Grays Almanac

Home/Episodes/Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

‘Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

May 3, 2022 · Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) · Adventure · Comedy · 1:20:34 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 22:15The late 90s camera technology limitations - when you had two guys in the same scene, you could always feel that they're not in the same scene back then

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 38:33The group therapy scene
Chris Ryan▶ 42:32The group therapy scene (though noted he's partial to Austin waking up with the long pee and penis enlarger scene)
Sean Fennessey▶ 42:30The group therapy scene

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 44:01Multiple quotes including 'That's right, buddy. You showed that turd who's boss', 'Only two things scare me. Nuclear war on carnies', 'Get away from me, you lazy-eyed psycho', and 'When Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset, people die'

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 47:48The sequels

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 52:25Soup Nazi (Larry Thomas) as the blackjack dealer
Chris Ryan▶ 52:59Elya Baskin — Mentioned Elia Baskin (Russian officer) but didn't give a definitive pick
Sean Fennessey▶ 52:43Fabiana Udenio — Discussed Fabiana Udenio (Alotta Fagina) but didn't give a definitive pick

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 55:27Heather Graham — Wanted one famous fembot who became a huge star; suggests Heather Graham as lead fembot but notes it would ruin Austin Powers 2; proposes Chris Ryan replace the Irish henchman/Lucky Charms guy; suggests Daniel Day-Lewis
Chris Ryan▶ 56:33Gary Oldman — Suggests getting edgy British method actors like Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, or David Thewlis to play Patty
Sean Fennessey▶ 55:19Pamela Anderson — Questions why Pamela Anderson wasn't cast instead of Cindy Margolis; mentions Helen Mirren as possibility

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 56:50Multiple trivia facts: Joe Son (Random Task) serving life sentence plus 27 years for murder; AOL 3.0 product placement for free service; Austin's 1961 Jaguar E-Type; Zima switched to Tab Cola after brand objected; George Harrison's last letter to Mike Myers asking for Mini Me doll
Chris Ryan▶ 57:23AOL was giving away free service with CDs for years, appeared in every issue of Inside Sports
Sean Fennessey▶ 58:02Wayne's World product placement joke comparison - noted how powerful money is that Myers still did product placement despite parodying it five years earlier

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 58:58Mike Myers — Discussed multiple picks: Mike Myers (Austin Powers 2), New Line (Boogie Nights), Bond parodies (yes), Elizabeth Hurley (yes), bad teeth comedy gag (yes), long movie pisses (tie with A League of Their Own)
Chris Ryan▶ 59:28Mike Myers — Agreed Mike Myers was at apex mountain for Austin Powers 2, argued New Line's apex was Lord of the Rings movies over Boogie Nights, agreed on various other picks
Sean Fennessey▶ 59:45Mike Myers — Argued for Mike Myers apex being 2001-2002 range (Shrek leading into Austin Powers 3), agreed on New Line being Boogie Nights over Austin Powers

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:36Dr. Evil's escape scene with the cryogenic rocket built out of a Bob's Big Boy statue on top of a London nightclub makes no sense and is absolutely ridiculous

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:01His unanswerable question: is Austin Powers the single best movie franchise from a PER (per-movie efficiency) standpoint - three movies, all successful, none bad, left out on top like Jim Brown retiring at 30. Rocky's first four and Fast 4-5 rise-and-fall are his comparisons.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:09:52Stress-tested candidates without unseating the premise: John Wick (but they keep making them), the current Mission: Impossible run ('hard to imagine a bad one... even though there have been some'), Star Wars (ruined by prequels), and the joke take that 'the only good franchise is actually the Jaws movies, culminating with Van Peebles.'
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:10:49Endorsed Bill's framing ('honestly, it's a great take') while noting Mission: Impossible is the rare franchise getting better, Lord of the Rings would qualify if Jackson had stopped after three (the Hobbit movies were 'boring as shit'), and Goldmember is the least funny of the three, with The Love Guru as Myers going too far.

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:24Mike Myers

Movies Referenced (38)

Wayne's World (1992)

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 5:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Shrek (2001)

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 10:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Boogie Nights (1997)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:00:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 8:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Empire Records (1995)

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Back to the Future (1985)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jaws (1975)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 1:11:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Wick (2014)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Love Guru (2008)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 59:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 13:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jaws 2 (1978)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 1:12:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (9)

Monty Python

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 12:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ivan Reitman

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Up in the Air, Ghostbusters▶ 25:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Mann

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 1:16:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Winning

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jay Roach

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Bombshell, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery▶ 57:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jonathan Demme

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married▶ 52:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Thomas Anderson

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Punch-Drunk Love, Licorice Pizza, There Will Be Blood▶ 1:02:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Peter Jackson

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Bad Taste, King Kong▶ 1:10:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ron Howard

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for A Beautiful Mind▶ 25:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (92)

Mike Myers

49 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery▶ 2:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Stiller

18 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Tropic Thunder, Zoolander▶ 7:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dana Carvey

17 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Wayne's World, Wayne's World 2▶ 19:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Daniel Craig

17 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for No Time to Die, Casino Royale, Skyfall▶ 16:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jim Carrey

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Bruce Almighty, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind▶ 7:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Will Ferrell

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Blades of Glory▶ 8:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ethan Embry

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Disturbing Behavior, Sweet Home Alabama, That Thing You Do!▶ 1:04:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Adam Sandler

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Big Daddy, Little Nicky▶ 7:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mimi Rogers

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Ginger Snaps, Lost in Space▶ 41:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Seth Green

6 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for The Italian Job, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery▶ 50:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Carrie Fisher

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi▶ 38:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Colin Quinn

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for A Night at the Roxbury, Grown Ups 2▶ 50:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (2)

Lorne Michaels

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 19:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 33:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