Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) - ★☆☆☆☆

People are always asking me, "Fiona, why, on your quest to watch every Woody Harrelson movie, are you including movies that you absolutely know you will hate, and that Woody is only in for two seconds, appearing as himself, in the last minute of the movie? Wouldn't it be easier to simply find clips of Woody's performances in these movies rather than subjecting yourself to the grueling two hours it would take to watch the whole thing?" I'd like to answer their questions with a few of my own:

How will I truly understand Woody's performance in such movies if I don't watch the whole thing?

Would a true fan of Woody Harrelson not subject themselves to the greatest pain to support him?

How could I claim to be the world's foremost Woody Harrelson expert if I did not watch the entirety of every movie that he appears in?

The answers to these questions are, respectively, "I couldn't!" "They would!" and "I couldn't!"

So here we are. Woody dazzles in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me as himself, and is just about the only good part of the movie. I was expecting, at least, for some wonderfully groovy outfits that would inspire me to enjoy my viewing experience, but the movie failed on that account too.

However, I do certainly feel that I know Woody a little better after watching this movie—who would have thought that only fourteen years after he began his turn on Cheers, he'd already be famous enough to be playing himself in a mediocre blockbuster movie? If I could travel back in time with the time machine (this is a fun reference to the movie this post is about), I'd give Woody a hearty congratulations. He deserves it.

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