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CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview With Thelma Adams

Aired July 27, 2002 - 08:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: The international man of mystery is back again to face his rival, Dr. Evil. The third installment of Austin Powers is now at theaters nationwide. So what are the critics saying about this movie?

THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, that is the big question.

From New York now, Thelma Adams joins us, a film critic from the "U.S. Weekly."

CALLAWAY: Uh-oh.

ROBERTS: So, Thelma, what is the buzz? How is Austin Powers doing?

CALLAWAY: She's not laughing, Thomas.

ROBERTS: She doesn't think we're funny.

THELMA ADAMS, FILM CRITIC, "U.S. WEEKLY": I am, no, I'm dancing. I'm dancing. I love that line, the international man of velveteen. Look, I am totally an Austin Powers fan. My favorite character, Dr. Evil, this time they've expanded it. Dr. Evil kidnaps Austin Powers' father, played by Michael Caine. He goes back to the '70s, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Beyonce Knowles is in it. We have a new character but Fat Bastard is back.

This is the deal. It's still funny. That moly, moly, moly thing overdone.

You know, there's only so many mole jokes. Excuse me? This is of the three, this one gets the bronze. We'll call it the bronze member.

CALLAWAY: Oh, OK. I haven't even seen the movie yet. I've only seen the previews so.

ADAMS: I mean I don't, you know, I don't want to knock it because it still is very fun, but I think that Mike Myers has spread himself a little thin.

ROBERTS: Thelma, here we're seeing.

ADAMS: Listen to you. ROBERTS: Here we're seeing the latest character addition, which this is Goldmember that we're looking at right now.

ADAMS: It's Goldmember.

ROBERTS: Tell us about him.

ADAMS: That, Mike Myers plays Goldmember. He's Dutch. This is a very strange thing. In the original -- Bob -- listen to you giggling at him.

CALLAWAY: I don't know whether there's a...

ADAMS: In the original Bond -- I know.

CALLAWAY: Mike Myers just rips me up. He's just so funny to me.

ADAMS: I know. He's so funny. And I don't know, this, he's Dutch. What's so funny about being Dutch? We don't know. But I think that's the joke.

ROBERTS: Hey, in this one, we just got to see a couple seconds ago Beyonce Knowles' in kind of a Destiny's Child '70s-esque rendition for her latest song there.

ADAMS: She's doing...

ROBERTS: How does she do in this movie?

ADAMS: She's doing this Cleopatra, you know, Foxxy Cleopatra, the '70s, kind of Cleopatra Jones thing. Again, she's terrific. She shows a lot of pizzazz. I think she has movies in her future. But the character is written so that there's not much for her to do. It's not like Heather Graham, who is really integral to the movie and kicks butt. There's chemistry between the two of them, between Mike Myers and Beyonce Knowles. But kind of like the whole movie, it doesn't really go anywhere, which a lot of people say who cares if it goes anywhere as long as you enjoy it while it's happening?

ROBERTS: Right. Exactly.

CALLAWAY: And, you know, he's almost un -- Myers is almost unrecognizable in some of the characters he plays.

ADAMS: As Goldmember you could not recognize him.

CALLAWAY: Yes, I didn't even realize it was him at first.

ROBERTS: And he also plays Fat Bastard. I had to say that.

ADAMS: I know. Well, yes, you know that.

ROBERTS: I wouldn't say it.

ADAMS: You just wanted to say it on TV.

ROBERTS: I had to say it.

ADAMS: My favorite, you know what? I love Dr. Evil. I think Dr. Evil is one of the great TV fathers of all time. And certainly Mini Me is still terrific.

CALLAWAY: What about Michael Caine?

ADAMS: What about Michael Caine? Looks good in bad teeth. He's very funny. He's, you know, he's, they bring in this whole father idea, that Austin Powers' father was never there for him and Michael Caine is that guy. He's kind of, you know, in his Alfie hipster, you know, sword master thing. And he's very funny.

All the bits are very funny. I just don't think it all adds up. There's a lot of cameos, as well, and we were told not to reveal the cameos. But by now I think everybody knows that a certain Oscar winning actress steps in, Gwyneth Paltrow. And the cameos are...

CALLAWAY: Oops, you said it.

ADAMS: I said it because, you know, it was in the "New York Times" yesterday.

ROBERTS: And Katie Couric said it, too.

ADAMS: They told us not to say it and bad "New York Times." They revealed everything.

CALLAWAY: OK, Thelma. Thelma Adams, thank you very much. I know a lot of people will go see it anyway, even if it doesn't have a good story.

ROBERTS: It'll entertain you.

CALLAWAY: Yes. Immediately...

ROBERTS: And you'll be there, moly, moly, moly.

ADAMS: It'll still be a monster movie.

ROBERTS: You'll be there.

ADAMS: It will still make monster money.

CALLAWAY: All right, Thelma, thank you very much.

ADAMS: Thanks.

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