Rating: Summary: A good old "Bean" Review: Rowan Atkinson is very funny in this "Mr Bean meets James Bond" comedy. Plenty of pratfalls and camera mugging together with the inevitable English toilet humor. And I mean TOILET humor literally! The ever-popular "take over the world" plot is given a slight twist thanks to the twisted characterisation of John Malkevich (alias Pascal Sauvage)and his droll patience with the inept Johnny English's attempts to thwart his plans make for some head-shaking chuckles. This is a film that all the family can enjoy and the kids are especially tickled by Johnny English's ability to rise above his own ineptitude. Lots of belly laughs and good fun. (Based on the theatrical release in Australia)
Rating: Summary: When Mr. Bean met Mrs. Bond... Review: ... the offspring was Johnny English. Rowan Atkinson delivers another incredibly funny performance as the secret agent who can't do anyhting right and still manages everytime to save the day. Script writers were right on target when they decided to create Johnny English resembling Atkinson's most known character: Mr. Bean. It's all there: the funny faces, the stupid situations, the babbling, the confusion. If you are aquainted with Mr. Bean, you've already seen it all, but you're going to laugh again.I said there are stupid situations, but the movie is not stupid at all. Extremely well produced, with the classy kind of humor that doesn't need any swearing. Every scene contains an intelligent joke; in fact, only once I found a joke I didn't like. There are some memorable scenes that made me laugh even on my way back home. Rowan Atkinson is, obviously, perfect for the character, and it was in fact written for him. He does a splendid job, but he will be forever stigmatized as a "Mr. Bean" actor, even if there were times when I could glimpse him as a more serious actor. Natalie Imbruglia surprised me as the mandatory pretty girl in spy movies. She doesn't let the viewer down. John Malkovich once again as the villain, this time as the effeminate frenchman trying to accomplish a strange evil plan on england. In fact, the mere presence of Malkovich in the cast is proof of a good production. Ben Miller did a good job as well as Johnny English's sidekick. "Johnny English" is a perfect movie in the genre it was purposed to be: hard-laughing, above-average-intelligence comedy. 90 minutes of fun. Grade 9.0/10
Rating: Summary: A Bumbling 'James Bond' Review: Johnny English is unashamedly a spoof on the James Bond series of movies, and hilarious with it! Movie promo "He Knows No Fear. He Knows No Danger." He Knows Nothing. Rowan Atkinson delivers a very controlled performance of a character which is a hybrid between TV's 'Mr Bean' and his Insp. Raymond Fowler in the 1995/96 BBC television series 'The Thin Blue Line'. Johnny is attached to MI5 and believes he has the suave, debonair Bond persona, even to the point of having all the Bond gadgets and driving an Astin Martin sports car. In reality he is a bumbling idiot, adept at using the wrong gadgets and making the wrong decisions. The role may have been created just for Atkinson and indeed, it is hard to imagine anyone else playing Johnny English with such finess. The obligatory love interest is provided by Natalie Imbruglia (Australian singer/actress) as Lorna Campbell, the vixen, or is she? The villain of the piece is John Malkovich as a scheming Frenchman, Pascal Sauvage, who has a penchant for the Crown Jewels and is the object of Johnny's disaster laden adventure. Ben Miller is a brilliant foil for Atkinson's comedy, at times providing his own brand of hilarity in the role of Bough, the offsider to Johnny English. This is 90 minutes of sheer fun and provided the cinema audience here with some of the best comedy in years. Predictable but a most hilarious romp.
Rating: Summary: The Real Deal Review: When James Bond thought it is safe again to save the world, in comes another spy spoof with a difference, it stars Rowan Atkinson.. While the Canadian Anglophile Mike Myers did it so well with Austin Powers, adding a lot of surreal touches, Rowan Atkinson is the real deal, creating a spy that has inherited a lot from the characters that has made his name over the years, Mr Bean with his muscle and face twitchings and helplessness, and Blackadder with his nasty but harmless remarks, especially against the French. There are also elements of Inspector Clouseau too, Johnny English is too a loner who happens to be responsible for a big case just by incredible turn of events.A 'idiot' who happens by sheer good luck to solve the case against all the odds, with an annoyed superior and a faithful deputy who saves the day. Although there are brilliant comedy moments in the film esp in the sushi restaurant, and some well timed slapstick which seems a rarity in comedy films these days, the script is somehow uneven in places,but it all works out fine at the end. John Malkovich plays yet again another 'psycho' but as good an actor as he is, he always delivers flawlessly, while the gorgeous Nathalie Imbruglia returns to acting after a break for a successful music career and is quite good as English's side kick. Peter Howitt,the ex TV star of the sitcom Bread turned director (he has to his name Sliding Doors and Anti Trust),proves to have made a good career move. In short,Johnny English is a funny movie, is Rowan Atkinson's movie, tailored for his abilities and talent, one that will leave you with a genuine smile or two.
