'Austin Powers' returns

Mike Myers has again proven to be hilarious in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," the sequel to "Austin Powers."  Myers, who plays three leading roles in the film, leaves audiences laughing-out-loud at his unique slapstick comedy.

The sequel starts where the first film left off, with Powers (Mike Myers) enjoying his honeymoon.  Things take a turn for the worse when Powers discovers that his bride, Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley), is really an evil robot sent by his nemesis Dr. Evil to kill him.  Her quick destruction leaves Powers single and ready to swing again.

Powers' nemesis, Dr. Evil (Mike Myers again), is back on earth in 1999 despite his previous venture into space at the conclusion of the 1997 movie.  This time he is more evil than ever, and once again plans on taking over the world.  In order to accomplish this, he decides he must rid the world of his only obstacle, Austin Powers.

In a bid to foil Powers, Evil builds a time machine that takes his new henchman "Fat Bastard" (Myers one more time) back to 1969, where he steals Powers' "mojo" (libido).  Becoming aware of his missing libido during a sexual encounter, Powers decides he will travel back in time to recover the "mojo", but in his own unique way.  Powers takes a Volkswagen Beetle time machine.

At the same time, Evil has another problem to deal with.  His son, Scott Evil (Seth Green), is upset with him for his evil ways.  This leads to a great spoof on the times, as 
the two meet on "The Jerry Springer Show," in an episode entitled "My Father Wants to Take Over the World."  The inevitable "Jerry Springer" brawl ensues, with Dr. Evil fighting nearly everyone on the show, including Springer himself.

Infuriating his son further, Evil clones himself, resulting in what he refers to as Mini Me.  To Dr. Evil, the clone is like the son he always wanted but never had.  After all, as the first movie showed, there's nothing like a good father-son conflict to bring laughs to the screen.

When there is a British spy as sexy as Austin Powers, women naturally follow.  After his bride is destroyed, Powers meets his newest love, Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham), who is an American secret agent that drives a Corvette.  Graham's part in the movie is the only flaw, as she doesn't seem comfortable in the role as Powers' leading lady.

The sequel is filled with mass-market, industrial strength consumerism.  Products ranging from Starbucks coffee to America On-Line are obviously promoted.  Although annoying at times, the promotions are cleverly inserted and contribute to the humor of the film.

The few flaws of the film do nothing to tarnish the overall humor of the film, which leaves audiences hysterical.  Myers' performance is wonderful.  When it is all
over, plenty of room is left for another sequel, which is not surprising after the film set the record for the highest-grossing comedy debut in history.