Mike Myers was inspired to write this movie after his father passed away. He had a lot of fond memories of watching cheesy '60s British spy movies with his dad as a kid, so he wrote this spoof as a tribute to the movies his dad loved so much.
The Bond films from 60's dont belong in the category you referred to because they we're not really cheesy. Maybe except You Only Live Twice and Goldfinger. But that was good type of cheese in Goldfinger. The cheesiness and campiness became a huge deal in the 70's.
@@JohnSmith-jn7nc: This movie also referenced several Bond parody films of the 1960's like "Our Man Flint" and "In Like Flint" starring James Coburn as well as "Dr. Goldfoot & The Girl Bombs" and "Dr. Goldfoot & The Bikini Machine" with Vincent Price and The "Matt Helm" movies with Dean Martin.
Danger Man aka Secret Agent (sorta) is a *helluva* thing that influenced this...except that it was the _good_ , SMART spy show from the 60's and not the glorious silliness of Bond, Flint, The Avengers, etc.
@@Tomani3905 You miss half the joke references In this movie if you’re not familiar with all of those. 🤓 Also, Fembots: ruclips.net/video/pV-iL-1mjf8/видео.html
it's interesting to see people watch this so many years later and find out what still hits and what doesn't, because even if you were in your late teens or early 20s in 1996 you had already just passively absorbed so much about james bond and the swinging 60s from pop culture
Yep. When TV was awesome because of all the reruns. Which was why I was going to suggest they try watching Get Smart to understand the rest of the Austin Powers movies since it's basically using that TV show as one of its templates
Also there was a huge nostalgia push for the 60's counter culture in the early to mid 90's. Music groups like Phish, Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler. TV shows like the Wonder Years. The return of "Hippie" fashion like tie-dye, bell bottoms, tinted glasses. Mid 90's into the 2000's would push the 70's, probably starting with "Dazed and Confused".
The walking through the city scene with marquee lights is a very old movie trope meant to show passage of time and the characters spending a night out. The earliest version I know of is the 1927 movie Sunrise, but it was most famously done in the 1945 move The Lost Weekend.
It was also a cheap way to show characters doing various things at different places in a quick sequence. I guess it's a bit like the airplane line on a map sequence in Indiana Jones movies
I believe it's from Broadway-like stage plays. Keep the stage dark, the actors walk in-place and signs are moved along by stage hands dressed wholly in black. How else could they portray a couple out on the town?
What hits me coming back to this movie is how much love and care went into its creation. Every 60s spy trope is pitch-perfect and bursting with affection for the source material, and Myers really captures the energy and optimism of 60s Britain, with a younger generation eager to put the grimness of the war and post-war austerity behind it.
It's not the '70s, but late '60s. You might think that's not that much of a difference, but it is and Austin Powers represents to a great degree what was called the British Invasion where are things British was considered supremely "in", baby, even eccentric bespectacled blokes.
Austin's look was partially inspired by Michael Caine's performance in the a series of spy movies in the 60's, but through the 60's Mod lens. Another big inspiration was James Coburn in the 'Flint' movies, as the cool secret agent who is known everywhere and practices judo. And Dr. Evil's performance is largely based on Donald Pleasance in "You Only Live Twice" but the voice supposedly a deadly accurate impression of Lorne Michaels (longtime SNL producer)
What’s funny is that Dr Evil’s voice is an impression of Dana Carvey (Wayne’s world) doing an impression of Lorne Michaels. Dana got mad that Meyers basically stole it for this film and ruined their friendship for a long time. Just recently made up.
This film had a few notable and brilliant scenes that were cut for time. Every time AP killed a nameless henchman, it cut to a scene showing the tragedy and cost to those left behind, with each one being more over-the-top sad (and funny) than the last. Well worth looking up!
Up until recently, even for actors, "cosmetic" dentistry like straightening and whitening wasn't nearly as common in the UK as it is in the USA, so there's a stereotype of British people in the past not having good teeth. Conversely, British people have said that Americans perfectly straight bright white teeth look super fake.
With free NHS dentistry for the under 18s, unemployed, retired and pregnant women the underlying teeth are often healthier, especially for the less well off...just much less of a focus on the cosmetic side like you said
During the 90's a British journalist once wrote that "back in the 60's you could be a film star even if you had bad teeth". About 2 or 3 years after that people started claiming that the British had really bad teeth back in the 1960's & 70's (clearly they didn't understand that the original statement was to do with talent as opposed to appearance) and then it broadened to "all Brits have bad teeth". It's worth noting that we don't say this ourselves. It's always foreigners who keep perpetuating this myth.
I think some of it came from BBC News. American reporters and especially anchors were were well quaffed talking heads. The BBC TV, at least early on, promoted from their radio division. Looks weren't important on radio as much as presentation like diction and cadence. So compared to their American counterparts they just didn't have that "TV look".
It's a parody of 60's James Bond movies - Dr. No, Goldfinger, Thunderball and others and has lots of references to those films that only work if you know James Bond films. And if you don't know them, they'd make great reactions!
Yea, I agree that you can't really enjoy this trilogy (and get all the references) without first watching Sean Connery's 60's James Bond films specifically Dr. No, Goldfinger, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice. Parody is best done by someone who knows and loves the subject being parodied. A good example of a loving parody is Mel Brooks' parody of Star Wars and other sci-fi films, Spaceballs.
The fembots are a close relation to the "Pleasure Units" in Our Man Flint. Though not robots, Flint is able to break their mind control with his mojo and a single sentence, "You are not a pleasure unit."
In case you didn't noticed lead guitarist of the band playing in scene breaks and in end credits is Susanna Hoffs of Bangles. Band is called Ming Tea. Ming Tea band was created first, and character Austin Powers was created for the band. Myer's then wife Robin then encouraged Him to write the film around the character.
