Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
All team (108)
Short description
Austin Powers is a British secret agent and fashion photographer living in London in 1967, when his nemesis, the bald megalomaniac Dr. Evil, has himself frozen so he can resume his plans decades later. Austin undergoes the same process, and both men are revived in the 1990s, where his outdated manner and style clash with the times. Working alongside Vanessa Kensington, the daughter of his former colleague, Austin sets out to stop Dr. Evil, who has taken the world hostage and threatened destruction unless his demands are met.
The film is a comedy that sends up the spy genre, directed by Jay Roach as the first of the fourteen features he has directed to date, followed by the sequel Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me in 1999. Mike Myers wrote the screenplay and stars in the dual roles of Austin and Dr. Evil, with Elizabeth Hurley as Vanessa, Michael York as Basil Exposition, Mimi Rogers as Mrs. Kensington, Robert Wagner as Number Two and Seth Green as Scott Evil. It was produced by Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd and Demi Moore, and released in May 1997.
Made for about 17 million dollars, it took in roughly 68 million worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7 out of 10 from around 272,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.6 out of 10 from just under 4,000 votes. A critics' rating of 6.9 out of 10 from 70 reviews places it close to the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Jim Carrey was originally supposed to play the role of Dr. Evil, but he turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with his other film, “Liar Liar” (1997).
- According to Mike Myers, Austin Powers owes his existence to several events in the actor's family history. His father adored British comedies with actors like Peter Sellers (1925-1980) and Sir Alec Guinness (1914-2000), so Myers always wanted to play a Briton in some comedic project. Once, Myers returned home from hockey practice and began fooling around, speaking to his wife with a pronounced British accent. She burst out laughing and told him to record it to repeat later. This was the beginning of work on the script.
- The appearance of Dr. Evil (bald head, gray suit, scar on the eye, cat on his lap) parodies the image of Ernst Stavro Blofeld as played by Donald Pleasence (1919-1995) in the fifth Bond film, "You Only Live Twice" (Lewis Gilbert, 1967). But the voice and mannerisms were inspired by Lorne Michaels, the creator and producer of "Saturday Night Live" (1975). Incidentally, Pleasence starred in the "Halloween" franchise (1978, 1981, 1988, 1989), where his enemy was named Michael Myers.
- The musical theme for this film and its sequels is “Soul Bossa Nova” by Quincy Jones.
- During their honeymoon, a piece of red tape crosses Vanessa’s left breast as she sits next to Austin. Photographers were present on set, and this small detail prevented them from selling pictures of Elizabeth Hurley with a bare breast to the tabloids.
- In one episode, Dr. Evil proposes blackmailing Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), but by the time the film was released in the United Kingdom, she had already died in a car crash in Paris.
- Mike Myers was suggested to dance during the credits by his wife.
- The fictional Russian republic of “Kreplakhistan” owes its name to kreplach (small dumplings, a dish of Jewish cuisine).
Similar movies
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
