Austin Powers in Goldmember

Austin Powers in Goldmember
File:Goldmember poster.jpg The theatrical Poster of Austin Powers in Goldmember.
Directed by	Jay Roach
Written by	Mike Myers Michael McCullers
Produced by	Toby Emmerich Richard Brener John S. Lyons Eric McLeod Demi Moore Mike Myers Jennifer Todd Suzanne Todd
Starring	Mike Myers Beyoncé Seth Green Michael York Robert Wagner Michael Caine Verne Troyer
Cinematography	Peter Deming
Edited by	Greg Hayden Jon Poll
Music by	George S. Clinton Quincy Jones (song "Soul Bossa Nova")
Distributed by	New Line Cinema (USA) Entertainment Film Distributors (UK)
Release date	2002
Running time	94 min.
Country	US
Language	English

Austin Powers in Goldmember is a 2002 comedy film starring Mike Myers as the British spy Austin Powers. Goldmember is a loose parody of the James Bond movie Goldfinger, and sold about $288 million in movie tickets worldwide.

Characters

Austin Powers (Mike Myers), having conquered the '90s and the '60s, travels back to the 1970s and teams up with his nemesis Dr. Evil (also played by Myers) to thwart a new villain, Goldmember (Myers once again). Myers also plays Fat Bastard for the second time, this time parodying the kind of "wire fight" seen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The film also stars Beyoncé as Foxxy Cleopatra (parodying a blaxploitation movie heroine), Michael York reprising the role of Basil Exposition, Verne Troyer in his second appearance as Mini-Me, and Michael Caine as Austin's father Nigel Powers (compare the appearance of Indiana Jones's father in his third movie). There are a number of cameo appearances by top stars and icons including Tom Cruise, Fred Savage, Britney Spears, John Travolta, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny DeVito, Kevin Spacey, Quincy Jones, Steven Spielberg and The Osbournes.

Plot

While Austin shoots Austinpussy, a movie based on his life, directed by Steven Spielberg, Dr. Evil, in a new lair behind the famous Hollywood sign, unveils his new plan. Dr. Evil plans to travel back to 1975 to bring back a Dutchman named Goldmember. Goldmember designed a tractor beam, called Preparation H, to pull a molten meteor of gold to earth, striking the polar icecaps, consequently flooding the Earth. Austin barges in and arrests Dr. Evil. However, Austin is then informed that his father Nigel has been kidnapped. Austin seeks help from Dr. Evil, who refuses to help unless he's transferred to a regular prison to be with Mini-Me. Austin agrees, and is told that Nigel was kidnapped by Goldmember.

Naming concerns

The title of the film Goldmember led to legal action being taken by MGM, the distributors of the James Bond film franchise, that briefly led to the film's title being removed from promotional material and trailers. The dispute was quickly resolved and the film title remained unchanged, on the provision that the film would include trailers in its cinema release for the then-upcoming James Bond film Die Another Day.

Trivia

• The film is more closely related to the James Bond film You Only Live Twice, which features a Japanese corporation creating products for the criminal organization SPECTRE, than it is to Goldfinger.

• The name Goldmember may actually stem from a caustic remark that originated when James Bond-author Ian Fleming named the villain for his novel Goldfinger borrowing it from his neighbor, architect Ernő Goldfinger, to whom the character bore some resemblance. Erno Goldfinger consulted his lawyers when the book was published, prompting Fleming to suggest renaming the character "Goldprick", but eventually settled out of court in return for his costs, six copies of the book, and an agreement that the characters' first name Auric would always be used.

• In the movie, Dr. Evil says he doesn't speak Dutch; however, he claimed to have been raised in the Flemish-speaking city of Brugges in Belgium. Flemish and Dutch are close enough to be cross-understandable.

• While one of the catches is that Goldmember comes from the Netherlands; he actually speaks German, not Dutch. However, he has a Dutch accent. See Johann van der Smut for more information on Goldmember's speech patterns.

• The teaser trailer for the film featured Mini Me as "Mini Austin" in a recreation of the opening sequence for Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, only with little people.

• Heather Graham and Will Ferrell, who had appeared in previous Austin Powers films, shot cameos for Goldmember that were cut from the final film. The scenes are not included on the DVD.

• MADtv star Michael McDonald has a cameo role in this film as well in the two previous Austin Powers movies.

• Foxxy Cleopatra's name is likely a combination of the Blaxploitation films Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones.

• The film-within-a-film, Austinpussy, was going to be the name of the second film, or the third. Eventually, it was given to the title of the film-in-a-film, due to the mature nature of the word (though ironically the second film's new title is considered equally vulgar in the United Kingdom). Austinpussy is a word-play on the Bond film Octopussy.

