The hosts report that Myers wanted Jim Carrey to play Dr. Evil, but Carrey was busy finishing Liar Liar, so Myers played it himself.
A host reports that Rhea Perlman was in talks to play Frau Farbissina but had scheduling conflicts.
A host reports that Colin Quinn turned down Scott Evil and has had a lot of regrets since.
It is hard to imagine Colin Quinn as a young Scott Evil like Seth Green, though his Larry Sanders turn as Artie's disastrous intern son would have fit.
A host recalls reading an interview, possibly the oral history, with Seth Green describing being in a play when the call for this role came.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Old Bond parody references; late-90s two-character camera trickery; FemBots' 1960s references

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 00:21:26Read transcript

Late-90s camera trickery could not convincingly put two characters played by one actor in the same scene, flagged as an aged-worst item.
Bond references from the Donald Pleasence era may be lost on viewers under 35, as the producer's reaction suggested, whereas in 1997 they were still fresh.
The Bond parody and the FemBots rely on remembering the 1960s.
Austin's harassment of Vanessa could be taken the wrong way, but many say the film aged well there because he does not sleep with her when she is drunk.
Robert Wagner is flagged as coming up in the aged-worst discussion.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 00:32:47Read transcript

Roger Ebert gave the film three stars, calling it a funny movie that gets funnier the more familiar viewers are with James Bond movies, the Bond clones and other 1960s films.
The rating is a surprise given Ebert's attention to plot; the explanation offered is the film's overt Beyond the Valley of the Dolls references, a film Ebert co-wrote.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Group therapy scene

In the discussion (9)

Approx. transcript time · 00:33:18Read transcript

The cryogenic unfreezing with Gary Coleman and Vanilla Ice is a home-run four minutes: chest hair, the very long pee, the voice-volume side effect, meeting Vanessa, and the penis enlarger inventory gag.
Mustafa's Las Vegas scene, where he keeps saying he was shot and asks for the hatch to be opened, is nominated; he was brought back in the sequel.
The introduction of Dr. Evil's crew with bald Bigglesworth and his plan is a phenomenal four-to-five minute sequence; Will Ferrell slays, arriving from SNL, where he was still new and not yet mainstream.
The evil laughing scene, Austin naked while Vanessa eats a sausage, and the returning Mustafa death scene show Myers pushing a bit past unfunny and back; the evil laughing should be a meme, though there may be concerns about Robert Wagner.
The group therapy scene with Carrie Fisher is in the running for the greatest four minutes of 90s comedy and is one pick for most rewatchable; the Dr. Evil childhood speech is played in full.
The evil petting zoo line and the dynamic between Dr. Evil and his son are favorites, and the sequel leans into it more.
The dinner-party exchange questioning why Dr. Evil doesn't just shoot Austin, the reportedly improvised shushing scene, 'liquid hot magma' and the honeymoon ending are also cited.
Other nominations: the Electric Psychedelic Pussycat Swingers Club with Mimi Rogers, the airplane seduction with Austin spinning around, and Tom Arnold's 'showed that turd who's boss' moment.
All agree on the group therapy scene; one is partial to Austin waking up with the long pee and the penis enlarger and calls the two tied.

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

"That's right, buddy, you showed that turd who's boss"; "Only two things scare me, nuclear war and carnies"; "Get away from me, you lazy-eyed psycho"; "I can't believe Liberace is gay"; "I wish I was never artificially created in a lab"

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 00:42:22Read transcript

One host lists several favorite lines without ranking them and says any could be used; the movie is called very quotable.
A sequel line was once used on the host's old website in a column about Pete Carroll needing to be fired.

What’s Aged the Best?

