Slapstick comedy is a genre that belonged to an era when people didnt actually need to talk to be funny. Charlie Chaplin, who revolutionized this genre of characterization in the 1930’s inspired and spawned many similar comic acts, one of the most notable in the present day being Rowan Atkinson. Rowan Atkinson played the popular Mr Bean in the TV comedy series bearing the same name. Known for his contorted facial expressions and very ’’English’’ wit, Atkinson quickly made his way up the celebrity ladder to become a high profile comedian. Johnny English, his latest big screen movie.. is a delightful entertainer that promises 90 minutes of comical insanity.
The debacle that was English...
Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) is an ordinary man with a desk job assisting the elite British secret service MI-6. He constantly fancies himself as being one of the agents - living a suave lifestyle and having a penchant for beautiful, dangerous women. Wishful thinking? Not for long. In a sudden turn of events, English’s superspy dreams inadvertently turn into reality when his idol Agent One of the MI-6 and his compadres are killed while investigating an attempt to rob the Crown Jewels that belong to the Queen of England.
And now ..enter MI-7..the one man (or shall we say two men) army of the British secret service - the dashing Agent English. Agent English’s first mission is to guard the Crown Jewels that are now stashed away at a fortified prison, one of many fortified prisons owned by a high profile French magnate Pascal Savage (John Malkovich). But Pascal Savage has an eye on the Crown Jewels.. and on the night that Savage hosts an exhibition to show them off - they get stolen right under the agent’s watchful eye.
Not willing to be deterred by this setback, off goes Agent English on the quest to retrieve the missing jewels - and uncover the truth - only to find out that Pascal’s diabolical scheme is to overthrow the Queen of England, coronate himself.. and turn all of England into a huge fortified prison for the world’s ’’human waste’’!!
So with the help of the trusty Buff (or Bough), his sidekick... and a very svelte looking secret agent Miss Campbell (played by Natalie Imbruglia) ... English fumbles and falters and finally manages to get into the game. Throughout the movie, Agent English, determined to show off his non-existent superspy sixth sense .. keeps committing one faux pas after another. In his enthusiasm to nail Savage, Johnny English earns the wrath of his boss - and gets unceremoniously booted off the force. But the seemingly elusive Miss Campbell shows up at his doorstep and convinces him that they need to work together to save England from the clutches of the devious Frenchman.
So off they go to the wolf’s lair where a plot is hatching .. the world’s greatest criminal minds are in communion at Pascal’s mansion in the North of France...and they are busy planning Pascal’s coronation by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Johnny English’s superspy mind strategizes..the plan of action is set.. but the carefully planned surprise attack is foiled ... thanks to the careless swish of the agent’s hand .. and the harmless flick of a switch...and a few loudspeakers that turn on to clearly broadcast the plan of attack to an uninterested group of criminal masterminds.
English and Campbell are caught but rescued by Bough (who materializes out of nowhere really).. and off they go to the church where Pascal is to be crowned King of England... Needless to say, there are some side splitting laughs here - the climax.. and like all movies with positive karma, English saves the day and the Crown Jewels - and is conferred with an honorary knighthood by a grateful Queen.
90 minutes after..
The verdict...(drum roll)...
This is a refreshing change from the typical sexual innuendo ridden teen Hollywood flick that seems to be riding the high wave in the big screen these days. This movie is good clean fun and worth a watch or two.