Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
New Line Cinema | Release Date: May 2, 1997 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
8
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
TNT RoughCutGraham Verdon
Myers gives us all of the exaggerated physical schtick of Jim Carrey plus the added bonus of wickedly clever writing that refuses to let you escape.
88
San Francisco ExaminerG. Allen Johnson
Austin is funny, extremely funny, because he is so ridiculous, and because Myers is a brilliant mimic who, like Martin Short, knows how to do ridiculous. Read full review
80
Mr. ShowbizMichael Atkinson
Myers has hit upon a genuinely original schtick, and that fact alone is immeasurably groovy.
80
VarietyLeonard Klady
Definitely lives up to its promise of being smashing, groovy, baby. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRobert Faires
Austin Powers is the kind of movie Mel Brooks used to make -- extravagantly funny, with plenty of juvenile humor, but as much or more of it smart, delivered with a dead aim at a cultural milestone, affection for its victim, and style. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Austin Powers sounded like a silly idea, but it turns out to be one of the best comedies of the year. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneJohn Petrakis
The key to the film, however, is the joyous performance of Mike Myers, who plays both the Beatle-mopped Austin Powers and the bald-headed Dr. Evil.
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A little of this sort of thing goes a long way, but no one does it better than Myers. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A funny movie that only gets funnier the more familiar you are with the James Bond movies, all the Bond clones and countless other 1960s films. Read full review
75
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
His (Myers) affection for the era and its gaudy, bawdy movies inject this bit of fluff with giddy energy. Read full review
70
Washington PostJohn F. Kelly
We may not need as many Austin Powers movies as there are James Bond pictures, but one or two more might be nice. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
There are times when Austin Powers drags. It can be difficult to sustain even the best humor for ninety minutes, and this film, for all of the laughs it offers, is far from the best. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
What's really fun about this silly but spirited comedy isn't just the ribbing of "swinging London" fashion and social attitudes but the use of the compulsive zooms and split-screen mosaics of commercial movies of the 60s. Read full review
60
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
As goofy and throwaway as the "Brady Bunch" movies, but it has the same winking appreciation of vintage kitsch. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The drawn-out, lowbrow humor is either "love it" or "hate it," so it may not be your bag, baby. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Amiable, brightly colored spoof of '60s pop culture. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsDave Kehr
A few well-timed laughs and a lot of filler. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
The result is less a screenplay than a manic quote machine. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverPeter Rainer
What the movie mostly sends up is its star and screenwriter, Michael Myers. That's not all bad. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubMaria Schneider
It helps that Myers has Powers down pat. Still, the need to parody "Casino Royale" could have been taken care of in an eight-minute TV skit; instead, we're given nearly 90 minutes of someone else's party. Read full review
20
Washington PostRita Kempley
Piddling spoof. Read full review
20
L.A. WeeklyF. X. Feeney
Mike Myers wrote the abominable script, plays both leads and is miscast in each. Read full review
20
SalonLaura Miller
Without a genuinely charming central character to pull it together, the movie is a shamble of tedious passages punctuated by a few desultory chuckles. Read full review
20
Los Angeles TimesJohn Anderson
The result is a comedy of errors. Errors, yes. Comedy . . . we're not so sure. Read full review
10
Film.comSean Means
I see Austin Powers as Myers' desperate cry for help -- a plea to stop him before he does schtick again.
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