JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN – The Review

The idea of a funny, bumbling secret agent is nearly as old as the spy thriller film. Of course they’ve had their forefathers in the comedy cops and detectives that emerged in the silents ( Buster Keaton in SHERLOCK, JR. ) and the talkies ( Bob Hope in MY FAVORITE BRUNETTE, and gumshoes played by Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, the Bowery Boys, and the Three Stooges ). In the swingin’ sixties there was the ultimate incompetent Inspector Closeau in the Pink Panther film series and on TV it was ” Car 54, Where Are You?’ and that legend of Mayberry, Deputy Barney Fife ( played to perfection by the multiple Emmy-winning Don Knotts ). There were a few secret agents during the Golden Age ( and Bob Hope, again, in MY FAVORITE SPY ), but it wasn’t till we were introduced to 007 during the cold war that the big and small screen was filled gadget-heavy trench coats. Of course there were some satirical elements in the Bond flicks, which we ramped up in his American counterparts, Derek Flint and Matt Helm. And there was an ongoing TV spy farce in the classic ” Get Smart ” ( which would inspire a feature film in 1980 with Don Addams, THE NUDE BOMB AKA THE RETURN OF MAXWELL SMART and in 2008, a movie remake, GET SMART, with Steve Carell stepping into the shoe phone ). And of course there’s Mike Meyers’s incredibly popular Austin Powers film series that started in 1997. Across the pond in England, Rowan Atkinson ( who had great success with films based on his Mr. Bean TV persona ) decided to don the black tux and became JOHNNY ENGLISH in 2003. Since that film, we’ve gotten a new movie Bond in Daniel Craig, who’s injected a lot of excitement ( and big box office) in the long-running series. And So Atkinson has decided to revisit his character in JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN to see if there’s still some spy stuff worth parodying.

In the present day two VIPs discuss a new threat on world security. There’s only one man for the job. But where is Johnny English? He’s at a Shaolin Temple, training and meditating after a disastrous assignment in Mozambique ( English’s eye twitches at the ” M word” ). Soon he’s chopped off his long hair and goatee and is back at MI-7 headquarters ( in a truly great bit of satire a global conglomerate has taken over the agency ). English meets his new boss Pegasus ( Gillian Anderson ), his eager young agent-in-training, Tucker( Daniel Kayluuya ), a lovely body-language expert ( Rosamund Pike ), and his old spy buddy, Agent Ambrose ( Dominic West ). First stop for English and Tucker is Hong Kong where they meet up with a former CIA agent ( Richard Schiff ). Seems he’s part of an ultra-secret assassination agency named Vortex. He’s on the run because the other two Vortex heads ( and ex KGB man and a MI-7 agent ) are out to kill him for his segment of a key that will help enable them to stage a murder that will start a war. Sounds like English is up to his neck in hired killers, double crosses, and global conspiracies once again. Will he overcome his bumbling and save the day?

Well, I think we’ve got a good hunch about that. The real question is whether this is a funnier outing than the rather tepid original. There’s no big surprises in the plot, so we’re looking at a loosely connected series of sight gag sequences ( much like his Mr. Bean flicks ). Like the Bean films this hopes to be a family friendly comedy ( it’s rated PG ), so I was taken aback by the many crotch striking gags ( in the Shaolin temple we cut from one to another ) and a flashback hot tub scene with a busty double agent in a teeny bikini. In a nod to the last Craig Bond epic we get a pursuit through buildings under construction ( Atkinson doe not attempt the acrobatic leaps ). Most of the sequences tend to go on for too long without a big pay-off. There’s the mistaken assassin bit that’s repeated several times. English tours the weapons division and, shockingly, causes all manner of destruction. In a nod to GOLDFINGER, English tees off against a baddy at a golf course ( Johnny can’t golf! ) which leads into a tiresome helicopter chase ( a chase scene with English in a super souped-up wheelchair is monotonous too ).The supporting players are not given much to do besides stare incredulously at Atkinson’s antics. Kaluuya brings a bit of youthful enthusiasm to his scenes, but never really gets the chance to shine. Pike, as in BARNEY’S VERSION, plays another gorgeous, smart woman inexplicably drawn to a schlub. West can only flash his handsome, big grin and try an encourage his old pal. The casting of Anderson is curious. Perhaps this is a nod to Judy Dench’s M in the last few Bond films. It’s difficult to accept the still gorgeous ex-X-filer in a role that’s usually played by an older, more paternal actress ( or actor ). The film would’ve een greatly benefitted with an edit that would get it closer to 90 minutes ( the kids are gonna’ squirm ). Atkinson is a terrific physical comedians who harkens back to the great silent icons ( with a bit of Tati ), but he can’t give life to this attempt at spy satire. I hope he’ll retire English and dust off his TV classic ” Blackadder ” for the big screen. He can show off his wonderful verbal skill along with his pratfalls. I hope he’ll not tone him down ( please no PG fluff ). Now, that would truly be worth a trip to the multiplex!

Overall Rating: One and a Half Out of Five Stars