User reviews

Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) is a bureaucratic employee of the British Secret Service, who dreams to be a charming agent. His dreams come true when all the British agents die, due to the lack of security in a funeral where he was the responsible. Johnny English, with the support of his assistant Bough (Ben Miller) and Lorna Campbell (Natalie Imbruglia), fights against the evil Pascal Sauvage (John Malkovitch), a powerful French who wants to be the king of the United Kingdom and transforms England in a great prison for all criminals of the world. This silly story is a very funny parody of 007 movies. Rowan Atkinson is very hilarious, as usual, and it is impossible not laughing with his stupidities. The singer Natalie Imbruglia is very beautiful, the unknown Ben Miller is the efficient assistant of Johnny English, and John Malkovitch, with a ridiculous French accent, complete the funny cast of this comedy. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): `Johnny English'

The talented Rowan Atkinson expands his character from a series of TV adverts shown in the UK in the late 1990's onto the big screen.So does the transfer from two-minute sketches adapt successfully into feature-length narrative? The answer surprisingly is quite well,although the film does have flat spots and gags that somewhat misfire.The plot and incidents that take place are an obvious mixture and borrowing from the NAKED GUN and AUSTIN POWERS series of parodies,but what is refreshing is that the character of Johnny English is mostly free of the occasional mugging that was witnessed in the above films,and also Atkinson's MR BEAN creation,which was of course wordless but did sometimes engage in some rather messy slapstick.There is some messy slapstick here,but Atkinson's interpretation is closer to his greatest comic character of Edmund BLACKADDER,with his sometimes cynical and sarcastic tone,though he has traits of bumbling incompetence like Mr.Bean,though not total idiocy which makes English more sympathetic.A lower budget than the AUSTIN POWERS series means there are fewer elaborate set pieces,but some scenes work very well and there are some witty exchanges of dialogue.There's decent support from Natalie Imbruglia,Ben Miller and Tim Pigott-Smith,but John Malkovich is the most amusing as the villain with his cod French accent.It is encouraging to see a comedy which underplays it's scenes these days,rather than performers shouting and screaming in a desperate bid to force laughter out of an audience.That said,some scenes in the film don't always come off,perhaps because they are understated too much,but the best bits are very funny(especially the final scenes)and further sequels with this character would be most welcome.

I watched this so much during my childhood, it's a fantastic film.recently got to watch this the other night and it lives up still perfectly!

Decent humour, as well as a decent plot ( only the ending is a bit silly really) with some great quotable lines. I know this film gets alot of hate, but give it a.try and don't engage your brain too much.

Comparable to Mr bean, so if your not a fan of Mr.bean then I'd avoid this personally. (Imagine Mr bean could talk and became an mi7 agent)

7/10

I'm sorry I just can't dislike movies with Rowan Atkinson, he always makes me laugh no matter how bad the script is. If you're not a Rowan Atkinson fan you will probably be bored.

A funny spy parody that gives decent laughs. If you love Mr Bean you should love Johnny English it's really enjoyable and engaging I would recommend. After watching this you'll want to continue with the rest of the trilogy too.

Veteran comedy star Rowan Atkinson is in very fine form here in the title role, a bumbling office functionary with the espionage organization MI7. He becomes the unlikely hero who must take on a wily French villain named Sauvage (John Malkovich). But he won't have to go it alone: he has a sidekick named Bough (Ben Miller) and a sexy mystery woman (singing star Natalie Imbruglia) who keeps turning up. Sauvage and his minions manage to pull off the theft of the Crown Jewels, but naturally they're not going to stop there; Sauvage has a loftier ambition in mind.

"Johnny English" is a fast-paced, engagingly silly James Bond spoof. It's not always that inspired, as it goes for cheap and easy laughs regarding faeces a little too much. That said, it's generally good entertainment for a family audience, with some good sight gags and verbal jokes. It travels far on the winning goofiness of Atkinson, who reacts to his misfortunes with great deadpan humour. But the whole cast is a delight: Malkovich is a hilariously pompous villain, Miller adds his own substantial amount of comedy relief, and Imbruglia is very, very sexy. Particularly priceless is the way Johnny behaves in his own domicile when he thinks nobody is watching. "Does Your Mother Know?"

"Johnny English" is must viewing for any Atkinson fan, who's brought such great characters as Blackadder and Mr. Bean to the public consciousness over the decades. It was based on a series of TV commercials from the 1990s, and the transition from brief TV spots to the feature film format is surprisingly successful. Johnny English is a worthy successor to such dense but dedicated characters as Inspector Clouseau and Frank Drebin (to name just two).

Followed by "Johnny English Reborn" and "Johnny English Strikes Again".

