Rating: Summary: It is all about you whether or not you like this movie Review: Hi,In my opinion you will like this movie if YOU: 1. enjoy British humor. 2. Enjoy spoofs. 3. Are aware of and like, the movies that Austin Powers makes fun of, because you get more of that here. 4. are a fan of the Pink Panther movie series by Blake Edwards 5. enjoy sight gags and a good "straight man (or woman)." 6. are a Rowan Atkinson fan already. A lot of things I have read about this movie seem to be stuck on Atkinson's Mr. Bean character. That is not who we see in this movie. For one thing, Johnny English speaks and he speaks quite a bit. Pay attention to what he says too, very funny in context. I think he is more "Inspector Clousea" than "Mr. Bean", an English Inspector Clousea with his own straight man as sidekick with some "James Bond" gadgets thrown in the mix. I liked the movie and if you are in the mood to giggle, I recommend going to see this movie with someone who "gets" British humor, or go by yourself, it is great fun even alone. By the way, don't forget to check out PBS for Mr. Bean reruns and (in my area at least) the brand new series of Mr. Bean cartoons!
Rating: Summary: He Knows No Fear. He Knows No Danger. He Knows Nothing. Review: "Johnny English" is a surprisingly funny spy-spoof starring the hysterical British comedian Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean). Being a fan of the British TV series "Bean", I was curious to see if Atkinson could break out of his role as the inherently childish Mr. Bean and carry an actual full-length film with his antics. I'm happy to report that yes, indeed he can! Yes, the plot is stupid, but it provides Atkinson with plenty of opportunities to work his magic. Unlike many "comedies" nowadays, most of the jokes in this film are actually FUNNY and don't cause you and your movie companion to look quizzically at each other, wondering whether or not THAT was actually supposed to be funny . Some moments truly made me breakout into hysterical laughter. Let's see, there's a tie getting caught in a sushi bar roll around, Johnny mistakenly taking the staff of a hospital hostage, the Archbishop of Canterbury's rear end being exposed on national TV, Johnny (again mistakenly) disrupting a funeral service and dancing atop a coffin which he believes contain the crown jewels, the French jokes... And that's not all ;-) If you're looking for a good time at the movies, or rather a family-friendlier version of Austin Powers, try "Johnny English". It's relatively inoffensive, funny, and highly entertaining!
Rating: Summary: It was disappointing. Review: Rowan Atkinson is hilarous as Mr. Bean. I could not stop laughing when I watched "The Rat Race". I was in the mood to laugh so I rented this movie. After 20 minutes, I stopped watching it. I found it to stupid. The scene at the gravesight was to ridiculous for words. After seeing the scene with Rowan trying to investigate how the thieves got away with the jewelry was just plain dumb. I could not waste any more of my time watching this movie.
Rating: Summary: Don't Bother - 1 star because negative stars not available Review: This movie is not worth the time spent to watch it. If you wish to see why then watch it and you will understand.
Rating: Summary: A wild and funny ride! Review: Poor Johnny English (played by Rowan Atkinson), a minor functionary in Britain's MI-7, dreams of being a super-spy. His big chance comes, though, when all of Britain's spies are killed at a funeral - a funeral where Johnny is providing the security. Promoted to Agent One, he is assigned to guard the Crown Jewels, which are promptly stolen. But, Johnny knows just who is behind it all - Pascal Sauvage (John Malkovich). Sauvage plans on being the first French king of England since 1066, and only one man stands in his way, Johnny English. But, certainly such an incompetent need not be taken seriously, right? [Color, released in 2003, with a running time of 1 hour, 28 minutes.] My family and I saw this movie in the theater, and we loved it. Now we have seen it on DVD, and we still love it! There's a lot of explosions and gunfire, as you would expect from a spy thriller, and lots of goofy Rowan Atkinson humor. A nice thing is that it is mostly clean (though there is a bunch of toilet humor, and a man's naked backside features prominently in one scene), with no gratuitous sex. Now, as to the humor - well, some like it and some don't, I don't know what to say. I am a great fan of Mr. Bean and the Blackadder stories, and absolutely loved this movie. (As an added bonus, there are two ABBA songs that appear in this movie!) So, let me just say this, this is a great movie, with a lot of goofy humor. Perhaps it is not a work of art, but it is a wild and funny ride!
Rating: Summary: Laughs Galore Review: While this is not exactly a "good" movie, it is funny. There were moments when I laughed hysterically such as when Johnny triumphantly unmasks the Archbishop of Canterbury's derriere, only to find no tattoos. Oliver Ford Davies who played the Archbishop was a good sport to do that scene. Rowan Atkinson is someone I've never seen before; and I found his physical comedy to be hilarious. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade who wrote Bond screenplays for "Die Another Day" & "The World's Not Enough" actually don't make enough of a coherent plot which would have enhanced the jokes and made the picture hang together. Greg Wise, who is known for being the father of Emma Thompson's baby, does a great cameo as Agent One. Singer Natalie Imbruglia as Lorna Campbell is quite beautiful, but one fails to see any real connection with Atkinson. If his nuttiness had charmed her, we might find their connection more authentic. I really enjoyed Ben Miller as Bough, the straight man. He has a great scene coaxing English off a coffin and out of a graveyard when they've followed the wrong hearse. Director Peter Howitt has "Laws of Attraction" coming out with Julianne Moore & Brosnan; I hope there's a better script there. John Malcovich, who I understand actually lives in France, seems to concentrate more on his accent than anything else. The DVD deleted scenes are interesting, but one can also see why there were deleted. The little elevator chamber where unwanted dignitaries meet their demise was an interesting quirk that is cut out. The DVD game seemed like more effort than bang for the buck, but nice try. The coronation scene with English swinging above the throne was priceless. While this is not a good movie, it is a very funny one. Enjoy!
