Earlier this month, I complained of the uninspired goings-on in Men in Black 2. I felt that it was waste of good talent, lacking in energy and nothing more than a rehash of the first film. It could be argued that this latest installment in the Austin Powers sequel is also recycled. That may be the case to a certain degree, but the major difference here, is that this movie is damn funny, despite a lack of plot and the inclusion of several familiar gags.

Austin Powers in Goldmember features the super spy once again doing battle with Dr. Evil. Also returning are Mini Me, Scott Evil, and Fat Bastard. In addition to these familiar characters, we have Beyonce Knowles (from the R & B group Destiny's Child) as heroine Foxxy Cleopatra, Michael Caine as Nigel Powers (papa Austin), and new villain Goldmember, a limber Dutchman with a most unusual body part.

Right out of the gate this movie had me in stitches with it's brilliantly conceived opening sequence which features several cameos by some of Hollywood's most powerful entertainers. (I will not reveal who they are, but trust me when I tell you they're huge.) What follows is a go-for-broke comedy that features a joke about every two seconds. While this Austin entry does offer up much crude and extremely infantile humor, I found myself laughing throughout. Mike Myers is one of the few funnymen in the movies that can get away with a fart joke.

Myers more than earns his paycheck here seemingly disappearing into four different parts. While his Goldmember character isn't as memorable as his others, I admire his energy and exhaustive effort at making the audience laugh. Knowles took me by surprise. While this is hardly a character of depth, her Foxxy Cleopatra is extremely likable and a pleasant homage to 70's icon Pam Grier. As expected, Caine is picture-perfect as Austin's dad, although he's surprisingly underused in this movie. Verne Troyer is still a hoot as Mini Me and Seth Green is equally hilarious as Scott Evil (at one point in the film he suspiciously resembles Brian Grazer and during another, director Ron Howard).

While there is no doubt that this is Myers' movie, director Jay Roach continues to prove his worth as a great comedy director. This movie is well paced and Roach, more often than not, seems to know what jokes work best. He's also assembled an incredible cast of bit parts that would make disaster film-maker Irwin Allen proud. Sadly, there is no sign of Heather Graham, Elizabeth Hurley, Rob Lowe or Will Farrell, but upon watching the movie, there really didn't seem to be any room.

I will probably be attacked for my more than favorable review of this absolutely hilarious film, but the fact of the matter is, it made me laugh my ass off. It doesn't matter that it's full of bathroom humor, nor does it matter that many of the gags appeared in the other films. This movie is so alive with energy and gut-busting humor, that I can forgive it for it's familiarity.

Mike Myers is a comic genius and Austin Powers remains a positively goofy and immensely entertaining character. I can only hope that Myers and Roach don't retire this franchise. Should they choose to, Goldmember is a perfect note to end on. I haven't laughed harder during a movie this year.