Yeah, baby, yeah! Austin Powers returns after being an International Man of Mystery and meeting up with The Spy Who Shagged Me. The always hip Mike Myers reprises his tour-de-force role, playing multiple roles, including Austin’s archenemy, Dr. Evil; and the loquacious, foul Fat Bastard. This time around, Austin’s just been knighted by the Queen of England – and his dad (a notorious no-show) isn’t there to witness the great event. But no matter, soon Austin’s off to stop the nefarious world-domination plot of Dr. Evil.

Austin’s transported to 1975 in a chic time machine and meets up with Foxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles), a fellow agent. Foxy works for Goldmember, a sinister villain who happens to run a trendy disco club (where Foxy sings, of course). Goldmember’s famous for his love of gold; his name stems from the fact that a certain part of his anatomy is golden, owing to a horrible smelting accident. Austin and Foxy know that Goldmember has been working on a plan for Dr. Evil, and they’re sworn to stop him. That’s about all of the plot you need to know now. There are some twists and turns, some absolutely hilarious. Along for the ride are, as in the past films, Seth Green as Scott Evil; Robert Wagner as Number Two, Michael York as Basil, and Verne Troyer as Mini-Me. Adding to the mayhem is Michael Caine with a somewhat smarmy bit as Austin’s itinerant dad (although he’s a bit under-used; just about any actor could have done the same in this role).

The first thing one asks before seeing this film is, “Will this be as entertaining as the first two films?” The answer is yes, my friends, yes it is. There are a zillion jokes, and they’re largely hit and miss, but those that hit are very funny. One of the misses is actually a hit, too – the opening sequence, which is a movie about Austin Powers – but not starring Austin as Austin, but rather an even more recognizable face, in one of many celebrity cameos. Any movie that has you rattling off its catch phrases as you depart the theater is a good movie, in my book. I kept saying, “Oh, behave!” even though there was no one else in the car. I even looked over at cars parked next to me at traffic lights, with my eyebrow raised and my mouth widening into a you-know-what grin. Yeah, baby, yeah! Wanna… shag? Goldmember’s a lot of fun.

Oh, don’t worry, it’s not a thinking man’s movie. It’s gross and disgusting – farts and eating your own skin play into the plot. The jokes can be a little on the ribald side, but there’s nothing much you should warn your kids about. For the most part, if your kids loved the first two Austin Powers films, then this one’s fine for them to see. Now, the cast. Myers is excellent as always in his multiple roles – in fact, I think there was more of him on the screen this time around than in the past, but that might have just been my own perception.

Knowles, who’s basically a novice when it comes to acting (she sings with the group Destiny’s Child), is very appealing – spot on, as the Brits would say. “My name is Foxy Cleopatra, and I’m a whole LOTTA woman!” she tells Austin when they meet. Foxy’s decked out in a big golden Afro wig and platform shoes – boy, who misses the fashion of the 70s, huh? – and peppers her speech with a lot of period slang.

Only on celluoid could a guy with bad posture, terrible teeth, no dancing ability to speak of, a somewhat annoying bray, and a crooked haircut get all the hot women. I mean, look at this guy! In the first film, he got Elizabeth Hurley; in the second, it was Heather Graham. And now it’s Beyonce Knowles! Who’s next? Madonna? There were a couple of slow spots, but not very many. This one was a lot of fun, highly enjoyable.

Austin Powers: Goldmember: 8