Austin Powers in Goldmember MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +3 Content: -2 1/2

Mike Myers, his assorted characters and crew are back in the third, and supposedly last, installment of the spy spoof series. Meyers carries the spoof even further with scenes showing that Hollywood is making an Austin Powers movie directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey, all who make cameo appearances. Even Britney Spears gets included in a humorously explosive scene. From beginning to end, audiences may question whether this is a movie within a movie. After escaping from his maximum-security prison with Mini-me (Verne Troyer), Dr. Evil (Myers) continues his plan for world domination, by first kidnapping Nigel Powers (Michael Caine), Austins father and hiding him in 1975 with notorious criminal Goldmember (Myers). Austin travels back in time to rescue his dad and hooks up with Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles), whos chasing Goldmember. But Goldmember escapes to the present with Nigel and gives Evil his meteor-attracting beam. And Austin and Foxxy are right behind him. Fans of the bawdy Austin Powers films will no doubt make this another box office hit.

Like many British comedy imports, Canadian Myers humor focuses on body parts and body functions. One of Myers characters has a crude name and a pair of Japanese twins provides weak laughs from names that sound like the f-word. But in between jokes involving multiple euphemisms and slang terms for breasts, genitals and sexual acts, Myers mixes in messages about family approval and acceptance. Evil is shown orphaned by an explosion and taken in by an evil Belgian couple. Powers also loses his mother in an explosion and constantly tries to make his father proud of his accomplishments, but Nigel is never around. Evils son Scotty (Seth Green) also looks for fatherly approval, but Evil focuses on his mute clone, Mini-me. However, when Scotty does earn Evils attention, Mini-me finds himself suddenly excluded. All the relationships are worked out to a touching and humorous conclusion. One crude scene in silhouette implies not only a body part with a mind of its own, but also an unusual birth. A few henchmen are lost to tongue in cheek violence, but the constant sexually suggestive humor cheapens AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER.

Preview Reviewer: Paul Bicking
Distributor: New Line Cinema, 888 7th Ave., 20th Flr., New York, NY 10106