Rating: Summary: Teaser Trailer Review Review: This was an extra on the "Bourne Identity" rental DVD. It may be the best bits but it whetted my appettite to see the rest. Rowan Atkinson dryly shakes and not stirs Mr. Bean and James Bond and it's a happy marriage. "I can assure you sir, that this is the most secure location in all of England" is going to be one of those bar reunion replay scenes, when everyone is doubled over in drunken laughter thinking of the look on Rowan's face. "Airplane" meets "Goldfinger".
Rating: Summary: Funny But Rather Bland Review: "Johnny English" isn't a good movie at all but it still provides a number of good moments. Rowan Atkinson is a great comedian and it's his inventiveness alone that keeps this goofy film from going under completely. I found it sort of interesting to watch Atkinson outside of his Mr. Bean gig (he sure sounds different!). I don't think the Johnny English character was well thought out however as it was strikingly close to Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau; a self-convinced cool guy who is really just a big nerd. And just like Clouseau, English bumbles his way along before accidentally setting things right again. Still, Atkinson delivers in a number of funny sequences, especially near the climax. The rest of "Johnny English" though is just plain dumb. This is mostly because the story is very thin; It basically jumps from one comedic moment to the next and that's about it. I realize that this a Rowan Atkinson vehicle, meaning plot and substance takes second place to the laughs, but the screenwriters could have done far better than this. Besides Atkinson, I'll give this movie one more thing: Natalie Imbruglia. Whotta babe! She plays Johnny's love interest and although she has little depth, at least she puts a bit of energy into her role (not to mention she was sure something to look at!). But after her (and mabye Johnny's sidekick) who really cares about anyone else? Even John Malkovich wasn't too interesting as the power-hugry bad guy. "Johnny English" stands as rather poor film in end. I'll gives this 2.5 stars though because of Atkinson. If you just want to watch him getting up to his antics, then check this out.
Rating: Summary: Silly British Humor Review: The British try to hard to be funny in this movie. While the storyline kept my interest, the humor was too juvenile for me. I would not recommend purchasing this movie unless you get it for $4.00 or less. When the movie is over with you just feel like it was a waste of time.
Rating: Summary: Silly British Humor Review: This movie is ok. It probably would be more funny if I were British, since they have such a dry wit. It kept me interested, not laughing, by interested in seeing how it ended. Probably never watch it again but at least I don't feel as though I've wasted a few hours of my life watching it.
Rating: Summary: Johnny English aka You Only Laugh Twice Review: Rowan Atkinson does what he can to lampoon James Bond and the 007 franchise in this spy spoof which has him playing the title character of Johnny English. Atkinson tries his best, taking some pretty lame jokes and making them reasonably funny, but he isn't able save the movie. I couldn't help but notice that while Atkinson is supposed to ribbing James Bond, his character seems a lot more like Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau; really incompotent and too prideful and clueless to know any better. John Malkovich was disappoinitng as the villian. He's usually very good at playing a slimey character but his Pascal Sauvage is plain boring.
As I said, most of the gags are cheesy. There are a few decent ones in the first 3 quarters or so but towards the end, they start to look really uninspired. A gross sewer scene, a man flashing the audience (was that even appropriate for a PG movie?) and the girl, Lorna, getting launched out of a vehicle are among the lowlights.
You can safely bypass this comedy. In fact, the unfunny factor in this Bond spoof is so high that if this movie was retitled it could be called, to quote a critic, You Only Laugh Twice.
Darkhorse86
Rating: Summary: The sublime clumsiness! Review: This modern parody is a legitimate grandson of Inspector Clousseau. The film in itself is clear vehicle to homage that classic British film of 1950:Kind hearts and cornets .
A far descendent of French impresario Pascual Savage from the Real Dynasty -the unbeatable John Malkovich- empowers the Jewels of the Crown due he considers the time has come for him to rule the nation to his own style.
There are admirable memories of the previous and famous work of 007 Goldfinger . But also it's a brilliant and surreptitious wink to Henry V. Our clumsy hero and distorted image of 007 -Johnny English-will be the designed special agent who will stop those machiavellian plans.
Through a set of unimaginable pirouettes you will delight this funny satire. The sequence in the Coronation is overwhelming and intelligent buñuelian nature.
And in the last sequence you will beware that sometimes the most refined technology may become the greatest enemy of the love.
Nobody does it better!
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