Yep, definitely 60s. Everything was colorful back then. The 70s were faded jeans, gray, light brown, even movies and tv shows were faded. You mentioned some opening clips parts, one that might have been close was "Love, American Style" series that started in 1969. Not sure if that's close, just came to mind
The band Ming Tea was formed by Mike Myers after a Saturday night live stint he adopted the persona of Austin Powers, the lead Guitarist and backing vocals is Susanna Hoffs from the girls group the Bangles. Mike Myers wife encouraged him to write a movie based on Powers character.
Ming Tea is also a reference to The 10th Victim, one of a dozen or so 60s films that Mike Myers assigned to his fellow actors as homework, so that they'd understand what Austin Powers was trying to spoof.
I have avoided this movie for about 25 years, and its sequel, but now I feel motivated to watch it just to join this party. No matter how familiar we are with significant or popular films, there are those movies we just haven't bothered to watch and this is one of those for me on a list that grows.
The slow motion concrete roller attack was previously performed in A Fish Called Wanda in 1988. It was a mostly Monty Python populated movie, plus Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline.
“How’s your father” is an old British phrase. Austin Powers used it instead of saying masturbation but it’s mostly used as a replacement for saying sexual intercourse. “Fancy a bit of how’s your father..?” etc…
"Bedazzled" is an incredible movie! An ensemble cast run through several scenarios, but Brendan Fraser plays very distinct characters in each scenario. This is the film that convinced me Fraser was a great actor who had not yet been properly utilized. The Brandan Fraser version is a 2000 remake of one originated in 1967 by Dudley Moore and Peter Cooke. Both films are entertaining, but the Fraser version is exceptional.
The original, with Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, has some amazingly biting social satire. The new one, with Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Fraser, is fun, but lacks the bite. I'm not sure, though, how someone of a younger generation would appreciate the satire of the original, as I suspect some of it is too dependent on the era. I was born at the tail end of the '60s, and there was a scene in it that had me laughing so hard I had trouble breathing. And now I want a Frobisher and Gleason raspberry flavored ice lolly....
"YEAAAA BABY YEAAA!!!" Mike Myers was one of my favorite actors as a kid, he's a Canadian National treasure & I'm surprised you guys haven't seen any of the Austin Powers movies. I love Austin & Dr. Evil!!!😄😄😄
11:31 This style of shot, with a stationary car and a projected moving background, was used in older movies before the filmmakers figured out how to shoot inside an actual moving car. Hitchcock, for example, used this style a lot in his movies. In this movie, they're using it as part of the parody of 1960s James Bond films. But other modern movies use it to add a surreal aspect to the shot, such as in The Matrix when Neo first re-enters the matrix after being set free.
@@Dularr The pulling cars on trailers technique is one of the new ways of filming inside cars. The old way had a car parked on a set and a literal movie projector showing the street moving.
Rear-projection was about the only way to show actors inside cars until the equipment got more advanced and less cumbersome. It was still used occasionally in the 70s. Hitchcock was still around and Disney had a lot of old hands working on their 70s stuff.
OTOH, Vanessa gets pretty possessive very quickly. She gives him the "Last Man On Earth" line, makes him sleep on the sofa, they hadn't even kissed, and then she suddenly gets bent out of shape when he sleeps with someone else.
I’m sure you guys caught this, but Mike Myers also plays Dr. Evil. Actually, he plays multiple characters in each of the movies. Can’t wait for your reaction to the sequels! 😂
And yes, it was Will Ferrell, with a fez, and you missed the Carrie Fisher's cameo, but I still encourage you to see the sequel of the film, The Spy Who Shagged Me !
Great reaction! I was a teen in the 90s (in fact I think I saw this film on my 16th birthday) so these films have a huge nostalgic draw for me and as a James Bond fan they really work for me as a parody. Also I have to agree Elizabeth Hurley looked amazing (and still does.)
Wow, I could tell from the beginning you guys had very little idea of Austin Powers - hence, a high energy reaction from you guys! Loved it! Can't wait for you to watch the rest!
In 1967, various bands in Britain dressed like that (Austin's look with the frills). The striped suit with the red bandana around the neck is Michael Caine in the '60s. (You might know Michael Caine primarily as Alfred from the Batman movies.)
Austin Powers wasn't from the 70s, he was from the swingin London 60s scene. All those fashions from the 60s in this movie were very in vogue during those times.
17:05 - The Asian henchman is a parody of a famous James Bond henchman named Oddjob, from the movie Goldfinger. His signature weapon was a bowler hat with a razor-sharp metal brim, which he would throw like a Frisbie.
The "walking down the city streets with signs flashing all around montage" trope has been used a lot, humorously and tragically. The earliest example I know of is from "The Lost Weekend" from 1945.
I don't know if they came before or after, but I remember it from a couple of musicals from the same era. The equivalent in modern movies would be a montage scene.
10:50 Oh I can answer this! In the DVD commentary, Elizabeth Hurley said they set up multiple monitors for her. So while she appears to be looking off randomly on the phone call, she is actually focusing on a different monitors reflecting the camera shot so she can tell exactly when to maneuver her hands. EDIT And then you realize just after.
This is very much a parody of the 60s spy movies, such as James Bond, and much more so other movies such as Man From Uncle, Matt helm, Flint etc. The Black Leather catsuit is a reference to the UK tv series - The Avengers. It was worn by Diana Rigg as Mrs Peel.
If you guys liked this, you'll like the sequels and should absolutely watch them. Sooner the better, if only because there are a few callbacks that are nice to pick up on.
