Austin Powers in Goldmember

If you get the joke in the title, you're on your way to understanding the plot, humor, and general tone of this, the third installment of the Austin Powers' franchise.

For those who haven't ventured into the "shagadellic" life of this groovy bachelor who is stuck in seventies' clothes, language, and attitudes, Austin Powers is essentially a spoof of Bond films along with whatever else creator Mike Meyers (who plays Powers and a few other roles) feels like throwing in. And, like Bond films, plot isn't a priority.

Only a peppering of storyline is required to get the visual jokes and sexual innuendo underway. In this case, spy Powers is pitted against his usual nemesis Dr. Evil and a "take over the world" villain named Goldmember, whose claim to fame is having his genitals replaced by solid gold parts after a "smelting accident." Now the metal-enhanced scoundrel has got his hands on some sort of tractor beam with which he hopes to drag an asteroid into the polar ice cap and flood the world. (If you're wondering what he would gain by this action, I'm really not sure…)

Going after Goldmember requires a trip to 1975, giving the perennial hipster an opportunity to groove with his contemporaries, including Foxy Cleopatra (Beyonc0xE9 Knowles) a former friend and investigator. It also provides us a glimpse of Power's and Evil's childhood - which leads to the discovery of the kidnapping of Power's father - another renowned spy.

Full of cameo appearances from notables like of John Travolta, Steven Spielberg, and Ozzy Osbourne, the comedy is precision timed with nary a dull moment. It's just unfortunate the talent tossed into this sexual salad can't find a way to exert maximum humor with minimal bad taste. Profanity is just as frequent, and many character names mimic crude sexual phrases, which allows language that usually would exceed PG-13 limits to be included.

Obviously Meyers is capable of executing a complex production, but by the time the credits roll (complete with outtakes, of course) Goldmember becomes a melting pot of perverse sexual, scatological, and politically incorrect humor.