Dr. Evil as Lorne Michaels; Elizabeth Hurley; Mimi Rogers as her mother; opening credits; musical interstitials; Will Ferrell as Mustafa; steamroller murder; the sequels; five stages of defrosting; head-loss jokes; Basil's mom; character names; the capitalism line

In the discussion (10)

Approx. transcript time · 00:42:51Read transcript

Dr. Evil as Lorne Michaels remains hilarious; every Dr. Evil scene is lights out, from Bigglesworth to the finger to the mouth and the run, an all-time creation.
Elizabeth Hurley is great and still aging well; this is really her only well-known movie besides Bedazzled; casting her as Mimi Rogers' daughter is a home run.
The opening credits are praised as unusual for a comedy; a world-famous spy living through Beatlemania is a stupid paradox only noticed on this rewatch.
The dance interstitials with close-ups of Austin's teeth are funny.
Will Ferrell as Mustafa has aged best, and there is no Anchorman without this film: the flute sequence echoes the Burt Bacharach scene.
The slow-motion steamroller murder, still ten feet away in the wide shot, is called the funniest thing ever seen.
The sequels belong here, since some, including someone who might produce the podcast, find them better than the original.
The five stages of defrosting, with cutaways to Michael York and Charles Napier nodding, and the FemBots are cited, though the FemBots' 60s parody may land less in 2022.
Beating a dumb joke into the ground works in the five-straight head jokes ('a shame he wasn't more headstrong'), and punching Basil's mom kills.
The character names (Basil Exposition, the name heard as 'A lot of vagina', Random Task) and Austin emerging from cryo with the capitalism line are highlights.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Larry Thomas as the blackjack dealer

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 00:50:03Read transcript

Burt Bacharach does not count as a That Guy.
Charles Napier is definitely a That Guy: a prison guard in The Silence of the Lambs and a judge in Philadelphia, in many Jonathan Demme films.
The Soup Nazi as the blackjack dealer is named the winner, since he is known only as the Soup Nazi; his name is offered as Larry Thomas.
Fabiana Udenio's character also became a That Guy, recalled from Summer School with Mark Harmon.
Elya Baskin, the Russian officer in every movie, is also named.

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Fabiana Udenio as Alotta Fagina

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 00:51:20Read transcript

The award goes to the character heard as 'a lot of vagina': the hot tub scene with Austin farting is bizarre, awkward and does not quite work.
The 'how dare you break wind before me' / 'I didn't realize it was your turn' exchange is the scene's one highlight; otherwise everyone overacts because it is a comedy.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Will Ferrell as Mustafa

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 00:51:48Read transcript

Candidates: Seth Green, Tom Arnold, Mimi Rogers and Will Ferrell as Mustafa, with Bigglesworth and Frau Farbissina added.
One vote goes to Seth Green, who is really funny in only five or six scenes.
Another voice goes with Will Ferrell, and a third sides with 'CR' on that pick, making Will Ferrell the majority.

Recasting Couch

New lead fembot; new Irish henchman

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 00:52:39Read transcript

Replacing Robert Wagner is floated, but the casting pays off when Rob Lowe is put in as Number Two, a Robert Wagner 2.0.
A point is started about the gentleman who played Random Task. — Chris Ryan
That actor is called a complicated figure, to be covered later.
An actress named on air as Ali Larder is proposed as the lead fembot; the fembots needed one future star, and Helen Mirren is jokingly suggested.
It is odd the role did not go to Pamela Anderson; Cindy Margolis was the lower-tier version at the time, and someone reportedly auditioned for a part, perhaps Elizabeth Hurley's.
Heather Graham as the lead fembot would have cost the sequel Felicity Shagwell.
The Irish henchman (the Lucky Charms guy) should be replaced by a young host then working at Newbury Comics; Bono is joked about, and edgy British method actors such as Gary Oldman or Tim Roth are proposed.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Random Task actor's prison sentence; AOL 3.0 product placement; 1961 Jaguar E-Type; Zima replaced by Tab; George Harrison's last letter

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 00:54:47Read transcript

A host reports that Joe Son, who played Random Task, is serving a life sentence and in 2017 received an additional 27 years for murdering his cellmate.
A host notes Austin's computer runs AOL 3.0; according to director Jay Roach, the AOL placement was done to get a free year of service.
A host identifies Austin's car as a 1961 Jaguar open two-seater.
A host says that in the Las Vegas bar scene Austin was meant to drink a Zima, but Zima realized it was being mocked, so it became Tab; this contrasts with the Wayne's World product-placement parody.
A host reports that George Harrison's last letter was to Myers, praising the films and asking for a Mini-Me doll; Myers framed it and told the story on Carvey's podcast.

