Johnny English Reborn. Rated PG (mild action violence). 101 mins. Directed by Oliver Parker. Screenplay by Hamish McColl.
How, you might well ask, could Rowan Atkinson ever have hoped to top the brilliance of his endearing sociopath Mr Bean and his historically-challenged anti-hero Edmund Blackadder? Enter inept British Intelligence agent Johnny English, who began life in a series of commercials for a UK credit card company.
When the British Intelligence Agency MI7 learns of a plot to assassinate the premier of China, English is recalled from Tibet to lead the investigation into how the plot can be foiled.
Johnny English Reborn (the sequel to 2003’s Johnny English) is at its best when it nips at the heels of the James Bond movies (the sequences in Hong Kong, the posh Golf Club and the Swiss Alps provide excellent material for a good old genre send-up), and at its worst when everything seems to be taking too long. Resisting the Mike Meyers (Austin Powers) brand of over-the-top genre high-jacking, Johnny English Reborn opts to play it straight. Deadly straight.
Parker’s (Dorian Gray) heavy-handed and laboured direction constantly works against Atkinson’s lightness of touch with the material – resulting in a film that almost appears to be taking itself a little too seriously. There are, however, some inspired moments – of which the recalcitrant boardroom chair sequence is a highlight.
Gillian Anderson (X Files’ Agent Scully) leads the straight-faced supporting cast with deadly seriousness, while everyone (except Atkinson) is upstaged mercilessly by the subplot involving a little old cleaning lady – played to perfection by Pik-Sen Lim (Little Britain, Dr Who).
The in-jokes about product placement in Hollywood movies (the running gags about naming rights to the British Intelligence Agency and a particular brand of automobile) are almost too-clever highlights of Mr McColl’s patchy script. But there are just enough comedic highpoints (Atkinson’s complete inability to pronounce a tricky drug name at a key moment in the story is hilarious) to keep us engaged.
Ultimately, even though Johnny English constantly inspires memories of CONTROL’s hapless Maxwell Smart, Johnny English Reborn is still a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the comedic skills of one of the finest clowns of our generation.
This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.
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