Rating: Summary: if a child could review here Review: Listen all you adult-aged reviewers, let's loosen up here. This movie is not for movie connoiseurs. This movie is for getting laughs. And if you insist on holding a prissy, stuck-up attitude then you just won't have a good time, period.Us pursed-lip adults sometimes have to relax, let our facial muscles go(lower those eyebrows, unfurrow the forehead, unpurse our lips, and unclench our jaws) and let humor, even slapstick humor, get the best of us. Some of us are so full of our previous knowledge of movie-viewing or Mr. Bean and Atkinson material("I saw this and I saw that and this movie just ain't as blablabla" or "Atkinson ain't as good in this as in yadayada..."). Children don't care about the history of movies and Atkinson tv series. Watch kids enjoy this movie. They know how to have a good time in the moment. My kids were in stitches over Atkinson's antics and all his facial expressions. My husband got a good share of laughs, sometimes to the point of tears---and it is good to see my husband laugh even if it is over Johnny English. Myself? I have to admit I laughed too. And how could I not enjoy myself with my kids dancing around during Rowan's little mini music video with his toothbrushes in the shower? We rewinded the movie 3 times just to watch that part over and over again. Little children don't get tired of rewinding their favorite parts, you know. One son said we should keep on replaying it until he memorized the song lines. (I insisted we didn't rewind as far back as the unveiling of the Archbishop, though it was their other favorite part of the movie). Leave the movie critic behind you. Watch the movie for laughs. Have a good time viewing it with kids or adults. Don't resist the humor. Relax, enjoy, and let yourself just laugh for humor's sake.
Rating: Summary: Hilarious and Funny!! Review: Jolly funny with a taste with a slash Bean and Bond. Some very hilarious stuff ("This is the most secure place in the whole of the British Isle" Kaboom!!). The plot is stupid and there are some weird gunfights. A must-see movie!!
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: A hillarias film Review: Johnny English is one of my favorite movies of all time. This Movie is hillarias. To compare this movie to any others I would have to say it would be down the line of, The Stupids, Top Secret,and the Master of Disguise.If you have seen those movies and you don't like that kind of humor this movie is not for you, even though this movie is better than all of those. Also you never know whats going to happen next. So if you like Stupid Humor this Movie is for you.
Rating: Summary: Mr. Bean fans will be disappointed Review: Yep, yours truly is a big Mr. Bean fan, but I couldn't believe how bad this movie was. The plot is pretty dumb, but there are plenty of dumb-plot movies that are well made. This one is not one of them. From the very beginning you'll find yourself disappointed by the acting and the editing. This is one of the films where things just don't flow. There are very few truly funny moments. Even the bathroom scene where JE dances to the camera-in-the-mirror feels trite and stupid, not funny. Maybe as a big Mr. Bean fan I was expecting something half decent, and as a huge James Bond fan I was expecting a comedy that properly insults the real 007 series. On both counts, I was let down tremendously.
Rating: Summary: Needs a bit more English to pull this off... Review: I love Rowan Atkinson. Love 'im, love 'im, love 'im. The man is funny. But good lord, this movie could have been a whole lot better. Bond via Bean? Yes, but sorely lacking in so many departments... You see, someone said to some movie executives "let's make a movie with that Bean guy again and see if it makes more money." If you haven't seen Bean:The Movie, you shouldn't. It cost probably less than $30 to make and that's including a hefty fee for Burt Reynolds. But it made a killing around the world and thinking of all that money persuaded the studio to offer Atkinson another movie. The Johnny English character was originally created for Barclaycard (Visa) adverts in the UK in the early 1990's. Amusing, clever, and certainly referential to the Bond franchise, no-one would have considered it ripe for a movie. But hey, when the studio is laying out the cash, anything goes. But then, the studio says "Well, it has to appeal to the greatest number of potential viewers, so lets leave out a lot of stuff that fans would know and appreciate." Which is why this movie runs a painfully long 80 minutes. At least that's what the timer read; I kept leaving the room during the more excrutiating moments. I love Atkinson, I do, but the English character is a mess. You don't know if he's supposed to be a bit thick, a clumsy chump, or just really lucky. There is absolutely nothing to develop him as a person. You don't even know if he's supposed to be an agent or a desk clerk. Rather than a Walter Mitty fantasy, however, English bumbles along from cue to cue and offers Atkinson a chance to do his mugging, which was great for a mute character like Bean, but cringe worthy in a spy spoof. Malkovich chews through his scenes, but overall, this would have been a great one-hour special for cable instead of the full movie treatment. The DVD has a few specials, but a hastily assembled "Spy Tips" feature just re-hashes bits from the movie. I wanted to watch the "Deleted Scenes" but decided against it, as I couldn't bear watching what they cut because they hoped to attract more people. There was also a "Making Of.." feature, but I gave up after they focused too much on filming one explosion. Good grief, when that's more interesting than the movie, it doesn't bode well. It's middle of the road for a DVD release as far as extras go. It was reported that Rowan Atkinson took some time off to treat a mild depression after the reviews of this film came back. It's a shame, because he is truly one of the greatest modern comedians that Britain has produced. But I don't think it was his fault. I mean, who walked into the studio meeting and said "Can our problems be solved by using Natalie Imbruglia in this movie?" Here's hoping Atkinson exercises a little more caution in the future when choosing film projects; or at least goes with a studio that makes movies for a fanbase instead of a marketing demographic. Two out of five stars.
Rating: Summary: Johnny do bad Review: Rowan Atkinson is a personal favorite. Johnny English is not. There are too many Bond rip-offs as is, and this one makes me groan more than any other I've seen (including the Bond movies themselves). It's not funny, folks! It's not even entertaining. My mind felt numb while I watched this. I would have gotten more out of life by looking at a brick wall for 90 minutes. The entire movie is all about "What will Johnny do wrong this time?" Of course, you don't really have to ask yourself that since the movie plays up each situation so well, you never have to guess what's going to happen. Obvious, uninspired, over-killed, redundant shtick just doesn't cut it like it used to. There were two really funny scenes, though, but that's only about 1/50 of the movie. Not worth it! Do yourself a favor. Go rent some Mr. Bean episodes and leave Johnny English out of the question.
Rating: Summary: It's Atkinson, Not Bean. Review: As a recent convert to the humor of Mr. Bean, I was curious to see how Rowan Atkinson would be in a character other than Mr. Bean. In JOHNNY ENGLISH, Atkinson does just that playing a bumbling MI agent who is out to stop an evil Frenchman from inheriting the British crown. This isn't a raunchy spoof of spy movies like the AUSTIN POWER films. Instead, it's more like a comical homage. JOHNNY ENGLISH reminded me more of Inspector Gadget than Austin Powers and Atkinson's portrayal made me think of a younger Don Knotts. The film is quite funny and amusing and is much better than the trailers would leave one to believe. It has just the right mix of comedy and action and has a script better than even some Bond flicks. Cheers.
Rating: Summary: I can't beilve they showed the Arch-bishop's BUTT!!!! Review: This movie had some things in it that I dfidn't mind, really, but for a PG movie they were pretty inapporipate. But ovewrall, it's a very funny movie.
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!
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