Apex Mountain

Bond parodies; Elizabeth Hurley; "I Touch Myself"; bad teeth as a comedy gag

In the discussion (12)

Approx. transcript time · 00:56:59Read transcript

Myers' apex is the second movie; his run through Shrek up to the third film is also argued, and he was the biggest comedy actor after 1999.
Notes show the hosts gave Myers Apex Mountain for Austin Powers 2 in the earlier episode.
Asked about New Line's apex, the sentimental pick is Boogie Nights, placed one year later. — Sean Fennessey
Another voice corrects that Boogie Nights was also 1997, about six months later, making 1997 New Line's apex.
The Lord of the Rings films and Nightmare on Elm Street complicate New Line's apex; its 1997-98 slate runs through Boogie Nights, Wag the Dog and The Wedding Singer, then dips with Lost in Space.
Another host agrees on Boogie Nights; New Line gave auteurs money and, for this film, $16.5 million with no notes, ending the decade with Magnolia.
Yes for Bond parodies and for Elizabeth Hurley, with agreement.
Yes for the 'I Touch Myself' song, which gained a second life from the film.
No for Seth Green, whose peak came later with Can't Hardly Wait.
Back to the Future is named apex for time travel comedies.
Yes for bad teeth as a comedy gag; for long movie pisses as a gag this film and A League of Their Own are the finalists.
This is probably the apex for Mindy Sterling as Frau Farbissina.

Picking Nits

Bob's Big Boy cryogenic rocket

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:03:59Read transcript

There are few nits because it is a ridiculous comedy.
Dr. Evil builds a cryogenic rocket from a Bob's Big Boy statue atop a hip London nightclub, which makes no sense.
Being frozen for 30 years prompts basketball jokes about LeBron still on the Lakers and wishing to have been frozen before game one of the Celtics playoff series.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:07:16Read transcript

The answer to a ten-episode Netflix version is no.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Is Austin Powers the best movie franchise from a PR standpoint?

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:07:16Read transcript

The trilogy may be the best franchise from a PR standpoint: three successful movies, none bad, each adding something, and no fourth.
John Wick will tail off with more sequels and spinoffs; Fast and Furious and Star Wars have weak entries; Mission Impossible is getting better, though 2 is rough.
Rocky would qualify if it ended after four; Peter Jackson could have stopped after Lord of the Rings instead of making three dull Hobbit films.
The take is compared to Jim Brown retiring at the top; Goldmember is the least funny of the three and The Love Guru goes too far.
A take that the Jaws films qualify fails on Jaws 3D; Jaws 2 is proposed for a summer episode.

Producer review

Likes the second and third movies more than the first

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:10:42Read transcript

The producer apologizes, clarifies he likes two and three more than one rather than way better, and says he was three in 1997, saw the sequels first, found the original slower, and still loves it. — Craig Horlbeck
A host partly defends him: like The Godfather Part II, Austin Powers 2 is better, ranking them 2-1-3.
The ranking is 1-2-3 because the first is pure invention and the leanest at 89 minutes. — Sean Fennessey
The second has higher highs but the first hangs together better; that the sequel is even comparable is rare for comedy, leading to Anchorman 2.

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Swedish-made penis enlarger pump; the penis enlarger book

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:15:37Read transcript

The first answer is the Swedish penis enlarger. — Chris Ryan
Others joke that he already has one and that the answer is clearly the enlarger, mocking the obvious alternative of Dr. Evil's suit.
The 'Swedish-made penis enlarger pumps and me' book is also wanted.
Denies owning a cryo chamber. — Bill Simmons
A participant did cryotherapy that weekend and on walking out was ribbed about a 2010 Celtics take.

Who Won the Movie?

Mike Myers

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:17:24Read transcript

Mike Myers is clearly the winner, with brief assent.

Podcast choices

Mike Myers: Mike Myers

More from the conversation

A Ringer network plug points to The Big Picture, The Watch (confirmed as still weekly) and the Prestige TV Podcast covering Winning Time that week, plus Barry coverage.

