Austin Powers swings, Andrea Superstein sings at VIFF Centre on July 25
As part of VIFF Live, Juno-nominated artist will perform a set of classic Burt Bacharach material before a screening of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
(Left to right) Andrea Superstein; Burt Bacharach, Elizabeth Hurley, and Mike Myers in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
As part of its 90s, Baby! series, VIFF Live presents Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery at the VIFF Centre on July 25. The film screens at 8:15 pm and will be preceded by a performance of Burt Bacharach songs by Andrea Superstein at 7 pm
THE AUSTIN POWERS film franchise brought us many indelible characters who have woven themselves inextricably into the fabric of popular culture. These include the unfrozen super spy himself, along with his arch-nemesis Dr. Evil and his supersized Scottish henchman Fat Bastard (all played by series star and creator Mike Myers).
And then, of course there are Scott Evil (Seth Green), Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley), Number 2 (Robert Wagner/Rob Lowe), Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham), Goldmember (Myers yet again), and Burt Bacharach.
Okay, so Burt Bacharach isn’t a fictional character. The songwriting icon did, however, make cameo appearances as himself in all three films, beginning with 1997’s Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, in which he pops up to perform “What the World Needs Now” as Austin woos Vanessa on a double-decker bus rolling down the Las Vegas Strip.
Bacharach turned up again in 1999’s The Spy Who Shagged Me to sing “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” alongside Elvis Costello, and he reprised “What the World Needs Now” for a post-credits scene in 2002’s Goldmember.
The reason behind the music legend’s recurring cameos is a simple one, and since this is Canadian icon Myers we’re talking about, you might not be surprised that there’s a connection to the good old hockey game. It seems that the former Saturday Night Live cast member was driving home from the rink one day when “The Look of Love” came on the radio. As recorded by Dusty Springfield in 1967, that tune won composer Bacharach and lyricist Hal David the Oscar for Best Original Song when it was featured in the James Bond flick Casino Royale.
Unlike the later, much more serious Daniel Craig vehicle of the same title, the first Casino Royale was simultaneously a legit Bond movie (with the eternally suave David Niven as Agent 007) and also a comedic sendup of the entire spy-movie genre. With the swinging-’60s, secret-agent spoofs, and Bacharach’s music swirling in his head, Myers conceived of Powers and his cinematic universe. Smashing, baby!
The VIFF Centre will screen director Jay Roach’s Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery as part of its summer series 90s, Baby!, which also includes Chungking Express, The Shawshank Redemption, Clueless, Trainspotting, Princess Mononoke, Titanic, Fargo, and other favourites from the decade.
Before the Austin Powers screening, Andrea Superstein will perform a selection of Bacharach tunes. The singer, whose album Oh Mother was nominated in the vocal-jazz category at the 2025 Juno Awards, is known for her eclectic repertoire, which includes jazz standards like “So In Love” and “Angel Eyes” along with contemporary numbers by the likes of Radiohead (“Karma Police”) and Weezer (“Say It Ain’t So”), plus her own originals.
We don’t know how well-steeped Superstein is in Powers lore, but we do know she once recorded a version of the Eartha Kitt hit “I Want to Be Evil”, so that’s a step in the right direction. Could sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads be far behind? 
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