Veteran comedy star Rowan Atkinson is in very fine form here in the title role, a bumbling office functionary with the espionage organization MI7. He becomes the unlikely hero who must take on a wily French villain named Sauvage (John Malkovich). But he won't have to go it alone: he has a sidekick named Bough (Ben Miller) and a sexy mystery woman (singing star Natalie Imbruglia) who keeps turning up. Sauvage and his minions manage to pull off the theft of the Crown Jewels, but naturally they're not going to stop there; Sauvage has a loftier ambition in mind.
"Johnny English" is a fast-paced, engagingly silly James Bond spoof. It's not always that inspired, as it goes for cheap and easy laughs regarding faeces a little too much. That said, it's generally good entertainment for a family audience, with some good sight gags and verbal jokes. It travels far on the winning goofiness of Atkinson, who reacts to his misfortunes with great deadpan humour. But the whole cast is a delight: Malkovich is a hilariously pompous villain, Miller adds his own substantial amount of comedy relief, and Imbruglia is very, very sexy. Particularly priceless is the way Johnny behaves in his own domicile when he thinks nobody is watching. "Does Your Mother Know?"
"Johnny English" is must viewing for any Atkinson fan, who's brought such great characters as Blackadder and Mr. Bean to the public consciousness over the decades. It was based on a series of TV commercials from the 1990s, and the transition from brief TV spots to the feature film format is surprisingly successful. Johnny English is a worthy successor to such dense but dedicated characters as Inspector Clouseau and Frank Drebin (to name just two).
Followed by "Johnny English Reborn" and "Johnny English Strikes Again".
Seven out of 10.
"Johnny English" is a fast-paced, engagingly silly James Bond spoof. It's not always that inspired, as it goes for cheap and easy laughs regarding faeces a little too much. That said, it's generally good entertainment for a family audience, with some good sight gags and verbal jokes. It travels far on the winning goofiness of Atkinson, who reacts to his misfortunes with great deadpan humour. But the whole cast is a delight: Malkovich is a hilariously pompous villain, Miller adds his own substantial amount of comedy relief, and Imbruglia is very, very sexy. Particularly priceless is the way Johnny behaves in his own domicile when he thinks nobody is watching. "Does Your Mother Know?"
"Johnny English" is must viewing for any Atkinson fan, who's brought such great characters as Blackadder and Mr. Bean to the public consciousness over the decades. It was based on a series of TV commercials from the 1990s, and the transition from brief TV spots to the feature film format is surprisingly successful. Johnny English is a worthy successor to such dense but dedicated characters as Inspector Clouseau and Frank Drebin (to name just two).
Followed by "Johnny English Reborn" and "Johnny English Strikes Again".
Seven out of 10.