The Popkorn Junkie :: Johnny English

Rowan Atkinson is a genuinely funny comedian, who hasn't yet developed as much recognition in the states as he has in England, but hopefully one day that'll change. He's most known for his physical comedy, but he's a great comedian in all aspects.

In the film, Atkinson plays Johnny English, an inept agent who's England's last hope after the other agents get killed in an explosion. His assignment? He must track down the stolen jewels from the Tower of London and capture the fiend who stole them. That fiend turns out to be a slimy Frenchman (John Malkovich), who desires to take over the throne as King of England.

This is a very funny, though uneven, slapstick comedy. It's not brilliant, with lags where the jokes simply fall flat, but what made me grateful about this movie is there are a few absolutely hilarious moments that reminded me of how I used to laugh at the movies. I'm talking actually belly laughs! I'm not totally dissing today's comedies. Some have made me laugh out loud, but it's been a while since I saw a comedy with real belly laughs that gave me hiccups and sent tears to my eyes.

One of those gags is a true classic, a car chase scene where Atkinson and his buddy confiscate a truck, which is carrying a car in the back. Atkinson gets into the car, and asks his buddy who's driving the truck, to lower the car onto the street. Cars rush by, and he yells at his buddy to lift the car back up. As the truck goes faster and faster, Atkinson gets queasy as he's still in the car, getting swung around like crazy. If they were ever to compile a retrospective of classic comic moments in film, that scene should definitely make the cut!

Some have complained about the casting of Natalie Imbruglia as English's love interest. I think she did a good job, and her performance didn't bother me one bit. I guess since she's a music star people are predestined to mock her performance. Was she great? No. But this isn't exactly a Merchant Ivory film. She wasn't given something very challenging. Then again, maybe I was just impressed by how hot she looks in this movie. John Malkovich takes a stab at broad comedy (at least I think this is his first attempt) and succeeds with flying colors. He's obviously having a lot of fun, using a horribly phony French accent.

Fans of Rowan Atkinson and fans of good comedy in general should check out this movie. The overall film is not a comic masterpiece, but there are moments of comic brilliance, which is saying a lot more than you think. Another great thing about watching a comedy like this is being surrounded by laughter. When I went to see the movie, people were laughing their heads off and having just as good a time as I was. That's what the filmgoing experience is all about

-- Matt ( 3 out of 4 pops )

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Billy Ray ( 1 1/2 out of 4 pops )

In my opinion, Rowan Atkinson is one of the funniest human beings on the entire planet. "Bean" is one of my all-time favorite television programs, and the film version was not too shabby either. Lately, Atkinson has taken smaller, and sometimes pathetic roles, in films such as "Rat Race" and "Scooby Doo", films that really do little for his comic genius. At first glance, "Johnny English" seems like a return to form for the comedian. Alas, it is nothing but a terrible film inside a wasted genre, relying solely on Atkinson to save it. The burden was too much for him to bare. Rowan Atkinson stars as Johnny English, a man famous for British credit card commercials, and a low, low, low ranking member of the British Secret Service. He is called into active duty when every other service agent is killed in an explosion. His mission is to stop French billionaire Pascal Sauvage (John Malkovich), a criminal mastermind who believes his parents were wronged, thus causing him to steal the crown jewels. The rest of the film is scene after scene of English showing his stupidity and lack of common sense. Atkinson seems as if he does not want to be in this picture, which is sad because he should not be that desperate for work. He is immensely popular in Britain, and can do both comedy and drama to sheer perfection. "Johnny English" should be below his standards. And what in the hell is John Malkovich doing in this film? He goes from directing the beautiful "The Dancer Upstairs" to a character from a Leslie Nielsen movie. Maybe that is the whole problem -- this was a Leslie Nielsen film starring Rowan Atkinson. This was the sequel to "Spy Hard" without Andy Griffith as the super villain. The spy spoof is way overdone and I think "Johnny English" is the final nail in the coffin. There are a few moderately funny scenes, all thanks to Ben Miller as English's sidekick and Atkinson, working at half level. As for the rest, this film flops on numerous levels and was a huge disappointment for me, an avid Rowan Atkinson fan. Oh, "Bean", where hath thou gone?