Movies Austin Powers Trilogy

[revoltub]

Did he roll with things better than I seem to remember? He was consistently a beast throughout the 70s and 80s then kind of had a moment in the 90s with Father of the Bride and a moment later on with the Pink Panther remake. Other than mostly stuff that didn't sell a lot of tickets or smaller projects although some relatively interesting ones like Novocaine.

Cheaper by the dozen and pink panther remakes were fairly successful in the 2000s werent they? Maybe not but it seemed like it at the time.

He also has only murders in the building going on with Martin short on Hulu. Havent watched it but it seems pretty popular.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Cheaper by the dozen and pink panther remakes were fairly successful in the 2000s werent they? Maybe not but it seemed like it at the time.

He also has only murders in the building going on with Martin short on Hulu. Havent watched it but it seems pretty popular.

Yeah those movies were both pretty big hits. I can't take anything away from their success but it also didn't feel to me like Steve Martin was back to being a regular bankable ticket seller. But money is money and he did make money there.

 

[revoltub]

Yeah those movies were both pretty big hits. I can't take anything away from their success but it also didn't feel to me like Steve Martin was back to being a regular bankable ticket seller. But money is money and he did make money there.

I thought boomerang was good too

 

[mb23100]

I remember seeing the intro to Goldmember in a theater and the place went absolutely nuts. My most memorable theater moment by far.

 

[BisexualMMA]

I thought boomerang was good too

With Eddie Murphy? Yeah other than The Golden Child I think that's the underrated movie from his resume. But it wasn't a smash hit I don't think. Grace Jones and David Alan Grier were solid. Isn't that the one where David Alan Grier can't say "beeyatch" correctly?

 

[revoltub]

With Eddie Murphy? Yeah other than The Golden Child I think that's the underrated movie from his resume. But it wasn't a smash hit I don't think.

Yeah if I remember right it was considered one of the big surprise flops of that year.

 

[Morning Star]

Mike Meyers career was over after Love Geru, he attempted another Shrek movie but that fell flat too. It's unfortunate, his impressions are excellent and he can still bring great comedy with the right script.

I hadn't really paid attention, but yeah the only successful movies he was in since Love Guru was Inglorious Bastards in 2009 and Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018, both minor roles. Even Kevin Costner didn't fall off that hard after Waterworld. Damn that's rough. You'd think he'd at least get voice work.

 

[Streeter]

I never heard that but meh the man is a genius either way

Yeah he was notorious for being terrible to work with. Not certain hes "genius" but Austin Powers is the greatest spoof of all time.

 

[PBAC]

GM lost me at the Britney Cameo. Adding a celeb into a bit doesn't make it funnier. Reminds me of that simpsons episode with lady gaga and the entire episode was basically "hey look its lady gaga and that's funny to you"

 

[ufcfan4]

Yeah, the first film is probably the best but I think The Spy Who Shagged Me is arguably the outright funniest of the films. Either way, I think they're both entertaining 90s comedies that hold up well enough. Conceptually, it was a great idea, the execution in both films can be a bit uneven, but, what works, really works.

Goldmember just was not on the same level as the other two. But the Myers/Caine interaction (getting Caine for that role was a net positive right off the bat) was good, Troyer's face turn was funny, and Doctor Evil/Scott dynamic was quite funny. Goldmember as a villain just felt like a miss. Beyonce's character really did not have much to do.

 

[ufcfan4]

I hadn't really paid attention, but yeah the only successful movies he was in since Love Guru was Inglorious Bastards in 2009 and Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018, both minor roles. Even Kevin Costner didn't fall off that hard after Waterworld. Damn that's rough. You'd think he'd at least get voice work.

Honestly, he probably should be doing more stuff like his role in Inglorious and Bohemian Rhapsody at this point. I thought he was quite entertaining in both those films, even though they're essentially extended cameos. Everyone has to evolve and Myers, like Sandler, has shown, as far back as a lackluster movie with some good performances like 54 that he can deliver in different types of roles and other genres than comedy.

 

[ufcfan4]

Yeah those movies were both pretty big hits. I can't take anything away from their success but it also didn't feel to me like Steve Martin was back to being a regular bankable ticket seller. But money is money and he did make money there.

At the very least, he is a guy who has never, in my opinion fallen out of relevance. And that's a pretty big deal.

 

[ufcfan4]

Strangely comedy actors more than matinee idol leading men seem to find hard times once age really hits their face. Bill Murray didn't really carry blockbuster comedies as a charismatic lead for too much longer after Groundhog Day. Jim Carrey can't do that anymore either and Mike Myers once said that he was unthreatening on screen because he literally had no sex appeal...but even still time has done the same number on him as most others in terms of being in close ups on screen for two straight hours. Chevy Chase just lost his mojo altogether somewhere in the 80s and so did Dan Aykroyd. Eddie Murphy was in a fat suit and wigs to sell tickets by the 90s. Even when age doesn't really do a number on someone, and Murphy and Chase were largely spared, the comedy legs just seem to tire out more quickly. Comedy changes every decade and John Ritter's stuff in the 70s didn't sell in the 80s, Chevy's stuff in the 80s didn't sell in the 90s, Jim Carrey was mostly out of favor in the 00s, then it was the Judd Apatow era and now nobody makes a Judd Apatow type comedy anymore.