Approx. transcript time · 00:00:55Read transcript

A movie-trailer cold open for Austin Powers precedes the discussion.

Approx. transcript time · 00:01:24Read transcript

One host did not see the film in theaters in 1997: a waitress he loved called it the funniest movie in years, and his reaction was to ask what had happened to Mike Myers.

Approx. transcript time · 00:01:52Read transcript

A mock pre-roll read claims the episode is sponsored by Swedish-made penis enlarger pumps with a discount code.

Approx. transcript time · 00:02:25Read transcript

A host says the film made $67 million as a slow-growth hit that built through the Blockbuster, rental and cable era, and that the sequel made five times as much.

Approx. transcript time · 00:03:20Read transcript

Theories for the slow start: the comedy style is an acquired taste with reference points obscure beyond James Bond; the Diana death around release may have mattered; and in the 90s the video market gave modest theatrical releases a second life.

Approx. transcript time · 00:03:48Read transcript

That kind of belated success is now more likely for TV shows; the film became a Halloween-costume, dorm-room and dinner-table catchphrase movie.

Approx. transcript time · 00:04:40Read transcript

Myers likely wanted a goofy Bond parody and could not have expected three films making $600 million-plus; New Line nonetheless released it at the start of May.

Approx. transcript time · 00:05:09Read transcript

It caught on through quoting and Halloween costumes that year, then played constantly on cable and HBO; it was one of the last VHS classics and its DVD seemed to be in every Boston home. A Christian Slater scene did not make the film.

Approx. transcript time · 00:06:10Read transcript

A mid-90s comedy wave (Jim Carrey, Sandler, Chris Farley, Ben Stiller, Myers) followed the Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy generation; Will Ferrell may be the last star who could carry a comedy, before the Apatow brand became the draw.

Approx. transcript time · 00:07:27Read transcript

A host saw So I Married an Axe Murderer in theaters in 1993 just because Myers was in it; in 2022 comedy mostly lives on TV and Key & Peele's Keanu would once have been a bigger deal.

Approx. transcript time · 00:08:25Read transcript

Myers' career arc is traced: SNL, Sprockets and Wayne's World, Axe Murderer (1993), leaving SNL in January 1995, a two-and-a-half-year gap, Austin Powers (1997), 54, the 1999 and 2002 sequels and Shrek as monsters, then Cat in the Hat, the Shrek sequel and The Love Guru (2008).

Approx. transcript time · 00:08:52Read transcript

Myers is framed as a method actor for characters he builds slowly, who could instead have taken a more traditional Tom Hanks-style path from Axe Murderer; Jim Carrey is the closest comparison.

Approx. transcript time · 00:11:09Read transcript

Carrey's characters are versions of the Carrey persona, while Myers' heroes are Peter Sellers, Alec Guinness and Monty Python; he arrived at SNL mid-season with his characters fully formed and thrives only in makeup and accents, as in Inglourious Bastards and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Approx. transcript time · 00:12:03Read transcript

Probably his most notable non-character celebrity moment is the Kanye moment, which echoed an SNL infomercial sketch with Heather Locklear in which he reacted in shock to her inappropriate lines.

Approx. transcript time · 00:12:56Read transcript

So I Married an Axe Murderer is praised as a Gen X classic (the meat-shop montage, the Alcatraz scene with Phil Hartman, the soundtrack); Myers could have led There's Something About Mary or Along Came Pauly but chose wigs.

Approx. transcript time · 00:13:50Read transcript

Myers seems uncomfortable with fame and keeps a small public profile: a nice Canadian, hockey fan, English parents, an Anglophile.

Approx. transcript time · 00:15:08Read transcript

Covering So I Married an Axe Murderer is suggested partly so producer Craig will watch it; he has not seen it, and Charles Grodin and Anthony La Paglia are praised.

Approx. transcript time · 00:15:34Read transcript

He did Cat in the Hat and Love Guru because he did not want to be himself; his Inglourious Bastards officer and his creepy turn in 54 are praised; a break teases the 'not a beloved guy' piece.