• The final scene of Scott in Dr. Evil's lair was not planned. Seth Green was joking around, mocking Mike Myers off-camera, and Myers found the idea funny. Afterwards, the "official" version of the scene was shot.

• Although Michael Caine and Michael York have both appeared in over 100 British and American films since the 1960s, this is their first and only film together. However, they do not share a scene.

• Steven Spielberg's cameo is arguably an in-joke reference to the fact that Spielberg had always wanted to direct a James Bond movie. In this film he directs the cinematic version of Austin Powers' life with Tom Cruise as Powers, Kevin Spacey as Dr. Evil and Danny DeVito as Mini-Me.

• Assuming that Nigel Powers has not undergone time-travel until being kidnapped by Goldmember, he would be much older than he is portrayed as by 68 year old Michael Caine. If his son Austin graduated "the Academy" in 1958 then his father would be over 80 in 2002.

• The scene where Nigel says there are only two things he can't stand (people who are intolerant of other cultures, and the Dutch) is a direct reference to the first film, where Austin says only 2 things scare him (Nuclear war, and circus workers, a.k.a., "carnies"). It is also an apparent contradiction, for he hates other peoples intolerance of other cultures, but he also hates the Dutch (playing on the cultural stereotype that the Dutch are exceedingly tolerant).

• One of Austin's many catchphrases ("I am a sexy bitch!") is censored in the film (I am a sexy beast!"), and said only once.

• The song "Hey Goldmember" is a parody of 3 disco songs formed into a medley; "Get Down Tonight", "Shake Your Booty" and "That's The Way (I Like It)" all by KC and the Sunshine Band.

• Studio 69 is a parody of the famous 70s nightclub Studio 54. Studio 69 is also in turn an inside joke with the number 69 representing a sexual position. Incidentally, Mike Myers starred in 54, a film about Studio 54 made in 1998.

• Nigel Powers' MINI is a clear reference to a previous Michael Caine film, The Italian Job, in which the getaway cars are classic Minis.

• The idea to pull a golden meteor to earth was most likely inspired by the Jules Verne book, The Chase of the Golden Meteor in which a similar event occurs.

• Katie Couric has a small cameo playing a cop.

• In the scene with the plane landing in Tokyo, the caption is misspelled as "Toyko". This might be a play on 'Toy Co.' and the large number of toys that are 'made in Japan'.

• At the end of the Studio 69 entrance scene, the 1976 disco instrumental "A Fifth of Beethoven," by Walter Murphy is played. The music is perhaps better known to 2002 audiences as Thicke's hit "When I Get You Alone," which sampled it, and was released the same year as the film.

• At the end of the movie, when Goldmember turns into John Travolta, it is an obvious parody of Travolta's disco films, as well as a parody of the end to Travolta's film Get Shorty.

• When Austin Powers and Mini Me have glass bottles in their hands, in the fridge you can see cans of Pepsi Twist. This was a product that was used for a limited time when the movie was released.

• The footage of a younger Nigel Powers during the flashback scene is from actor Michael Caine's film Hurry Sundown (1967).

• Mike Myers has said that his glasses in all three films are meant to look like those worn by Michael Caine in The Ipcress File (1965), so Caine took the original glasses (model "Teviot 74" by UK Optical) to the set and wore them as Nigel.

• The scene where Austin in talking to Foxxy "through" the Nathan Lane character was first done in the movie Caccia alla volpe (1966) (a.k.a. After the Fox) with Peter Sellers. In that movie, the Peter Sellers character spoke to the Akim Tamiroff character "through" the beautiful Maria Grazia Buccella character.

• Neil Mullarkey (International Man Of Mystery) and Eric Winzenried (The Spy Who Shagged Me) both make appearances in this movie as the Physician and Henchman Sailor (in the Sick Bay, becoming sickened at the sight of by Austin's penis's shadow, which was really Mini-Me's arm.). Neil was the Quartermaster in International Man Of Mystery (while returning Austin's personal property is quoted saying "One Swedish-Made Penis Enlarger." as well as a follow up of many Swedish-Made Penis Enlarger related items.) and Eric was the Private Army Soldier who witnesses Austin and Felicity in their tent in The Spy Who Shagged Me, just outside of Dr. Evil's lair.

• During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, actor Mike Myers discussed the possibilty of studio sources moving forward with 4th Austin Powers film.

There is hope! says Myers of the latter. We're all circling and talking to each other. I miss doing the characters.

External links

• Official site
• Austin Powers 3: Goldmember at IMDb
• The Nitpickers Site