence warns Austin that one of Dr. Evil's agents is after him. The agent, Ivana Humpalot, seduces Austin but decides not to kill him. After they have sex, Austin discovers he has lost his mojo and is impotent.

The MOD sends Austin to 1969 using a time-traveling Volkswagen New Beetle. Austin arrives at a party in his London pad. With the assistance of CIA agent Felicity Shagwell, Austin escapes an assassination attempt by Dr. Evil's operatives. Austin and Felicity are pursued by Mustafa, another of Dr. Evil's henchmen, but manage to subdue him. Mustafa reveals the existence of Dr. Evil's volcano lair. Before he can divulge its location, Mini-Me causes him to fall from a cliff.

Examining photographs from the crime scene, Austin discovers Fat Bastard stole his mojo. Fat Bastard presents Austin's mojo to Dr. Evil, who drinks some of it and has sex with Frau Farbissina. Scott arrives through the time portal. Dr. Evil announces he will hold the world ransom by threatening to destroy cities using a laser located on the Moon. Austin and Felicity get to know each other, but when Felicity propositions him for sex, he turns her down because of his lost mojo.

Under MOD instructions to implant a homing device into Fat Bastard, Felicity has sex with him, enabling her to plant the device in his anus. Fat Bastard forces it out of his bowels into a toilet, but a stool sample reveals traces of a vegetable that only grows on one Caribbean island. Austin and Felicity arrive on the island but are apprehended. They escape their cell after Felicity distracts the guard by flashing her breasts at him.

Dr. Evil and Mini-Me leave for the Moon to install the laser, pursued by Austin and Felicity on Apollo 11. At Dr. Evil's Moon base, Austin battles Mini-Me, eventually flushing him into space. He then confronts Dr. Evil, who gives him a choice: save the world or Felicity, who is locked in a chamber with poison gas. Felicity tells Austin to save the world, then dies. Before Austin can kill him, Dr. Evil suggests Austin use the time machine to save both Felicity and the world. Austin travels ten minutes into the past, meeting up with himself and saving the world and Felicity. Dr. Evil initiates the self-destruct mechanism of the Moon base and escapes after throwing Austin's mojo into the air. Both Austins fail to catch it and it is destroyed. Felicity points out that all the things Austin has done show that he never lost his mojo. They escape through the time portal to 1999.

At Austin's pad, Fat Bastard attempts to assassinate Austin, but Felicity disarms him. Felicity and Austin throw a party. In 1969, Dr. Evil recovers Mini-Me from space and vows revenge on Austin. On The Jerry Springer Show, Scott learns he is the love child of Dr. Evil and Frau Farbissina, much to his delight. Austin returns to his pad to discover Felicity with the past Austin, who claims that since he and Austin are the same person, he is not cheating.

Cast

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Title censorship

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There were two variations of the posters; one of them asterisked out the middle of the offending word "shag".[citation needed] Other posters had named the film as Austin Powers 2.[6] According to the Collins English Dictionary, the use of the word "shag" in the film's title helped to increase the word's acceptability, reducing its shock value and giving it a more jocular, relaxed connotation.[7]

Singapore considered changing the title to The Spy Who Shioked Me (shiok derives from the Malay word, syok, which means, "to feel good").[6]

Reception

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Box office

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The Spy Who Shagged Me was a hit at the box office, landing the top position in its opening weekend grossing $54.9 million from a then-record 3,315 theaters. Its debut total was more than the entire gross of its predecessor (the first sequel to ever achieve this), set a record for a June opening (beating Batman Forever's 1995 record), and was the biggest opening ever for a comedy.[1][8][9] For four years, it would hold the June opening weekend record until 2003 when Hulk surpassed it.[10] The film grossed $206 million domestically and $312 million worldwide.[2]

Critical response

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See also: List of accolades received by the Austin Powers franchise

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 53% based on 91 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Provides lots of laughs with Myers at the helm; as funny or funnier than the original."[11] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[13] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a 2.5 stars out of 4, noting that it has "big laughs" but also that "too many scenes end on a flat note, like those Saturday Night Live sketches that run out of steam before they end."[14]

Soundtrack

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Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me: Music from the Motion Picture
 
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
ReleasedJune 1, 1999 (1999-06-01)
RecordedVarious
Genre
Length52:30
LabelMaverick
ProducerVarious artists
Austin Powers series chronology
Original Soundtrack: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
(1997) 		Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me: Music from the Motion Picture
(1999) 		Austin Powers in Goldmember: Music from the Motion Picture
(2002)
Singles from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me: Music from the Motion Picture
  1. "American Woman"
    Released: May 10, 1999[15]
  2. "Beautiful Stranger"
    Released: May 19, 1999[16]
  3. "Word Up!"
    Released: June 28, 1999[17]
More Music from the Motion Picture Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
ReleasedOctober 26, 1999 (1999-10-26)
GenreRock, pop
Length60:00
LabelMaverick
ProducerVarious Artists
Austin Powers series chronology
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
(1997) 		More Music from the Motion Picture Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
(1999) 		Austin Powers in Goldmember
(2002)

The movie's soundtrack contains the 1999 hit "Beautiful Stranger" by Madonna. The song won a Grammy Award in 2000. Mike Myers appears as Austin Powers in the video, directed by Brett Ratner. Another single "Word Up!" by Mel B, was released on June 28, 1999. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.