Seven out of 10.

Anyone aware of the Pink Panther movies is aware that I am being glib here. Johnny English is not really a good Inspector or whatever he calls himself (more like secret agent ... but very very secret). And while Clouseau actually had some qualities, English seems derived of them.

What I am saying is, don't hold that comparison over my head. I just think they are both funny. It had been a while since I last saw this and I haven't seen the newest output yet (2018). But it was fun being reminded of how funny Rowan Atkinson can be (you may know him as Mr. Bean). There are jokes that I feel are missplaced (like poo jokes, though they did work with my nephew so who am I to judge) - one of the grossest offense being English inappropriately touching women throughout. While it is meant as fun and his overall quirkyness, they can be seen as very wrong too ... I'll leave that up to you ...

The critics were unkind to this and I got the impression it was down to two reasons:

1 ) The character Johnny English is based on a character that appeared on credit card adverts in the early 1990s . you get the gut instinct that character development isn't something that applies to characters appearing in adverts

2 ) Bond spoofs are old hat and weren't all that funny in the first place

So I was sat there at Christmas thinking I'd be watching something with all the appeal of 37 day old turkey sandwiches but I was fairly impressed . Okay I wasn't rolling around the floor with tears streaming down my face but I've always liked Rowan Atkinson's arrogant portrayal of Edmund Blackadder and the character of Johhny English is just as similar to Blackadder as it is to Mr Bean . I will grant you the jokes are hit and miss or predictable like the scene where English infiltrates the villains HQ and finds an old man :

" What did they do to you ? "

" They took some of my blood "

" The b@stards "

Of course you can see the pay off long before it appears but that still doesn't stop it from being amusing when it does

No doubt a lot of pretentious John Malkovich fans were left stratching their heads wondering why he was slumming it in JOHNNY English but if you've enjoyed anything Rowan Atkinson has been in you'll certainly find this comedy very watchable

This film has a lot of physical comedy that works on a basic level, just like the famous Mr. Bean series. All of these skits made my grandmother chuckle even though she does not know English, which is a good sign. Rowan Atkinson makes the plot come to life.

Johnny English

It's unavoidable that people will try to judge this film by making comparisons to Atkinson's other characters and all the James Bond spoofs out there. But so great the success of Mr Bean and the BBC TV series Blackadder to name but a few, it was always going to be judged that way.

Johnny English, as commented before, was the character of a series of credit card adverts in the mid-90s. However, to transpose a character that appeared in 30 second sketches into a movie isn't easy, given people already has a perception of him. And that's the real problem of Johnny English.

The start of the film is a little uneasy - we're looking for gags, but they don't come often enough, but that rectifies itself from about half way. But sadly, the originality that we saw in the adverts is lost in most of the movie. Ok, there were moments of brilliance - the car chase scene was original and hilarious - but many of the gags, especially the finale, were simply remakes of those from Naked Gun.

I am biased, though. Rowan Atkinson is one of Britain's funniest comedy actors, and his creations are simply brilliant. His stand-up video is hilarious, Mr Bean has become a worldwide success and his recent parody of the Martin Bashir / Michael Jackson interview for Comic Relief, a charity telethon in the UK, epitomised his comedy genius.

But the script and the plot lets down the whole concept of the film. There simply wasn't enough of a buzz throughout the film to make you feel satisfied when leaving the cinema. I was looking for a little bit of hidden intelligence in the character of Johnny English, but sadly it never appeared and there was just too much slapstick in it.

But in a way, the cast salvaged the movie. Natalie Imbruglia is great in the movie, although I'm slightly surprised that other people are surprised she was so good - in the UK she's more well-known as a singer, but her days in Neighbours as Beth before that did show she can act very well.

Mind you, I can't say the same for John Malkovitch. You'd get a better French accent on a end of a baguette than from him.

Ultimately, though, this is a film that has the laughs, and though there is a slight disappointment that you don't get everything you want, it is a very funny film. One to recommend to Hollywood, in case you think all Brits are like Hugh Grant or Pierce Brosnan...

For me, a long time 'Mr. Bean' fan, I was very happy to see 'Mr. Bean' in another film. I haven't seen all of Rowan's (not sure about the spelling) films. I've seen 'Rat Race' and I think he did an amazing job on that one.

This movie is one of my favorites. I could watch it again and again. Also, it's a family movie, so I can watch it with my GRANDMA!

It's an English film so I, an American, was happy to see that they weren't making the 'bad guy' an American but yet a Frenchman.

I loved all the secondary actors's and actress's work too, especially Nat's.

