Johnny English [PG]

The crown jewels have been stolen. All Britain’s secret agents have been eliminated…except one. Johnny English, a bumbling and foolish agent now has the chance to make his dreams of being a spy, getting the girl, and saving England come true. The one downside is that, although his heart is in the right place, his actions just tend to make things worse, and with the villainous Pascal Sauvage out to steal the throne of England, time is against him and there is no room for mistakes. 

A very funny and clever spy spoof, Johnny English is a very entertaining film that’s packed with action, adventure, comedy, romance, and memorable performances. 

The crown jewels have been stolen. All Britain’s secret agents have been eliminated… except one. Johnny English, a bumbling and foolish agent now has the chance to make his dreams of being a spy, getting the girl, and saving England come true. The one downside is that, although his heart is in the right place, his actions just tend to make everything worse and with the villainous Pascal Sauvage out to steal the throne of England, time is against Johnny and there is no room for mistakes. 

What I like particularly about this film is that it’s British so the humour is all very clever and intellectual, but at the same time it’s more of a physical movie. When I say that, I mean that much of the comedy comes in the form of English’s physical blunders. Essentially the central comedy is schadenfreude, and a great example of it at that. You can piece together what sort of blunders the hero is going to make, which means that you’re laughing before the punch line. It’s just great. 

Rowan Atkinson stars as Johnny English and I don’t think anyone else could have done it. Rowan’s facial expressions added to his wonderful way of verbally digging a hole for himself, his sense of arrogance, and his heart-warming genuine attempts to save the world, make him the sort of character that, even though he’s a fool and sometimes a bit of a prick, you’re rooting for him to succeed. It’s just great. 

Starring Natalie Imbruglia, Ben Miller, Kevin McNally, Tim Pigott-Smith, and John Malkovich, Johnny English is a great movie that’s fun for everyone. Packed with action, blunders, adventure, gadgets, arrogance, romance, and comedy, it’s a great little film that’s both light and engaging.