20
Without a genuinely charming central character to pull it together, the movie is a shamble of tedious passages punctuated by a few desultory chuckles.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
50
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
The drawn-out, lowbrow humor is either "love it" or "hate it," so it may not be your bag, baby.
20
Mike Myers wrote the abominable script, plays both leads and is miscast in each.
88
San Francisco Examiner by G. 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.
75
Chicago Tribune by John 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.
60
Chicago Reader by Jonathan 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.
50
TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh
Amiable, brightly colored spoof of '60s pop culture.
75
San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle
Austin Powers sounded like a silly idea, but it turns out to be one of the best comedies of the year.