THE most famous and quintessentially 1960s TV show was "Laugh-In", which was skit comedy broken up by 3-5 seconds of a go-go girl dancing between skits. The Austin Powers franchise borrows this, either as a way to set the context of the action or Austin's experience/expectations in the film or as a direct homage. ruclips.net/video/6HENY4D_qbA/видео.html
@@davehoward22 Much of it was directly tied to the culture and even more importantly, the news of each year it was made. It did predict the presidency of Ronald Reagan, California governor at the time.
Fun fact: "Poets' Corner" in "...Axe Murderer" is Dunsmuir House & Gardens in Oakland, Ca., which was first featured on film in the '76 horror classic "Burnt Offerings".
11:32 *Re: The origin of the iconic "on the town" marquee montage.* ● I could be mistaken, but I believe *Slavko Vorkapić* _(Slavoljub "Slavko" Vorkapić)_ may have created and first used that _"marquee montage"_ in the 1920's. It was highly used in the 30s and 40s. *Re: Simone's question at **23:57* _Austin Powers_ originally came from the sixties. All of those iconic elements were pulled from the 60s. *Edit:* If I'm not mistaken, they spoof the seventies a bit in the _Goldmember_ film.
The '60s had a lot of color. That's when the hippies were around talking about peace and love and happiness. The 70s were more orange, yellow, gold, brown, beige colors. In the 80s you got more brown, wood, beige, some white.
I feel you’re off by a few years. Late 60s and early 70s were the earth tones. Mid and late 70s were the brown, wood, beige, white. But the early 80s started to move away from that to bright, saturated colors. I mean, look at the clothes the Golden Girls wore (1985).
The shots of them on their night out is I think a reverence to Pillow Talk with Doris Day and Rock Hudson. I dont think its the origin of that montage but thats the movie that springs to my mind when I see this in other movies
I remember going to the movies a long time ago and the trailer for Austin Powers 2 came out. This was during the super-hype of the new Star Wars prequels that were about to come out. It slowly zooms in on a chair on what looks like the Death Star, then it turns around and it's Dr. Evil and he says "You were expecting someone else?" I laughed so hard for like 15 minutes straight.
The time period is more late 60s than 70s, and you should really see the Sean Connery James Bond movies to appreciate all of the references here. Particularly Dr. No (the very first James Bond movie), and Goldfinger. (Dr. Evil's outfit and cat are taken from Dr. No. And they ripped off the shoe-throwing henchman in this film from the same character called Oddjob, from Goldfinger.
This film was a minor hit but nothing so impressive that you would think it would be a sequel. Then it was released onto home video which is where most people discovered it and it became a huge hit, and that's when the studio decided to make a sequel. To put it into perspective, the second film made as much (more?) money in its opening weekend as the first film made during its entire theatrical run.
The dance scenes are a tribute to the "cocktail party" segments on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In." You can see a sample of one here: ruclips.net/video/FldVzn04NSs/видео.html Also, I once was lucky enough to meet Mindy Stirling (the shouty lady) at a convention. She is sweet, funny, and has the mouth of a sailor. You can't help but love her.
I agree about Liz Hurley. And if you wanna see more Elizabeth Hurley hotness, I´d HIGHLY recommend _Bedazzled_ with her and Brendan Fraser. VERY underrated comedy.
I watched these movies growing up. The second one made me have a MAJOR crush on Heather Graham. Nowadays, I´d rather have a crush on Liz Hurley though. LOVED her in Bedazzled......
The brief dancing scene at 4:55 may have been more widespread in the late 60s/early 70s, but I remember that kind of thing mainly from the sketch comedy/musical variety show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Many of their sketches were very short, and they would transition from one to another with a big splash of color and someone dancing, often a young Goldie Hawn in a bikini with something written on her torso or legs.
This was absolutely great watching these two laugh at this movie. At the time I saw this, possibly in 1998, I had never seen James Bond: Goldfinger and James Bond: You Only Live Twice. But the movie has lots of events based on those movies.
I love this movie so pleased to see your reaction to something a bit different. Fact of the day:- The actor that played Random Task was Korean actor Joe Son who in 2011 he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of torture ( there was also a rape charge but statute of limitation had elapsed so he was not tried for this in court) of a 19-year old woman in 1990. Shortly after starting his sentence he killed his cell mate and got another 27 years added to his life sentence. According to this victim she had a copy of this movie at home until her attacker was revealed.
Michael York, who plays Basil Exposition, was a world-famous actor in the 1970s, largely due to the successful Three Musketeers movies, based on the Alexandre Dumas book. He was also in the movie 'Logan's Run,' a very entertaining sci-fi movie from 1976, which would be a great film for you to react to sometime. Mimi Rogers, who plays Mrs. Kensington, was married to Tom Cruise for a while, she's his first wife. Austin Powers is obviously a parody of the Bond films, particularly 'Goldfinger' (1964) which many Bond fans consider to be the best of all the Bond films. The main female villain character's name in that movie is Pussy Galore, which is where the name Alotta Fagina comes from. Goldfinger also has a short, muscular Japanese villain named Oddjob who threw a hat instead of a shoe. In the movie, Oddjob decapitates the head off of a marble statue with his hat to demonstrate how deadly it is. And Dr. Evil is based on Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who was the main villain in a number of the Bond films. The look is almost identical.
I also think it’s hilarious that for the censored TV version of Austin Powers, they renamed Alotta Fagina to Allotta Cleavage (pronounced “clee-vah-jay”)! I mean, coming up with one Italianate dirty name is clever enough, but two? Brilliant!
It was the 60's, not the 70's that Austin Powers is from, I find it weird that a lot of "younger" people get that part wrong. That style is stereotypical 60's Britain, just like Hippies are 60's USA. I can't wait for you guys to watch the sequel, it's one of the few movies where the sequel is better than the original. Keep up the good work... :)
Also the 1967 James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice". I think the idea of hijacking nukes came from another 60's Bond flick "Thunderball" ... both starring Sean Connery.