Rating: Summary: One star for each big laugh Review: My wife and I rented this movie because we usually find Atkinson to be pretty hilarious. Unfortunately, he falls well short in this effort, a spoof on spy films. To put it bluntly, I think they expect too much of him in this film. He does not possess the comic genius of say a Peter Sellers, to pull it off. Sure there are some pretty funny scenes, but the laughs are too few. The movie even stoops to bathroom humor to try and get some laughs, but even this tactic does not really work very well. Therefore, I would not recommend this movie unless you are really in the mood for a spy parody type film. While Atkinson's humor is much cleaner than Mike Myers, the film is also a lot less funny than any of the Austin Powers movies.
Rating: Summary: "It's an unmitigated disaster, English!" Review: Johnny English is a tired comedy, with stale and predictable gags. Consider the following example of outrageously unfunny verbal wit: "I think I'd rather have my bottom impaled on a giant cactus than exchange pleasantries with that jumped up Frenchman," says Johnny, unknowing that the 'jumped up Frenchman' is standing right behind him. It doesn't even raise the ghost of a smile. Rowan Atkinson should resign himself to the fact that his metier is as the silent Mr. Bean. The film begins well enough, with an amusing daydream sequence, where Johnny English - pen-pusher at M17 (comic cousin of Britain's M15 spy agency) fantasises about his dangerous, dashing life if he were the notoriously brilliant Agent One. When Agent One, and the entire M17 spy corps are killed - through English's blunders - his dream becomes reality. It is up to him to save England from the machinations of a megalomaniac Frenchman, who wishes to claim the British throne and turn the country into a massive prison. With a plot and characters like these, there is obviously the potential for Johnny English to be a humorous Bond-spoof, but the potential remains largely inactivated. There are occasional moments of genuine mirth, such as a hearse being chased by a tow truck, and the subsequent scene in the graveyard, but these are few and far between. The jokes are signposted a mile off, and include juvenile toilet humour. One does get the impression the scriptwriters were rather low on inspiration and in the resultant morass, one joke is even utilised twice. Ironically, the funniest moment of the movie is tacked on part way through the end credits, by which time most of the audience will have switched off in disappointment.
Rating: Summary: My name is Bean...Mr. Bean. Review: Rowan Atkinson, one of My all-time favorite comedians, perhaps better-known as Mr. Bean {series and film highly recommended!}, graces this film as a pseudo-James Bond character, typically bumbling, though remaining serious the entire time, never admitting to any of his own foul-ups, but instead seemingly blaming all incompetence upon his protoge'; someone has stolen the Queen's Jewels, so it is up to one Johnny English to solve the crime, primarily because most of the best agents have been unfortunately killed in the line of duty, so they are forced to hire the most klutz-prone amongst them, and to very amusing results. Turns out that a French criminal {who owns a most impressive Office Elevator!} with distant ties to the Royal British Family systematically eliminates those who would inherit the title should anything happen to the queen who is threatened with the taking of the life of her beloved poodle, so she signs her title away to him - and just as he is about to be crowned, Johnny English saves the day in a feat of hilarius acrobatics, engaging in many adventures along the way, inclusive of a lunatic display at a fun-eral, swinging around in his sharp spymobile on a crane, literally climbing up a "poop-shoot" to access the enemy's lair, parachuting on to a building, predictably, the wrong one, among many other instances interpolated with that distinctive Mr. Bean style, although much more talkative. Although I would have to say that probably the funniest scenes were when he was accidently struck by a muscle relaxer, to which he sloshes and slurrs about the place. The character is intended to be unintentionally funny, but Atkinson does best as Mr. Bean however, and this film could have just as easily been named "Bean. Mr. Bean". Rating: 3/5. Great for a fun night at home.
Rating: Summary: Names English, Johnny English Review: Johnny English Director Peter Howit has created a movie with the all hilarious actor also known as "Mr. Bean"(Rowan Atkinson) who plays a funny yet dimwitted Johnny English in this decent comedy. Because I believe that it wasn't as good as it could have been but it was still a good entertaining movie. In England, Johnny English and his partner Boff (Ben Miller) are nothing but small agents in the Spy Corporation sorting files, but when a horrific accident happens and all of the agents die in an explosion, Johnny and Boff take the case of agent 1. Including the Crowned Jewels of England. As they go throughout England, they find many obstacles and surprises on the way. All the actors in the movie do an excellent job and especially Rowan Atkinson who half the time says things that don't even exist like spy techniques and such and most of the time acts like James Bond. To go along with his impression of James Bond they use 007 music during the entire movie, which fits perfectly with what he is doing at the time. The camera footage wasn't incredible or anything, but it was definitely good enough for a nicely put together movie. In the movie there wasn't really any special effects or features either, but just has normal footage. You probably will have to rent it on video or DVD depending on where you live. It is not a book and to understand the humor it should be for ages abut 11 and up. One of my favorite parts is when he is telling the governor of the spy association that it is the most secure area in London and then a building behind him blows up. That scene is pretty easy to understand but during the movie there are other scenes that are much more difficult to understand. If you are looking for not a laugh out loud movie but a good funny movie to see with your 11 years or older son or daughter, this is the movie you'll want to see. By: Dakota
|