Friday, July 25, 2008

That's not your mother, it's a man, baby!

I haven't see the Love Guru (nor do I plan to), but I've been scratching my head wondering - what the heck happened to Mike Myers? Did someone tell him he was the new Peter Sellers? He obviously had been watching The Party. But he's not even close. He needs to leave the Sellers catalog alone. They didn't exactly hire him for Casino Royale. And I will personally come after him if he goes anywhere near Dr. Strangelove, After the Fox or Being There.

I understand about being an Anglophile. Myers is definitely trying to play off his British roots. The first Austin Powers rocked, making fun of the swinging 60's Michael Caine-esque super spy with horrible teeth. But the movies got steadily worse as they progressed. And his other character, Dr. Evil, became more fun than Austin. Horrifyingly, he has recently announced that he plans a #4 to honor his late father. I'm afraid it will be, like so much of his potty humor, #2.

I saw Wayne's World the other day and it was still a lot of fun. I won't mention the sequel - it's not worthy. Myers should steer clear of sequels, unless they're animated. Shrek remains a fun character, even if it is a milder riff of his brilliant portrayal of transplanted Scotsman, Stuart Mackenzie, the best thing about the mostly lame So I Married an Axe Murderer. Anthony LaPaglia was fun as a wannabe Serpico in that mess of a movie, too.

But being able to do a passable Brit accent doesn't automatically equal funny. Which is why Dr. Evil worked. He's funny (in the first movie) because he's evil - and loves it. Not too far from Myers's portrayal of Steve Rubell in 54. Indulge in the evil, Mike Myers. But quit spewing sequels. Unless it's Shrek, which also happens to feature Eddie Murphy's best work. Maybe ever.

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