Why It Ranks
Austin Powers revived the spy parody and created two iconic characters in one film. Dr. Evil became more famous than Austin himself. 'Yeah, baby!' and 'one million dollars' entered permanent rotation. The franchise grossed nearly a billion dollars total. Myers' most commercially successful creation.
The Film
Austin Powers is Mike Myers' most enduring creation — a spy parody so committed to its 1960s aesthetic that it created an entirely new vocabulary for comedy. Myers plays both the groovy British spy and his nemesis Dr. Evil, and the Dr. Evil scenes are so much funnier than the Austin scenes that the sequels wisely shifted focus. The 'one million dollars' bit. Mini-Me. The sharks with frickin' laser beams. Myers built a comedy empire from a single raised pinky.
Fun Facts
The 'one million dollars' bit was inspired by Myers watching old Bond films and realizing the villains' demands were laughably low by modern standards.
Mike Myers spent six months developing Austin's teeth prosthetics — they were modeled on actual British dental records from the 1960s.
The film underperformed theatrically but became a massive VHS/DVD hit, ensuring the sequels were greenlit.
Dr. Evil's pinky gesture was improvised by Myers during rehearsal and kept because the crew could not stop laughing.
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