Intermission: 'Yeah, baby!' Myers' comedic genius apparent in latest film

A recent episode of Bravo's "Inside the Actors' Studio" confirmed what we've all known for a number of years: Mike Myers is a comedic genius.

He and the late Phil Hartman were the bright spots for many years on the often-inconsistent "Saturday Night Live."

Meyers' characters, including Simon, the kid who liked to do "drawrings," Dieter, the post-new-wave existential artist, the Scottish guy and, of course, Wayne, have become ingrained in our collective consciousness.

Myers is one of the very few "SNL" alumni to successfully make the switch to the big screen.

He's has had a few turkeys, but they have been made more acceptable by his considerable talents.

The only thing watchable about "So I Married and Axe Murderer" was the re-write add-on that Myers did involving the Scottish family. It's nearly impossible to take a television sketch and make a satisfying film from the characters, but Myers and company managed it with his "Wayne's World" films.

What's really sent the actor over the top is his send-up of 1960s era spy guys (like "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and James Bond) in his "Austin Powers" series of films.

"Yeah, baby!" and "Be-haave!" are now a part of the everyday comedic lexicon.

Having grown up in the heyday of the Cold War with Bond, et al, I loved the satire Myers played out in the first Austin Powers film, "International Man of Mystery."

I was less enthused by episode two, "The Spy Who Shagged Me," but the introduction of the Scottish glutton known as "Fat Bastard" was a pretty nice touch.

I like the newest installment, "Goldmember," even less, but I have to say my wife Terry, who knows more about movies than anyone I can think of and has a keen sense of humor, thought it was a complete riot.

In this edition, Powers is battling his arch enemy, Dr. Evil (played by Myers), and Goldmember (also played by Myers), a Dutchman with the propensity for peeling off his skin and eating it.

No one ever claimed these films were subtle. Besides that bit of ugly behavior, Goldmember's name has a lot to do with his anatomy.

The opening sequence of "Austin Powers in Goldmember" is its best, and really one of the coolest things from the entire series. Austin is watching a film made about him, and the cameos are simply brilliant. Several big name stars are on hand playing Powers, Dr. Evil and a hilarious casting of the role of Mini Me, Evil's height-challenged sidekick/ surrogate son.

From here the film goes into familiar formula.

Dr. Evil has kidnapped Austin's dad, Nigel, (played with astute comedic timing by veteran Michael Caine), and hidden him in 1975.

So Austin has to do some more time traveling to rescue his poor pop.

Along the way Austin uncovers a plot devised by Dr. Evil and Goldmember to take over the world.

Austin is aided by one of the best characters to be introduced in the series, Foxxy Cleopatra, played by Beyonce Knowles of the pop group Destiny's Child. Knowles is a natural and her character is a dead-on send-up of 1960s blaxploitation films that starred Pam Grier or Tamara Dobson.

She's the latest in the line of Austin's great female sidekicks that began with Elizabeth Hurley and continued with Heather Graham. Knowles will no doubt use this role as a launch pad for a career in film, and she seems to be a very natural actress.

There are some funny moments in the film, mostly standalone comic bits that have little to do with furthering the plot. A scene with subtitles will surely delight the junior-high crowd, and suffice it to say that Fat Bastard assures the presence of a large amount of scatological humor.

Myers, like Peter Sellers in the "Pink Panther" series, is his own best co-star, and it is fun watching a gifted comedy actor reveling in multiple roles. I'm just somewhat tired of the formula. I thought it made its point quite nicely in the first film, so now let's move on. On the other hand, these films are cash cows and Hollywood will continue to milk them as long as possible.

It's shagedelic Yeah, baby! So behaaaave!