Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)

It’s the most memorable day of Austin Powers’ life when he is knighted by the Queen. His pride and joy are only compounded by the fact that Nigel Powers, the father that Austin has worshiped since childhood is in attendance to witness the honor. But alas, when Austin turns to introduce Nigel to Her Majesty and the assembled guests, the original International Man of Mystery and the most famous of British intelligence officers is nowhere to be found. Austin is devastated. Once again his hero has let him down. But just when Austin is at his lowest, Basil Exposition informs him that Nigel has been kidnapped by a criminal mastermind…uh, well maybe not a mastermind, but certainly a devious villain…named Goldmember.

With no clear leads to his father’s whereabouts, Austin turns to an unlikely source for help. He is forced to make a devil’s pact with Dr. Evil, who is incarcerated in a maximum security prison and will only point Austin in the right direction if the super sleuth makes arrangements for Dr. Evil to be transferred to a less secure facility where Mini Me has been jailed. Dr. Evil directs Austin to travel back in time to 1975, where the disco-loving Goldmember is holding court in the exclusive Studio 69 nightclub in Manhattan.

No sooner has Austin taken off to find his father in 1975 than Dr. Evil and Mini Me escape from prison. By the time Austin travels back in time and meets his old partner Foxxy Cleopatra working undercover in Goldmember’s roller disco nightclub, his longtime nemesis is already hot on his trail. Dr. Evil forges an alliance with Goldmember and together they initiate "Preparation H," the ultimate plan to stop Austin and destroy the world. But little do any of them know that Austin’s encounter with Dr. Evil will stir up more than the usual animosity between the two; secrets will be exposed, hidden truths will come to the fore, and the raison d’être for the compulsive conflict between these arch enemies will be revealed.

"Austin is defined by serially chasing Dr. Evil," explains Mike Myers. "Not to sound melodramatic, but in this movie we play out the ritual of people who define themselves through the feelings they have for an enemy. This story explores people’s fears and hopes, their wishes and struggles, ideals and goals. It’s not going to teach anybody anything, but comedy happens to be an idiom I enjoy, so we use humor to convey that philosophy."

In writing the story for Austin Powers in Goldmember, Myers adhered to his overall belief in comedy as the most palatable form of communication. "Broad comedy is as legitimate and valid a delivery system for expansive, spiritual ideas as any other art form. It’s the Flinstones vitamins approach to those ideas; we should eat Dino and Barney and not know it’s good for us."

As Jay Roach is fond of saying, "We do it all with a wink and a nod."

"We thought it would be cool if Austin were in the legacy phase of his career," Myers says. "He’s at his pinnacle, knighted by the Queen and still his father gives him no respect. The reason Austin became a spy is because Nigel was Britain’s most decorated and celebrated spy. Austin’s spent his whole life trying to get his father’s approval. On the flamboyant scale Nigel is about an eight, so Austin has to be a ten. He’s always trying to get his father’s attention, and when Nigel gets kidnapped by Goldmember and taken back to the ‘70s, Austin has to rescue him. When Austin eventually sees his father, he realizes that Nigel is hornier than he is and always wants to run the show. Nigel has no respect for Austin and all of Austin’s childhood pain comes flooding back, and he has to cope with that."

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