So the interludes/transitions with the band and go-go dancers were from a variety/comedy show in the 60s called Laugh-In. They would show go-go girls dancing as a transition between skits. It may have been in other shows but Laugh-In is the most famous/recognized example.
I recently visited a Dollar General and found the trilogy on DVD for the measly price of $3.45. Did not disappoint (except for a very brief Kevin Spacey cameo). Fun fact: the guy who got run over by a steamroller in the middle of the film was later in the 2021 film Halloween Kills and was murdered by none other than the series' antagonist, Michael Myers... making him the only man to have been "killed" by a real and fake Mike Myers.
That was real 1960-70s carry on, clothes, crumpet and free love etc. Carnaby Street, London, was full of what you saw in the film. I personally remember. Even the speech is great; Yeah Babe! I love these Austin Powers films and I’m 69, would you believe. They take me back to when everything was normal and everyone was happier.
This movie was more helpful than just about anything when I first started as a DM. It just hits the tropes so bluntly that you can't help but pick up a few things. Also, you guys really need to do Wayne's World soon!
Mike Myers was inspired to write this movie after his father passed away. He had a lot of fond memories of watching cheesy '60s British spy movies with his dad as a kid, so he wrote this spoof as a tribute to the movies his dad loved so much.
The Bond films from 60's dont belong in the category you referred to because they we're not really cheesy. Maybe except You Only Live Twice and Goldfinger. But that was good type of cheese in Goldfinger. The cheesiness and campiness became a huge deal in the 70's.
@@JohnSmith-jn7nc: This movie also referenced several Bond parody films of the 1960's like "Our Man Flint" and "In Like Flint" starring James Coburn as well as "Dr. Goldfoot & The Girl Bombs" and "Dr. Goldfoot & The Bikini Machine" with Vincent Price and The "Matt Helm" movies with Dean Martin.
Danger Man aka Secret Agent (sorta) is a *helluva* thing that influenced this...except that it was the _good_ , SMART spy show from the 60's and not the glorious silliness of Bond, Flint, The Avengers, etc.
@@Tomani3905 You miss half the joke references In this movie if you’re not familiar with all of those. 🤓
Also, Fembots: ruclips.net/video/pV-iL-1mjf8/видео.html
@@JohnSmith-jn7nc What about Danger: Diabolik!
"Is that Will Ferrell?"
"No, that's a cat."
-_-
You two are so adorable.
“Elizabeth Hurley looks great.” Truer words were never spoken, sir.
I wish they´d react to Bedazzled. She´s even HOTTER in that one..... lol
it's interesting to see people watch this so many years later and find out what still hits and what doesn't, because even if you were in your late teens or early 20s in 1996 you had already just passively absorbed so much about james bond and the swinging 60s from pop culture
Yeah, Random Task is a play on Odd Job. Allata Fagina is a play on Pussy Galore.
Yep. When TV was awesome because of all the reruns. Which was why I was going to suggest they try watching Get Smart to understand the rest of the Austin Powers movies since it's basically using that TV show as one of its templates
Also there was a huge nostalgia push for the 60's counter culture in the early to mid 90's. Music groups like Phish, Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler. TV shows like the Wonder Years. The return of "Hippie" fashion like tie-dye, bell bottoms, tinted glasses. Mid 90's into the 2000's would push the 70's, probably starting with "Dazed and Confused".
As a person born in 97, this was my insight to the 60's and bond films. I still don't think I've seen any bond film but Ive seen every Austin Powers.
If you ever want to see Mike Myers completely bombing, watch Love Guru. That movie is pure pain.
The walking through the city scene with marquee lights is a very old movie trope meant to show passage of time and the characters spending a night out. The earliest version I know of is the 1927 movie Sunrise, but it was most famously done in the 1945 move The Lost Weekend.
Thanks for your insight, this is interesting :)
Didn’t “ singing in the rain” also have a sequence like this?
It was also a cheap way to show characters doing various things at different places in a quick sequence. I guess it's a bit like the airplane line on a map sequence in Indiana Jones movies
I believe it's from Broadway-like stage plays. Keep the stage dark, the actors walk in-place and signs are moved along by stage hands dressed wholly in black. How else could they portray a couple out on the town?
"No Blue Pants!"
What hits me coming back to this movie is how much love and care went into its creation. Every 60s spy trope is pitch-perfect and bursting with affection for the source material, and Myers really captures the energy and optimism of 60s Britain, with a younger generation eager to put the grimness of the war and post-war austerity behind it.
1:26
"Is that Will Ferrell?"
"No, that's a cat!"
The look 😆
The look... OF LOVE?!? #noapologies
Austin powers is such a fun movie!
It's not the '70s, but late '60s. You might think that's not that much of a difference, but it is and Austin Powers represents to a great degree what was called the British Invasion where are things British was considered supremely "in", baby, even eccentric bespectacled blokes.
Austin's look was partially inspired by Michael Caine's performance in the a series of spy movies in the 60's, but through the 60's Mod lens. Another big inspiration was James Coburn in the 'Flint' movies, as the cool secret agent who is known everywhere and practices judo.
And Dr. Evil's performance is largely based on Donald Pleasance in "You Only Live Twice" but the voice supposedly a deadly accurate impression of Lorne Michaels (longtime SNL producer)
What’s funny is that Dr Evil’s voice is an impression of Dana Carvey (Wayne’s world) doing an impression of Lorne Michaels. Dana got mad that Meyers basically stole it for this film and ruined their friendship for a long time. Just recently made up.
Another Lorne Michaels impersonation is found in the Kids in the Hall movie "Brain Candy," which is brilliant and hilarious.
Don't forget odd job,
@@footofjuniper8212
Was just about to say THIS 👆
Evil. Dr. Donald Pleasance. Michael. Dana Carvey = Halloween 1978.