Dr. Evil also sings a parody of Will Smith's popular 1997 cover of the Grover Washington Jr. classic "Just the Two of Us", referring in this case to his clone Mini-Me. The film's soundtrack had a rating of three stars at AllMusic.[18]

Another single "American Woman" by Lenny Kravitz, was released as a single and was later included in the 1999 reissue of Kravitz's album 5. The cover reached the top 20 in Australia, Finland, Italy, New Zealand, and Spain, as well as number 26 in Canada and number 49 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Kravitz's version is slower and softer than the original, without the signature guitar solo; he later said to Randy Bachman that the reason why he skipped the lead guitar part was "I couldn't get the sound. I couldn't get the tone."[19] The music video (directed by Paul Hunter) featured actress Heather Graham (who starred in The Spy Who Shagged Me); the original political themes of the song were largely replaced by sex appeal. In 1999, Kravitz and his band were joined by The Guess Who for a live performance of "American Woman" at the MuchMusic Video Awards. It was also used as the theme song of the Madusa monster truck in monster jam events.

Track listing

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  1. "Beautiful Stranger" – Madonna
  2. "My Generation" – The Who (live at BBC)
  3. "Draggin' the Line" – R.E.M.
  4. "American Woman" – Lenny Kravitz
  5. "Word Up!" – Melanie B (credited as Melanie G)
  6. "Just the Two of Us (Dr. Evil Mix)" – Dr. Evil (Mike Myers)
  7. "Espionage" – Green Day
  8. "Time of the Season" – Big Blue Missile/Scott Weiland
  9. "Buggin'" – The Flaming Lips
  10. "Alright" – The Lucy Nation
  11. "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" – Burt Bacharach/Elvis Costello
  12. "Soul Bossa Nova (Dim's Space-A-Nova)" – Quincy Jones & His Orchestra

The soundtrack sold over one million copies in the United States and was certified Platinum. A second soundtrack was also released, entitled More Music From the Motion Picture.

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[20] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[21] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[22] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[25] Platinum 1,500,000[24]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

More Music track listing "Dialogue"

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  1. "Austin Meets Felicity" – Film Dialogue
  2. Mustafa's Three Question Rule – Film Dialogue

"More Music" track listing

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  1. "Am I Sexy?" – Lords of Acid
  2. "I'm a Believer" – The Monkees
  3. "Magic Carpet Ride" – Steppenwolf
  4. "American Woman" – The Guess Who
  5. "Get the Girl" – The Bangles
  6. "Bachelor Pad" (FPM Edit) – Fantastic Plastic Machine
  7. "Let's Get It On" – Marvin Gaye
  8. "Crash!" – Propellerheads
  9. "Time of the Season" – The Zombies
  10. "Dr. Evil" – They Might Be Giants
  11. "The Austin Powers Shagaphonic Medley" – George S. Clinton
  12. "Beautiful Stranger" (Calderone Radio Mix) – Madonna

In addition, a score album featuring cues from both George S. Clinton scores (tracks 1–7 from the first film, track 8 an arrangement of Quincy Jones's "Soul Bossa Nova," and tracks 9–16 from the second) was released.

Chart positions

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Natale, Richard (June 14, 1999). "Feelin' Pretty Groovy: 'Austin Powers,' the Spy Who's No. 1". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me at Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  4. ^ Rinaldi, Ray Mark (March 27, 2000). "Crystal Has a Sixth Sense About Keeping Overhyped, Drawn-Out Oscar Broadcast Lively". Off the Post-Dispatch. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 27. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ "Nominees & Winners for the 72nd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Breznican, Anthony (June 21, 1999). "Translators Tackle 'Austin Powers' Lexicon". Ludington Daily News. Ludington, Michigan. p. 9. Retrieved August 18, 2017 – via Google News.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ "shag3". Collins Dictionary.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  8. ^ Weinraub, Bernard (June 14, 1999). "'Austin' Sequel Is Behaving Very Well at Box Office". The New York Times. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  9. ^ "Variety's Summer Cup: Milestones". Daily Variety. September 8, 1999. p. A1.
  10. ^ McNary, Dave (June 22, 2003). "Green Meanie's No Weenie". Variety. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  11. ^ "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  13. ^ "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Austin Powers" in the search box). CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  14. ^ Ebert, Roger (June 11, 1999). "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023 – via RogerEbert.com.
  15. ^ "Lenny Kravitz: American Woman". Radio & Records. No. 1298. May 7, 1999. p. Ad.
  16. ^ "New Madonna Single and Video to Be Released; 'Beautiful Stranger' Lead Track from 'Austin Powers' Soundtrack" (Press release). PR Newswire. May 12, 1999. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  17. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 28 June, 1999: Singles". Music Week. June 26, 1999. p. 25.
  18. ^ Boldman, Gina. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me at AllMusic
  19. ^ Pemberton, Pat (August 6, 2010). "Randy Bachman Learns to Enjoy Lenny Kravitz's 'American Woman' Cover - Spinner Canada". Spinner.ca. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  20. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  21. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Var – Austin Powers OST". Music Canada.
  22. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Var – Austin Powers OST". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved June 6, 2019.[dead link‍]
  23. ^ "British album certifications – Var – Austin Powers OST". British Phonographic Industry.
  24. ^ Applefeld Olson, Catherine (August 14, 1999). "Soundtracks and Film Score News" (PDF). Billboard. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  25. ^ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Austin Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me". Recording Industry Association of America.
  26. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  27. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack – Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  28. ^ a b "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  29. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundtrack – Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  30. ^ "Officialcharts.de – Soundtrack – Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  31. ^ "Charts.nz – Soundtrack – Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  32. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  33. ^ "End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 1999". Aria.com.au. ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on September 12, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  34. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
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