Approx. transcript time · 00:16:25Read transcript

The hosts say that after Wayne's World its director publicly trashed Myers for years, and Dr. Evil is a Lorne Michaels impression that Dana Carvey was famous for doing behind the scenes, causing a rift between the two.

Approx. transcript time · 00:18:13Read transcript

The Carvey feud was not remembered, but the director's criticism was, since publicly ripping a film's star was unusual; 90s interviews were more candid.

Approx. transcript time · 00:19:09Read transcript

A host who listened to Myers on Dana Carvey's podcast says the two share a symbiosis and a cold war; Carvey was the chosen one (George Bush, Church Lady) until Wayne's World made Myers a mega star; Myers is a perfectionist.

Approx. transcript time · 00:19:37Read transcript

Carvey could have played Dr. Evil; late-90s two-character camera trickery would have been avoided, though the Myers-versus-Myers gimmick drove the series; a joke imagines Carvey pulling a Duval-style Godfather III refusal.

Approx. transcript time · 00:20:57Read transcript

A feud over the origins of a Lorne Michaels impression is funny with perspective; Dr. Evil implies Lorne Michaels is evil, and Michaels has not said much about it.

Approx. transcript time · 00:23:17Read transcript

The hosts recount that after the hit Myers got a $40 million Universal deal, backed out of a Sprockets movie he had written, and was sued for almost $4 million; a Pink Panther reboot with Ivan Reitman also fell through in March 2002, feeding a difficult reputation.

Approx. transcript time · 00:24:09Read transcript

His characters are obsessive, fully thought-through creations, unlike loose SNL sketch ideas.

Approx. transcript time · 00:25:54Read transcript

One host wrote about Myers for The Ringer: Carrey, Sandler and Myers were the 95-2000 triumvirate, but Myers' work is precise and manicured while the others feel improvised, which explains the 'difficult' label.

Approx. transcript time · 00:26:47Read transcript

A 2022 Myers might make a dark comedy like Barry; a comparison is drawn to an SNL character performer (ASR 'Hayter') and his Stephan character, and to the 80s Billy Crystal and Harry Shearer cast.

Approx. transcript time · 00:27:43Read transcript

A host says Austin Powers grew out of a 60s-style band (ASR 'Ming-T') with Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs, his dad's love of Bond, Sellers, the Beatles and Peter Cook, and the British series Adam Adamant Lives.

Approx. transcript time · 00:29:33Read transcript

Great parody works without catching every reference; one host was exposed to Bond late, Pussy Galore shows how close the parody is, and a host says Daniel Craig has said the series pushed Bond to be more serious.

Approx. transcript time · 00:30:24Read transcript

The hosts say the film cost $16.5 million, made $67 million and was one of the most successful home videos of the 1990s.

Approx. transcript time · 00:32:21Read transcript

Can't Hardly Wait is judged a rewatchable, but its lead Ethan Embry is disputed: one finds his eye-bulging performance weak, another defends him and is told to have him on The Big Picture; Chris Klein in American Pie is also called not good.

Approx. transcript time · 01:02:43Read transcript

A host asks whether any iconic jokes no longer land from overuse: the cart K-turn still does, the million-dollar bit feels overworked, and Wayne's World's schwing has the same problem.

Approx. transcript time · 01:03:59Read transcript

Asked whether he was bartending in 1997-98, a host says the 'do I make you horny' line was not a pickup staple because the movie was a slow burn until Halloween; the waitress who recommended it is called a Boston legend.

Approx. transcript time · 01:04:56Read transcript

Some films are being held back to avoid ending the feed, joking that Craig and a colleague (ASR 'Ben Solak') would then take over; that colleague has seen few movies, inspiring a 'Watchables' spin-off joke and an NFL draft show moment where a Tommy Boy line was missed.

Approx. transcript time · 01:13:51Read transcript

Sign-off plugs The Watch and The Big Picture; a joke plug for a ten-part rewatch with Ethan Embry leads to Empire Records and That Thing You Do being called rewatchables.

Approx. transcript time · 01:17:51Read transcript