Hahaha.
I'm sorry. Halloween nerd here. I just Had to. Couldn't help it
The Frau Farbissina character was inspired by the officer in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' who shouts "ALARM!" during the fireplace scene.
I always wondered if there was a connection there.
@A S She's supposedly a combination of Rosa Klebb in "From Russia With Love" and Irma Blunt in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".
@@GruffyddFO4 Seems more likely - The stern, loud, German/East European woman with a super tight bun.
This film had a few notable and brilliant scenes that were cut for time. Every time AP killed a nameless henchman, it cut to a scene showing the tragedy and cost to those left behind, with each one being more over-the-top sad (and funny) than the last. Well worth looking up!
Every time I saw this film those scenes were in it.
Up until recently, even for actors, "cosmetic" dentistry like straightening and whitening wasn't nearly as common in the UK as it is in the USA, so there's a stereotype of British people in the past not having good teeth. Conversely, British people have said that Americans perfectly straight bright white teeth look super fake.
With free NHS dentistry for the under 18s, unemployed, retired and pregnant women the underlying teeth are often healthier, especially for the less well off...just much less of a focus on the cosmetic side like you said
During the 90's a British journalist once wrote that "back in the 60's you could be a film star even if you had bad teeth". About 2 or 3 years after that people started claiming that the British had really bad teeth back in the 1960's & 70's (clearly they didn't understand that the original statement was to do with talent as opposed to appearance) and then it broadened to "all Brits have bad teeth". It's worth noting that we don't say this ourselves. It's always foreigners who keep perpetuating this myth.
@@RejonMunchausen Good luck finding an HNS dentist though.
I think some of it came from BBC News. American reporters and especially anchors were were well quaffed talking heads. The BBC TV, at least early on, promoted from their radio division. Looks weren't important on radio as much as presentation like diction and cadence. So compared to their American counterparts they just didn't have that "TV look".
@@Outland9000 all dentists provide care on the NHS for under 18s
I’m so glad you want to watch the rest of the series. The 2nd one is my favourite
Heather Graham is the bee's knee's, baby!
I think they get better each time, 3rds my favorite
@@jessenyboer9742 Agreed
Oh yeah, the 2nd one is by far the best :-D
The second one introduces Mini Me
I think "Who does number two work for?" is still one of the best comedy moments
I Am Number Four!
@@ThreadBomb
"I am not a number. I am a free man !"
@@LumpyAdams Exactly. The last time I found Tom Arnold funny.....
@@chanceneck8072 Yeah, I think he spent most of his career making it a point to be as annoying as humanly possible.
It's a parody of 60's James Bond movies - Dr. No, Goldfinger, Thunderball and others and has lots of references to those films that only work if you know James Bond films. And if you don't know them, they'd make great reactions!
I love that the silly plastic suit Dr. Evil is wearing is a direct copy of the suit Dr. No wears at the climax of the Bond film.
Yup. I love that in James Bond you have Oddjob, and it Austin Powers you have 'Random Task'
Yea, I agree that you can't really enjoy this trilogy (and get all the references) without first watching Sean Connery's 60's James Bond films specifically Dr. No, Goldfinger, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice. Parody is best done by someone who knows and loves the subject being parodied. A good example of a loving parody is Mel Brooks' parody of Star Wars and other sci-fi films, Spaceballs.
@@bjgandalf69 totally agree.
The fembots are a close relation to the "Pleasure Units" in Our Man Flint. Though not robots, Flint is able to break their mind control with his mojo and a single sentence, "You are not a pleasure unit."
In case you didn't noticed lead guitarist of the band playing in scene breaks and in end credits is Susanna Hoffs of Bangles. Band is called Ming Tea. Ming Tea band was created first, and character Austin Powers was created for the band. Myer's then wife Robin then encouraged Him to write the film around the character.
yes and Matthew Sweet as guitarist too! Susanna hoffs also married the director Jay roach and they're still married with 2 kids
25:26 George’s reading of “Starring Beyoncé …and Michael Caine” is exactly the type of content I come here for 😆
Yep, definitely 60s. Everything was colorful back then. The 70s were faded jeans, gray, light brown, even movies and tv shows were faded. You mentioned some opening clips parts, one that might have been close was "Love, American Style" series that started in 1969. Not sure if that's close, just came to mind
'60s: Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll.
'70s: AIDS, Nancy Reagan and the Bee Gees.
The band Ming Tea was formed by Mike Myers after a Saturday night live stint he adopted the persona of Austin Powers, the lead Guitarist and backing vocals is Susanna Hoffs from the girls group the Bangles. Mike Myers wife encouraged him to write a movie based on Powers character.
Ming Tea is also a reference to The 10th Victim, one of a dozen or so 60s films that Mike Myers assigned to his fellow actors as homework, so that they'd understand what Austin Powers was trying to spoof.
Definitely should add 'So I Married An Axe Murderer' to your list of films to watch.
💚
I have avoided this movie for about 25 years, and its sequel, but now I feel motivated to watch it just to join this party. No matter how familiar we are with significant or popular films, there are those movies we just haven't bothered to watch and this is one of those for me on a list that grows.
The slow motion concrete roller attack was previously performed in A Fish Called Wanda in 1988. It was a mostly Monty Python populated movie, plus Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline.
"Mostly"? It had Cleese and Palin, written by Cleese.
Easily top 5 comedies ever
“How’s your father” is an old British phrase.
Austin Powers used it instead of saying masturbation but it’s mostly used as a replacement for saying sexual intercourse.
“Fancy a bit of how’s your father..?” etc…
That was a fun reaction! 😁
I'd also throw "Bedazzled" into the hat with Liz Hurley and Brendan Fraser!