Meanwhile...it seems to take a lot longer for their dramatic counterparts to lose it if indeed they ever do.

Really interesting theory there. You give a lot of good evidence. I do think that it's a bit odd that someone like Murray had difficulty in that vein compared to a Carrey, where the styles of humor are really different. I would think that Murray's more sarcastic, verbal schtick would still be palatable as he got older in a way that Carrey's more manic, slapstick stuff would not. I think Carrey largely just sort of walked away from the business though, no? Seems pretty obvious he could have had a seamless transition to more "low-key" comedies like Yes Man or to outright dramadies and dramas, considering how good he was in Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine, etc.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Really interesting theory there. You give a lot of good evidence. I do think that it's a bit odd that someone like Murray had difficulty in that vein compared to a Carrey, where the styles of humor are really different. I would think that Murray's more sarcastic, verbal schtick would still be palatable as he got older in a way that Carrey's more manic, slapstick stuff would not. I think Carrey largely just sort of walked away from the business though, no? Seems pretty obvious he could have had a seamless transition to more "low-key" comedies like Yes Man or to outright dramadies and dramas, considering how good he was in Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine, etc.

Murray's sarcastic stuff still works but I don't know if he can carry a theatrical release on his shoulders doing it regularly anymore. He has been the cryptkeeper's long lost cousin for a while now.

Murray also transitioned to dramatic stuff as his real calling card it seems with Lost in Translation.

Carrey is a weird one. Stretching his face into weird shapes kind of became what made him a big star but the guy could have just been a regular leading man. If you watch Once Bitten he looks like a young Jared Leto but then after some "regular acting" like Dirty Harry 5 he basically went one thousand percent toward wacky comedy and didn't really ease off the pedal there until the late 90s.

Back in the day all the regular stand up comedians on the circuit were mad that Jay Mohr was entering the scene because they thought HE was too handsome to be in comedy and he had to look weird and suffer like the rest of them. Jim Carrey when he wasn't making wacky faces actually could have gone up for the Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn roles if that's the sort of road he wanted to take a shot at.

But I'm not sure where a present day Carrey would go with things...even without any outside stuff possibly hindering his opportunities.

Also with respect to drama, Carrey seemed to really give it his all and like Adam Sandler get burned out and dispirited when he was rather good at it but didn't get taken as seriously by the critics as someone like Robin Williams. Carrey was very good in Eternal Sunshine.

 

[revoltub]

Really interesting theory there. You give a lot of good evidence. I do think that it's a bit odd that someone like Murray had difficulty in that vein compared to a Carrey, where the styles of humor are really different. I would think that Murray's more sarcastic, verbal schtick would still be palatable as he got older in a way that Carrey's more manic, slapstick stuff would not. I think Carrey largely just sort of walked away from the business though, no? Seems pretty obvious he could have had a seamless transition to more "low-key" comedies like Yes Man or to outright dramadies and dramas, considering how good he was in Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine, etc.

Yeah I would also add man on the moon to the list for his more serious roles too. And I still think The Majestic was a good movie although maybe that's just how I'm choosing to remember it.

I think Carrey has a sort of magnetic presence onscreen and likeability that is hard to ignore. Plus I always thought he had an underrated mix of humanity in his comedic roles. The mask is mostly known for him in green face and being a cartoon, but he makes Stanley Ipkiss a guy you root for. Then Dumb and Dumber he has that scene where he breaks down and talks about how "hes sick of having nobody". Which is actually an extremely well done scene from an acting standpoint imo.

even something like Bruce Almighty I would say showcases the best elements of the above. Not my favorite Carrey comedy overall but you pretty much get the best of everything he can do from leading man charisma to sarcasm to the goofy crowd pleasing stuff to being able to hit emotional notes when it counts.

And I would also consider the films themselves. Stuff like Dumb and Dumber or Me Myself and Irene are genuinely hilarious films that he compliments but doesnt have to exactly carry.

But has he really outlasted Murray Overall? Maybe from the comedy lead standpoint but overall Murray has been in a lot more stuff of note when you add it all together.

 

[blaseblase]

I love all three, Goldmember is a step below the others but still has classic bits

 

[Joe_Armstrong]

Those movies introduced me to this song.

 

[HeffDoesWant]

The who does #2 work for scene with Tom Arnold had me laughing till it hurt, but so many classics. Sharks/sea bass with laser beams, 1 million dollars, Austin having zero idea how to play blackjack, turning around the cart in the narrow hallway, Joe Son throwing shoes, so many great bits.

I use "unfortunately that train had sailed" all the time

 

[Brandino]

I never heard that but meh the man is a genius either way

Mike Myers stole the Dr Evil persona from Dana Carvey's Lorne MIcheals impression and how Dana wouldn't talk to him for years. Many others also said Mike was a complete ass-hole and wouldn't work with him, I think he kind of black listed himself from doing much in Hollywood.

 

[Idonotbelieveit]

Corny good at the time but it don't hold up I don't think today.