A bumbling secret agent is the only one who can locate the
crown jewels after they are stolen from the Tower of London. ACTION/COMEDY
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Johnny English (2003)Directed by Peter Howitt
Written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, William Davies Starring Rowan Atkinson, Ben Miller, Natalie Imbruglia, John Malkovich, Tim Pigott-Smith |
This movie gets a bum rap because it's a pointless, ridiculous send-up of spy movies that pales in comparison to films like Austin Powers. Granted, it is a truly stupid movie, but that doesn't mean it's a bad one. I've enjoyed this dumb spoof for many years, mostly because of Rowan Atkinson's trademark wittiness and the comedy gravitas he brought to the role. His supporting cast isn't bad either. In truth, if the script had been more original and hadn't relied so much on crude humor, this could have been fantastic.
A visibly disinterested John Malkovich plays the antagonist, French businessman Pascal Sauvage. If you've ever wanted to hear Malkovich stomp all over a French accent like it was on fire, this film was made for you. Honestly, my favorite character was Bough, Johnny English's sidekick played by Ben Miller, simply because he was considerably more competent but stuck to English anyway. The film is made up of wacky scenarios, gross-out humor, and the occasional witty barb. Still, I don't know what it is about the movie. I can't help but find it charming and quirky. Johnny English is a ridiculously stupid movie that does a poor job of jabbing the spy genre and does a better job of jabbing itself over and over again. Still, it has a certain charm about it that I can't help but enjoy time and time again. While it's nowhere near Rowan Atkinson's best performance, it stands out as an entertaining comedy one could watch on a particularly rainy Tuesday evening. |