"Bedazzled" is an incredible movie! An ensemble cast run through several scenarios, but Brendan Fraser plays very distinct characters in each scenario. This is the film that convinced me Fraser was a great actor who had not yet been properly utilized.
The Brandan Fraser version is a 2000 remake of one originated in 1967 by Dudley Moore and Peter Cooke. Both films are entertaining, but the Fraser version is exceptional.
Bedazzled - Starring Dudley Moore and Peter Cook is outstanding. The new one.....not so much.
@@dggydddy59 have ya seen the original?
The original, with Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, has some amazingly biting social satire. The new one, with Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Fraser, is fun, but lacks the bite. I'm not sure, though, how someone of a younger generation would appreciate the satire of the original, as I suspect some of it is too dependent on the era. I was born at the tail end of the '60s, and there was a scene in it that had me laughing so hard I had trouble breathing.
And now I want a Frobisher and Gleason raspberry flavored ice lolly....
"YEAAAA BABY YEAAA!!!" Mike Myers was one of my favorite actors as a kid, he's a Canadian National treasure & I'm surprised you guys haven't seen any of the Austin Powers movies. I love Austin & Dr. Evil!!!😄😄😄
11:31 This style of shot, with a stationary car and a projected moving background, was used in older movies before the filmmakers figured out how to shoot inside an actual moving car. Hitchcock, for example, used this style a lot in his movies. In this movie, they're using it as part of the parody of 1960s James Bond films. But other modern movies use it to add a surreal aspect to the shot, such as in The Matrix when Neo first re-enters the matrix after being set free.
They still use this technique. Pulling cars on trailers.
@@Dularr The pulling cars on trailers technique is one of the new ways of filming inside cars. The old way had a car parked on a set and a literal movie projector showing the street moving.
@@fromdarknesscomeslight6894 I understand that. Now I'm trying to find the first use of a car on a trailer
Rear-projection was about the only way to show actors inside cars until the equipment got more advanced and less cumbersome. It was still used occasionally in the 70s. Hitchcock was still around and Disney had a lot of old hands working on their 70s stuff.
That's not what he's talking about. He's asking about the whole Neon Signs moving through black around a character as they journey through a city.
12:22 One thing you can say about the character: he knows and respects consent.
OTOH, Vanessa gets pretty possessive very quickly. She gives him the "Last Man On Earth" line, makes him sleep on the sofa, they hadn't even kissed, and then she suddenly gets bent out of shape when he sleeps with someone else.
After all these years and seeing this film so many times, the "Who does number 2 work for?" scene still has me crying.
13:52 you cut out the punchline lol "I'm sorry baby, I didn't know it was your tunr!" One of his best lines the movie :D
I’m sure you guys caught this, but Mike Myers also plays Dr. Evil. Actually, he plays multiple characters in each of the movies. Can’t wait for your reaction to the sequels! 😂
And he plays 4 characters in Goldmember. He also played his father in So I Married an Axe Murderer.
His manner of speaking when doing Dr. Evil is supposed to be an impression of Lorne Michaels.
Were gonna get through this. What a supportive stranger. Simone thats just guys being dudes. We will support any other guy no matter the struggle.
I mean, even if you don´t like puns, you just HAVE TO appreciate the nod to "Oddjob" from James Bond with "Random Task" ! lmao
They guy that plays random task is a convicted murderer, now in prison.
@@user-il9ze9py8c well,he was actually a convicted gang rapist and then murdered someone in prison I believe.
@@johnmorris8444 He's worse in real life than in the damn movie!
"He's a famous spy? That seems contradictory..."
And so the journey begins.
And yes, it was Will Ferrell, with a fez, and you missed the Carrie Fisher's cameo, but I still encourage you to see the sequel of the film, The Spy Who Shagged Me !
9:05 Simone's look here is PRICELESS.
Great reaction! I was a teen in the 90s (in fact I think I saw this film on my 16th birthday) so these films have a huge nostalgic draw for me and as a James Bond fan they really work for me as a parody. Also I have to agree Elizabeth Hurley looked amazing (and still does.)
Wow, I could tell from the beginning you guys had very little idea of Austin Powers - hence, a high energy reaction from you guys! Loved it! Can't wait for you to watch the rest!
They also had no idea of James Bond, otherwise they would have gotten the references.
He's a fashion photographer in the 60s as a cover for being a spy.
In 1967, various bands in Britain dressed like that (Austin's look with the frills). The striped suit with the red bandana around the neck is Michael Caine in the '60s. (You might know Michael Caine primarily as Alfred from the Batman movies.)
Austin Powers wasn't from the 70s, he was from the swingin London 60s scene. All those fashions from the 60s in this movie were very in vogue during those times.
17:05 - The Asian henchman is a parody of a famous James Bond henchman named Oddjob, from the movie Goldfinger. His signature weapon was a bowler hat with a razor-sharp metal brim, which he would throw like a Frisbie.
I love this trilogy! 🤣👍
When they did the little mysical breaks, the female guitar player is Susannah Hoffs, lead guitarist and vocalist of The Bangles.
The "walking down the city streets with signs flashing all around montage" trope has been used a lot, humorously and tragically. The earliest example I know of is from "The Lost Weekend" from 1945.
I don't know if they came before or after, but I remember it from a couple of musicals from the same era.
The equivalent in modern movies would be a montage scene.
10:50 Oh I can answer this! In the DVD commentary, Elizabeth Hurley said they set up multiple monitors for her. So while she appears to be looking off randomly on the phone call, she is actually focusing on a different monitors reflecting the camera shot so she can tell exactly when to maneuver her hands. EDIT And then you realize just after.
This is very much a parody of the 60s spy movies, such as James Bond, and much more so other movies such as Man From Uncle, Matt helm, Flint etc. The Black Leather catsuit is a reference to the UK tv series - The Avengers. It was worn by Diana Rigg as Mrs Peel.