I think this movie has lots of funny parts that one will just laugh out loud at. I honestly don't have a favorite part simply because all of the scenes are so funny.

And I absolutely LOVE the theme song! lol

This is an excellent movie that pokes fun at 007 and at life itself. I give it 5 stars! ;)

Allthought I wouldn't rate it as a well thought artistic piece of art in the cultural aspect (such as a Kubrick movie, for example) Johnny Enlighs is probably the funniest movie I've ever seen. If you are in the mood for a good laugh out of a not 100% stupid movie, then, only then, its a must see. I saw it a year ago and I still remember Johnny's face and actions. I must admit that really stupid movies make me sometimes angry, this is not that kind of movie that has no sense at all, it has a clear setting, and a great cast (perfect cast if you're talking about Johnny's selection). Probably better than the Mr. Beans, "Johnny English" is a must see for those who laugh easily. Another very important hint: don't watch it alone. Watch it with someone who makes you laugh. The last hint: if you don't laugh, probably Blockbuster® gave you "Lost Highway" instead of "Johnny English", a pretty uncommon mistake.

After Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) is put in charge of security at a gathering for all the British secret agents, things go badly wrong and he is suddenly the last of his profession left alive. When the crown jewels are mysteriously stolen, he and his sidekick, Bough (Ben Miller) must investigate. The prime suspects are the French entrepreneur (John Malkovich) and the beautiful Lorna Campbell (Natalie Imbruglia), he must find the guilty party and save the nation's pride.

Rowan Atkinson is simply funny by design, it doesn't seem to matter what role he has to play, or what script he has to deliver; he just always entertains. Malkovich clearly enjoyed his role as the evil villain, and delivered a typically great portrayal; albeit as a very shallow character, and finally Natalie Imbruglia does a great job of looking sexy throughout.

Full of sustained and silly humour, this spy spoof is pretty good entertainment, and should satisfy most Rowan Atkinson fans adequately.

7/10

Amusing moments along with embarrassing in this first entry about secret agent Johnny English with a likable Rowan Atkinson , role of the accidental spy who doesn't know fear or danger in this comedy spy-thriller . In his initial adventure, the most unlikely intelligence officer in Her Majesty's Secret Service must stop a group of international conspirators led by a mean French (John Malkovich) before they eliminate the monarch of England and cause global chaos on the Great Britain . Johnny English, a British secret agent who dreams of rising beyond his menial job within the MI-7 organization, is hired to protect the Crown Jewels after all the other agents are bumped off. When the jewels are stolen, he eventually uncovers a plot to replace England's Queen with what the British fear the most : a French monarch . And since her nation has such close ties to France , Pegasus (Tim Piggot Smith) head of MI7 instructs secret agent Johnny English to retrieve the robbed crown jewels and directing the investigation. On the way he runs into the suspects . With one shot at redemption, he must employ the latest in hi-tech gadgets to unravel a web of conspiracy that runs throughout a ambitious French successor . With mere days until a coronation , one man must use every trick in his playbook to protect us all. For Johnny English, disaster may be an option, but failure never is.

This first installment is a passable and average comedy because the formula is well known with 'The Pink Panther' series. It stars clumsy Rowan Atkinson as one man show accompanied by a sympathetic Ben Miller .¨ Johnny English¨ release was the first part of series as the inept and bungler secret agent from MI-7 . The movie gets entertaining and hilarious moments here and there. This slapstick picture contains amusing , funny scenes , fresh and diverting moments but also flaws and gaps . Rowan Atkinson steals the show parodying the ordinary international secret agent , James Bond-alike , including his ordinary faces , grimaces and gestures . Appears as secondaries some prestigious British actors as Tim Piggot Smith , Ben Miller , Kevin McNally and two gorgeous women as Tasha De Vasconcelos and Natalie Imbruglia . The actors seem to enjoy themselves immensely giving funny interpretations . Lively and atmospheric music by Ed Shearmur . Colorful and glimmer cinematography by Remi Adefarasin . The film is regularly penned and directed by Peter Howitt . Several chuckles and gags , the result of which is one acceptable first entry . The flick will appeal to Rowan Atkinson fans who plays stunningly the highly unorthodox agent.

Followed by ¨Johnny English Reborn¨ (original title) that maintains the slapstick franchise with Rowan Atkinson , Gillian Amstrong , Rosamund Pike , Dominic West and directed by Oliver Parker . Johnny is back in action and returns to the role of the accidental secret agent who doesn't know fear or danger in the comedy spy-thriller 'Johnny English Reborn' . In the years since MI-7's top spy vanished off the grid, he has been honing his unique skills in a remote region of Asia , now that the world needs him once again, Johnny English goes into the action .

