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What’s the Story?

Reviewed by Nell Minow

Rowan Atkinson plays Johnny English, a low-level bureaucrat in England's spy service who dreams of being a field agent. When all of the agents are wiped out through his ineptitude, he gets his chance. England's crown jewels have been stolen by French zillionaire Pascal Sauvage (John Malkovich), who plans to take over England and turn it into a prison facility. It's up to Johnny English, his sidekick Bough (pronounced "Boff") and woman of mystery Natalie Imbruglia to save the day.

Is It Any Good?

2

JOHNNY ENGLISH is a mild spy parody has nothing new, but Rowan Atkinson ("Mr. Bean") is a gifted comedian who manages to wring some new laughs with material that has already been fully explored in movies from "Our Man Flint" and Dean Martin's Matt Helm movies to "Spy Hard" and Mike Meyers' Austin Powers series.

The spy parts aren't exciting enough and the funny parts aren't funny enough, but the overall effect is mildly amusing.

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