Oh my god, you have to watch all three of these movies.. they are hysterical
If you guys liked this, you'll like the sequels and should absolutely watch them. Sooner the better, if only because there are a few callbacks that are nice to pick up on.
The motorized cart in the hallway is the best scene
THE most famous and quintessentially 1960s TV show was "Laugh-In", which was skit comedy broken up by 3-5 seconds of a go-go girl dancing between skits. The Austin Powers franchise borrows this, either as a way to set the context of the action or Austin's experience/expectations in the film or as a direct homage.
ruclips.net/video/6HENY4D_qbA/видео.html
as a kid watching reruns of Laugh-In I remember having strange feelings about Goldie Hawn when she danced in a bikini and body paint.
@@davehoward22 Much of it was directly tied to the culture and even more importantly, the news of each year it was made. It did predict the presidency of Ronald Reagan, California governor at the time.
Oh yea, total Laugh-in vibe.
So I married an axe murderer is an unsung classic. I recommend it highly!
Fun fact: "Poets' Corner" in
"...Axe Murderer" is Dunsmuir House
& Gardens in Oakland, Ca., which was
first featured on film in the '76
horror classic "Burnt Offerings".
@@laustcawz2089 I never knew that! thanks for teaching me something new! :) I'll have to find that film to watch now :)
The whole Austin Powers Trilogy is so fucking hilarious!!!
Simone's smile and laugh is super adorable 💖
This movie is a classic, still so funny. And this is god tier Elizabeth Hurley.
I'm going just randomly comment here. The thumbnails are hilarious!!!!
Please watch GALAXY QUEST! Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tim Allen, Sam Rockwell, Tony Shalhoub....
@@szeddezs You can enjoy this movie without knowing anything about STAR TREK!
11:32 *Re: The origin of the iconic "on the town" marquee montage.* ● I could be mistaken, but I believe *Slavko Vorkapić* _(Slavoljub "Slavko" Vorkapić)_ may have created and first used that _"marquee montage"_ in the 1920's. It was highly used in the 30s and 40s.
*Re: Simone's question at **23:57*
_Austin Powers_ originally came from the sixties. All of those iconic elements were pulled from the 60s.
*Edit:* If I'm not mistaken, they spoof the seventies a bit in the _Goldmember_ film.
The '60s had a lot of color. That's when the hippies were around talking about peace and love and happiness. The 70s were more orange, yellow, gold, brown, beige colors. In the 80s you got more brown, wood, beige, some white.
I feel you’re off by a few years. Late 60s and early 70s were the earth tones. Mid and late 70s were the brown, wood, beige, white. But the early 80s started to move away from that to bright, saturated colors. I mean, look at the clothes the Golden Girls wore (1985).
@@tookitogo I feel once you get into the 90s you get a lot of the bold colors such as aquamarines, off pinks, magentas, neon colors.
@@txdomino Those already started in the mid-late 80s. Probably hit their peak in the early 90s.
The shots of them on their night out is I think a reverence to Pillow Talk with Doris Day and Rock Hudson. I dont think its the origin of that montage but thats the movie that springs to my mind when I see this in other movies
Don’t think the work that goes into your thumbnails isn’t appreciated. They always crack me up.
Thanks a lot for the sound effects at the end. I was comfortable in my bed and NOW I gotta evacuate.
damn, the Austin Powers series and the "Cornetto" trilogy are such defining moments in time
OMG, I totally forgot about that opening dance sequence! So good!
If you think Beyoncè is a surprise in that one, you gonna love the whole cast.
I remember going to the movies a long time ago and the trailer for Austin Powers 2 came out. This was during the super-hype of the new Star Wars prequels that were about to come out. It slowly zooms in on a chair on what looks like the Death Star, then it turns around and it's Dr. Evil and he says "You were expecting someone else?" I laughed so hard for like 15 minutes straight.
God, I'd forgotten that one! Talk about subverting expectations, but in a good way!
LOL ! Your thumbnails are almost as fun to watch as your reaction videos!~ Cheers!
Love the film 😍, love the reaction 😍 & love the thumbnail 😍….thanks both 👍😂🤣😁🇬🇧…yeah baby!!
The time period is more late 60s than 70s, and you should really see the Sean Connery James Bond movies to appreciate all of the references here. Particularly Dr. No (the very first James Bond movie), and Goldfinger. (Dr. Evil's outfit and cat are taken from Dr. No. And they ripped off the shoe-throwing henchman in this film from the same character called Oddjob, from Goldfinger.
Except didn't Odd Job throw his lethal bowler hat?
@@SK-lk3iu yep. Only slightly less ridiculous than throwing a shoe.
I thank the both of you for what you two do. It's always so much fun watching movies I've seen with you guys. Please keep it all up
The whole trilogy is great. Loved your reaction as always
15:30
One of the funniest childhood upbringings ever written for a film.
Get well soon Simone :)
MOJO, MOJO AND LOTS OF MOJO. That's what Austin had. You two are going to laugh your butts off with the other two movies.
These movies are so funny. Even funnier when you get the references if you have seen the Bond movies.
Min 11 : 32 , the source is Singin' in the Rain - 1952 -
21:01 21:07 "A George Divided Against Itself Can Not Stand!"
He ain't wrong, though. Liz Hurley was on many people's list of celebrity crushes back in the '90s. (And she's aged like a fine wine, too.)
fun and silly, right up your alley. can't wait for the collab, the lineup is bonkers. have fun
It's been years and this movie still makes me crack up laughing..
This film was a minor hit but nothing so impressive that you would think it would be a sequel. Then it was released onto home video which is where most people discovered it and it became a huge hit, and that's when the studio decided to make a sequel.
