Johnny English [WS]

Director: Peter Howitt Peter Howitt

Overview

"This espionage spoof, starring British comedian Rowan Atkinson, gets a fleshed-out presentation for its release on DVD. This edition of Johnny English has been given a letterboxed transfer at the widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1; the image has also been enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16 x 9 monitors. (A full-screen pan-and-scan version is also available.) The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, and viewers may choose between the original English-language soundtrack and dubbed versions in French and Spanish. Bonus materials featured on this disc include a short documentary on the making of the film, a selection of deleted scenes, biographies of the characters, a humorous look at ""self-defense"" techniques used in the movie, tips for aspiring secret agents, and more."

Product Details

Release Date:	01/13/2004
UPC:	0025192281921
Original Release:	2003
Rating:	PG
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:28:00
Sales rank:	50,787

Special Features

Closed Caption;Making of Johnny English; Deleted scenes; Spy tips; Character profiles; Observation test; DVD-ROM features: Spy challenge, Identikit, and spy profiler

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Rowan Atkinson	Johnny English
Natalie Imbruglia	Lorna Campbell
Ben Miller	Bough
John Malkovich	Pascal Sauvage
Tim Pigott-Smith	Pegasus
Oliver Ford Davies	Archbishop of Canterbury,Sir Anthony Chevenix
Douglas McFerran	Carlos Vendetta
Steve Nicolson	Dieter Klein
Kevin McNally	Prime Minister
Tim Berrington	Roger
Greg Wise	Agent One
Nina Young	Pegasus' Secretary
Terence Harvey	Official at Funeral
Philippa Fordham	Snobby Woman
Tasha De Vasconcelos	Exotic Woman
Simon Bernstein	Assailant
Martin Lawton	Hearse Driver
Neville Phillips	Priest
Takuya Matsumoto	Sushi Waiter
Peter Tenn	Sushi Bar Customer
Sam Beazley	Elderly Man
Kevin Moore	Doctor
Faruk Pruti	Truth Serum Guard
Marc Danbury	Guard
Jack Raymond	French Reception Waiter
Jenny Galloway	Foreign Secretary
Chris Tarrant	Radio Announcer,Voices
James Greene	Scottish Bishop
Clive Graham	Welsh Bishop
Trevor McDonald	Newscaster
Haylie Ecker	String Quartet
Tania Davis	String Quartet
Eos Chater	String Quartet
Radha Mitchell	Actor
Henry Naylor	Bough
Bond	String Quartet
Ed Shearmur	Composer,Composer

Technical Credits

Robert Wade

Neil Purvis

Ben Elton

Will Davies

Peter Howitt	Director
Robert Wade	Screenwriter
Neil Purvis	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Tim Bevan	Producer
Peter Chiang	Special Effects
Richard Conway	Special Effects
Eric Fellner	Producer
Mark Huffman	Producer
Paul Jennings	Stunts
Priscilla John	Casting
Frédéric Bovis	Producer,Producer
Mark Huffam	Producer,Director
Lucette Legot	Producer
Jo Burn	Producer
Liza Chasin	Producer
Debra Hayward	Producer
Oliver Atherton	Special Effects
Chris Atkinson	Sound Effects,Sound Effects
Paula Boram	Sound Effects
Roberto Cappannelli	Sound Effects
Adam Daniel	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer,Sound/Sound Designer
Nina Armstrong	Stunts
Mattias Lindahl	Special Effects
Anton Boniface	Special Effects
Nick Chopping	Stunts
Chris Clark	Producer
Simon Davey	Special Effects
Christopher Hobbs	Special Effects
Matthew Roberts	Special Effects
Karl Wardle	Special Effects
Nigel Wilkinson	Special Effects
Bruce Cain	Stunts
Gary Connery	Stunts
Gabe Cronnelly	Stunts
Graeme Crowther	Stunts
Ian Curley	Stunts
Kelly Dent	Stunts
Ben Dimmock	Stunts
Tracey Eddon	Stunts
David Emerson	Stunts
Bradley Farmer	Stunts
Amanda Foster	Stunts
Sarah Franzl	Stunts
Andy Godbold	Stunts
Lyndon Hellewell	Stunts
Paul Herbert	Stunts
Sy Hollands	Stunts
Rowley Irlam	Stunts
Ruth Jenkins	Stunts
Theo Kypri	Stunts
Derek Lea	Stunts
Tom Lucy	Stunts
Holly Lumsden	Stunts
Emma Mac	Stunts
Tina Maskell	Stunts
Jo McLaren	Stunts
Peter Miles	Stunts
Bean Peel	Stunts
Martin Pemberton	Stunts
Ben Elton	Screenwriter
John Arnold	Key Grip
Will Davies	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Johnny English is not a good movie by any means, but it is a funny one. It contains all of the elements of a bad summer action comedy -- a weak story line, obvious jokes, and preposterous plot developments -- but it still succeeds in entertaining, due largely to the comedic talents of its star, Rowan Atkinson. In the title role, Atkinson steals the show as a bumbling, inept superspy-wannabe. Simply put, he is hilarious; but one has come to expect this from Atkinson, who could create comedy out of any given situation. His innate talent for physical comedy is perfectly suited for a Bond-like parody, but the film does not rise to meet his abilities. English displays an intriguing combination of spy ineptitude and genuine detective abilities that is thrown away for easy laughs when he could have become as memorable a character as Inspector Clouseau. As his sidekick, Bough, Ben Miller appears equally inept at first, but reveals a flair for spy activities, bailing Johnny out on multiple occasions. A relative unknown, Miller shows a talent for quiet, understated comedy, while Atkinson plays for the big laughs, making them an effective comedic team. In their midst, Natalie Imbruglia actually comes across a bit boring, despite her perfect model looks. The romantic scenes between her Lorna Campbell character and English are forced and fail to achieve much odd-couple comedy, so it is lucky that the filmmakers did not focus on their pairing too much. As for villains, John Malkovich is surprisingly ineffective as the rich French-snob Pascal Sauvage, who is bent upon taking over the British crown. Malkovich's wonderful comedic talents as witnessed in Being John Malkovich are nowhere to be seen here. Clearly, the writing is beneath him, but one wonders why he took the part at all; his stereotyped and unflattering portrayal of the Frenchman seems strange considering that he lives in France himself. And as for the story, even though it's a comedy, one would have hoped for more from actual former Bond writers. If the movie had a better-written spy plot line, it might have been an instant comedy classic; instead we are left with a throwaway popcorn movie that would not bear repeat viewings. Although Johnny English certainly delivers on silly laughs and has its heart in the right place, it fails to make the most of an inspired comedic premise.