Johnny English (2003)
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A clumsy MI7 agent must navigate a series of mishaps to stop a plot to steal the Crown Jewels.
The story
Johnny English, a kindhearted but clumsy MI7 clerk, dreams of becoming the agency’s top agent. After Agent One is killed, followed by all of MI7's remaining agents at his funeral, both due to English's incompetence, he is left as the only agent capable of finishing Agent One's mission. Assigned to thwart a plot to steal the newly restored Crown Jewels at an event hosted by French prison magnate Pascal Sauvage, English meets a mysterious woman named Lorna Campbell at the jewels' unveiling at the Tower of London. During a sudden blackout, the Crown Jewels are stolen and English accidentally knocks out the head of security.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After the theft of the Crown Jewels, English and his assistant Jeremy Bough pursue the thieves, leading to a series of comedic mishaps including a fake identity at a funeral. They discover that the mastermind, Pascal Sauvage, intends to crown himself king. Despite being dismissed by his superiors, English teams up with Lorna Campbell, an Interpol agent. They infiltrate Sauvage's headquarters and eventually travel to his French château. After a series of blunders involving a muscle relaxant and a fake Archbishop, they reach the coronation. English manages to land on the throne, knocking Sauvage off and becoming king himself. He successfully restores Queen Elizabeth II to the throne and is awarded a knighthood. The film ends with a humorous scene in France where English accidentally ejects Campbell from his car while trying to kiss her.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 88
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; France; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Peter Howitt
- Writers
- Neal Purvis · writer; Robert Wade · writer; William Davies · writer
- Cast and characters
- Rowan Atkinson · Johnny English; Natalie Imbruglia · Lorna Campbell; Ben Miller · Jeremy Bough; John Malkovich · Pascal Sauvage
- Genres
- spy action comedy; parody; homage
- Themes
- incompetence; espionage
- Tone and mood
- comedy; parody
- Premise and plot tags
- spy parody; British comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on a character from a series of British television adverts for Barclaycard.
- Franchise connections
- Johnny English
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was commercially successful, grossing $160 million worldwide on a $40 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 33% · review count: 120; Metacritic · score: 51 · scale: 100 · review count: 32
- Production trivia
- The character of Bough was retained from the advertisements.; The film includes a gag where English incorrectly identifies a waiter.; The director, Peter Howitt, made a cameo appearance in the film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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