Silly as hell, but funny as anything! Rowan Atkinson once again shows the world his talents - impeccable comic timing, style, a little bit of cheekiness, and superb acting. This movie is a personal favourite of mine, and I reckon it is perfect to watch anytime you feel low or need some cheering up. The man who brought you Bean (1997), now brings you Johnny English, a parody of James Bond. I loved Bean, and I love this one just as much, if not more. Ignore the pathetic critics that rate this as crap, because it most certainly isn't. It is a piece of comedy that you will not regret seeing - I recommend this to anyone. Heck, even my grandmother liked it! (And that's saying something)

Seriously, if you haven't watched this, you really need to.

I will say that Johnny English is patchy, but it is enjoyable, and there are some very funny moments. To anyone who hasn't seen the movie, I will warn you, don't expect too much from the screenplay, it is very simplistic, and the plot is predictable. And the whole film is very, very daft, and I can't count the number of scenes that I deem as extremely silly. I do think the Coronation Scene is hilarious though. There are some nice locations, some good effects, and a number of funny scenes. The acting is not Oscar-worthy, but everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Natalie Imbruglia looks gorgeous, and does do well. Tim Piggott-Smith and Oliver Ford-Davies have little to do, but they do shine in the few scenes they are in. John Malkovich hams it up to a tee as the villain of the piece Pascal Sauvage, but holding the film together is Rowan Atkinson in a rather unsophisticated but fun role of Johnny English, and he breathes life into a film that could have been embarrassing and forgettable, but his sheer entertainment value makes it worth seeing. All in all, unassuming and definitely not Oscar worthy but not a bad film by all means. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Whoever goes to such a movie must know what he or she pays the ticket for - and this is how such a film should be judged. Rowan Atkinson got famous - in Europe at least - for Mr. Bean's character. Here he plays a secret agent saving the British dynasty, but he is still the same Mr. Bean - sometimes the prototype of a complete idiot, evil and candid at the same time, Laurel and Hardy in the same tuxedo. If something can go wrong around him, it will, and if it does not he will make it happen.

Comparing the film with the other latest Bond parody, the Austin Powers series is required, and you know what? I liked this one better. Without the great money of 'Powers', 'Johnny English' succeeded better in extracting healthy laughs and making me feel that I did not completely mis-spent the 88 minutes and the ...no, I will not tell you what a ticket in the theater costs over here! John Malkovitch seems to enjoy every moment on the screen, and Natalia Imbruglia makes us wait for the next in the series. Which I am sure will come, and I hope it will not be falling much below the original, as the Powers second and third did.

7/10 on my personal scale.

This James Bond spoof, headed by British comedian Rowan Atkinson, was okay....a fair amount of laughs but not enough to add this film to my collection. Atkinson reminded me a bit of Benny Hill, a more famous English comedian who also doesn't speak much but lets his actions and facial expressions garner his laughs. Both are likable guys.

John Malkovich plays a Frechman here and his accent is pretty good. He seems to be always playing strange roles.

There really isn't a whole lot to say about this film. Except for a very funny toilet scenes, much of it isn't that memorable. Just a lightweight hour-and-a-half of entertainment.

Had I never seen the various Blackadder shows as well as Mr. Bean, I probably would have enjoyed this film a little more. However, I know that Rowan Atkinson can be a tremendously funny man and he is quite the talent. Sadly, little of Atkinson's genius for comedy is evident here, as this spy film features exceptionally broad and dopey comedy--with none of the sophistication or finesse of his other work.

Now for people unfamiliar with Atkinson (especially the kids), this still might be a decent time-passer. After all, they won't have the same expectations and this is a family-friendly movie. But for folks like me that expect more, stay clear of this amazingly flat movie.

A clumsy daydreamer by the name of Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson), who works for the Secret Spy Agency. When all the British Top Spies are killed, they asked Johnny to take over the case to investigate a mysterious rich evil french man by the name of Pascal Sauvage (John Malkovich). Johnny's only help is from his loyal partner (Ben Miller) and a beautiful, mysterious spy woman (Natalie Imbruglia) could help bring Sauvage to Justice.

Directed by Peter Howitt (Anti-Trust, Laws of Attraction, Sliding Doors) made a entertaining comedy that spoofs the films of James Bond and The Naked Gun Trilogy. Atkinson is a delight and Malkovich is at his silliest role to date (He seems to have a real good time in this movie). The film's plot is surprisingly good but you wish, there is more laughs at times. Atkinson's fans won't be disappointed.

DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer (Also sharp in Pan & Scan transfer) and an good-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD Extras are Deleted Scenes, Behind the Scenes Featurette and more. Kids will probably enjoy this more than the adults. Written by Neal Purvis (The World is Not Enough), Robert Wade (Die Another Day) and William Davies (Twins). (*** ½/*****).

Despite a strong lineup of big names including Atkinson and Malkovich, Johnny English only barely carves the surface.

It's a spoof take on James Bond movies, with Atkinson as our lead and Malkovich as our protagonist. It's a fun little movie but by no means a must watch. I like stupid comedies and this one is no exception but this movie is more stupid then it is funny which doesn't always work well here. I still enjoyed this movie as it is relaxing and very easy to sit through.

I was interested to see Natalie Imbruglia as the co-main alongside Atkinson. She's attractive and she's well known for her hit song "Torn", and I had no idea she acted so it surprised me to see her in this role. She is decent and does what she can with the middling script she is given but her performance isn't any way mesmerizing.

I saw it the one time and that'll do. It's an ok flick.

When we watch films of the spoof genre we see funny jokes that make fun of other films recently released (Scary Movie) making fun of the stereotypical conventions of other films (Not another teen movie) and hilarious characters that we can associate with in context (Austin Powers) Johnny English justified the genre perfectly, meaning its unfunny, tries it make fun of the spy world and has predictable written all over it.

Personally I'm not a huge fan of Rowan Atkinson and this 2003 film did nothing to increase my likability for him. As great a comedian as he may have been in 'Black Adder' he is unable here to make this film even acceptable with a low performance as the dim-witted agent. His annoying childish speech throughout was driving me up the wall. His character is supposedly trying to mirror an idiotic James Bond. Fair play they might have the spy conventions worked out but are unable to make them interesting. Also the fact he is trying to act big headed all of the time is enough to drive anyone mad.

EVERY scene is predictable I could have written it myself. Sitting with my sister I told her the ending specifically, involving what happened with the Archbishop of Canterbury and she said 'Have you seen this before?' And that was half way through the film.

The story is overly coincidental and blown out of complete proportion. Rowan plays the daft agent who is sent to track down some missing jewels. The fact that he 'knows' what is going on is ridiculous, seeing how dumb he is. Some ideas are resolved too quickly and the whole plot is dumb driven so to speak. It tries to captivate the audience by containing scenes where the central character is being made a fool of (which happens all the time so be prepared for the same ideas being used) having too many action scenes to justify the action genre, all blown out of proportion and are no way shape of form realistic, making the film unacceptable viewing if you wish to appreciate a real life scenario.

The stereotypical characters are also used to justify the genre. Natalie Imbruglia stars as the central woman and is never convincing as she is uncomfortable in-front of the camera and forms unhealthy chemistry with other actors. John Malkovich to is unacceptable as the stereotype villain but is probably the most interesting character as audiences wonder what he is up to, although it is predictable in the end.

Although predictability may have been the purpose would anyone find that interesting? 'Shall we sit down and watch Johnny English?' There is no fun watching a film which is unfunny, predictable and doesn't add anything new which so many other spy spoofs such as 'Austin Powers' with its funny characters does.

A film to criticise if you deem necessary but don't get your hopes up for enjoyment. With minimal laughs, a predictable plot, a story involving stereotypes, it's a film destined to be hated.

Why on earth is this film rated so low?

Its an excellent comedy in its on right, in its own style. More for a younger audience, yes, but that shouldn't affect an objective rating.

My rating is based on the first time I saw it in the cinema, aged 14.

A silly film, yes, but not a significant step down in depth/quality on blackadder, for instance- as some claim.

Criticisms in the bad reviews are silly, irrelevant and non objective.

Went into the cinema with great trepidation (after having seen the first Mr. Bean movie, which was a total flop) but came away laughing heartily. This spy movie spoof is actually quite funny, Atkinson and Malkovich give some great perfomances. A good movie if you want some light-hearted fun.

Better than I thought it would be. A lot more subdued than say, Austin Powers, but still kept up a decent comic pace.

One major plothole, though. Pardon an American's understanding of the line of succession, but if Queen Elizabeth the Second abdicated, wouldn't the throne then go to Prince Charles? I was of the belief that if a monarch abdicates, they only give up their position on the throne, not their entire line's right to it. You'd pretty much have to pull a King Ralph scenario before the entire house of Windsor has no heirs to the throne and have to find a French claimant.

Anyway, John Malkovich does a good job at looking both mildly annoyed and amused at English's antics. Maybe it isn't acting... it pretty much sums up my feeling toward the film, both slightly annoyed and amused.

Not the greatest comedy ever by any means, but it has its moments. Quite a few good laughs in this. I give it a 5 out of 10.