Where the fascination comes from for movie studios to create an obvious knockoff of the Austin Powers series filled with a comedian such as Rowan Atkinson with a flare for performing the most obvious comedy baffles me, but here it is.
The star of the box-office flop, Bean, is back in this 90-minute debacle in which the Queen’s crown jewels have been stolen by a conniving Frenchman (John Malkovich), who has his eyes on the queen’s throne. Thanks to obvious pratfalls Johnny English (Atkinson) must be the agent to solve the case now that all the other British Secret Service agents are dead.
Sound like a hit? Oh, just wait we haven’t gotten to the part where English screws up through a series of mistaken identities, getting poop on his head, and revealing the naked bum of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The only item that can be taken away from the movie is when English meets the beautiful double agent Lorna Campbell (Natalie Imbruglia). I guess once the singing career ends may as well resort to L’Oreal commercials and doomed movie roles.
Natalie is no Beyonce and Atkinson falls way short of the Austin Powers role created by the hilarious Mike Myers. There is room for only one English spy in the theaters now days and half-assed attempt such as Johnny English isn’t even worth time in the ring with Mr. Powers.