To put it into perspective, the second film made as much (more?) money in its opening weekend as the first film made during its entire theatrical run.
The dance scenes are a tribute to the "cocktail party" segments on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In." You can see a sample of one here: ruclips.net/video/FldVzn04NSs/видео.html Also, I once was lucky enough to meet Mindy Stirling (the shouty lady) at a convention. She is sweet, funny, and has the mouth of a sailor. You can't help but love her.
Was looking for this comment. They look just like the little dance scenes on Laugh-In.
Glad I wasn’t the only one who remembered this.
That was fun guys, thanks, I needed a laugh today. My favorite scene was the one with Tom Arnold, "Show that turd who's boss!"
I agree about Liz Hurley. And if you wanna see more Elizabeth Hurley hotness, I´d HIGHLY recommend _Bedazzled_ with her and Brendan Fraser. VERY underrated comedy.
11:40 - The trope maker for that shot is LOST WEEKEND, a very famous movie about alcoholism.
This movie is such a great spoof on some of the sillier James Bond movies too. The second one is great.
I watched these movies growing up. The second one made me have a MAJOR crush on Heather Graham. Nowadays, I´d rather have a crush on Liz Hurley though. LOVED her in Bedazzled......
The brief dancing scene at 4:55 may have been more widespread in the late 60s/early 70s, but I remember that kind of thing mainly from the sketch comedy/musical variety show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Many of their sketches were very short, and they would transition from one to another with a big splash of color and someone dancing, often a young Goldie Hawn in a bikini with something written on her torso or legs.
This was absolutely great watching these two laugh at this movie. At the time I saw this, possibly in 1998, I had never seen James Bond: Goldfinger and James Bond: You Only Live Twice. But the movie has lots of events based on those movies.
That thumbnail is brilliant and lovely, cool reaction as always Simone & George, you both take care
I love this movie so pleased to see your reaction to something a bit different. Fact of the day:- The actor that played Random Task was Korean actor Joe Son who in 2011 he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of torture ( there was also a rape charge but statute of limitation had elapsed so he was not tried for this in court) of a 19-year old woman in 1990. Shortly after starting his sentence he killed his cell mate and got another 27 years added to his life sentence. According to this victim she had a copy of this movie at home until her attacker was revealed.
Wow!!
And they may not realize that Random Task was a spoof on the old Bond "Odd Job" character who threw his deadly steel rimmed hat to kill people.
and MMA fighter who was famously pounded repeatedly in the nads when it was legal 🤣
@@ThreadBomb Your right not really trivia more of a fact, so I changed it to fact of the day.
Do you listen to the podcast Crime in sports, who covered him?
Great reaction guys 👍😍 I love Austin Powers.
Hope you feel better soon Simone.♥️
Michael York, who plays Basil Exposition, was a world-famous actor in the 1970s, largely due to the successful Three Musketeers movies, based on the Alexandre Dumas book. He was also in the movie 'Logan's Run,' a very entertaining sci-fi movie from 1976, which would be a great film for you to react to sometime. Mimi Rogers, who plays Mrs. Kensington, was married to Tom Cruise for a while, she's his first wife. Austin Powers is obviously a parody of the Bond films, particularly 'Goldfinger' (1964) which many Bond fans consider to be the best of all the Bond films. The main female villain character's name in that movie is Pussy Galore, which is where the name Alotta Fagina comes from. Goldfinger also has a short, muscular Japanese villain named Oddjob who threw a hat instead of a shoe. In the movie, Oddjob decapitates the head off of a marble statue with his hat to demonstrate how deadly it is. And Dr. Evil is based on Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who was the main villain in a number of the Bond films. The look is almost identical.
I also think it’s hilarious that for the censored TV version of Austin Powers, they renamed Alotta Fagina to Allotta Cleavage (pronounced “clee-vah-jay”)! I mean, coming up with one Italianate dirty name is clever enough, but two? Brilliant!
looking forwards to you guys watching the other two of these, i don't know how you haven't seen them before
It was the 60's, not the 70's that Austin Powers is from, I find it weird that a lot of "younger" people get that part wrong. That style is stereotypical 60's Britain, just like Hippies are 60's USA. I can't wait for you guys to watch the sequel, it's one of the few movies where the sequel is better than the original. Keep up the good work... :)
Get well Simone. You guys are great!
This movie borrows a lot from 60's spy spoofs Carry On Spying, In Like Flint and the Matt Helm series of movies. Also the UK series The Avengers.
Also the 1967 James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice". I think the idea of hijacking nukes came from another 60's Bond flick "Thunderball" ... both starring Sean Connery.
So the interludes/transitions with the band and go-go dancers were from a variety/comedy show in the 60s called Laugh-In. They would show go-go girls dancing as a transition between skits. It may have been in other shows but Laugh-In is the most famous/recognized example.
I recently visited a Dollar General and found the trilogy on DVD for the measly price of $3.45. Did not disappoint (except for a very brief Kevin Spacey cameo). Fun fact: the guy who got run over by a steamroller in the middle of the film was later in the 2021 film Halloween Kills and was murdered by none other than the series' antagonist, Michael Myers... making him the only man to have been "killed" by a real and fake Mike Myers.
That was real 1960-70s carry on, clothes, crumpet and free love etc. Carnaby Street, London, was full of what you saw in the film. I personally remember. Even the speech is great; Yeah Babe!
I love these Austin Powers films and I’m 69, would you believe. They take me back to when everything was normal and everyone was happier.
This movie was more helpful than just about anything when I first started as a DM. It just hits the tropes so bluntly that you can't help but pick up a few things.
Also, you guys really need to do Wayne's World soon!
Totally Groovy Reactions Baby 😎...genuinely laughed along with you guy's even though I've seen this movie One Million times... 😂