# Johnny English **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 4, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841 "2003-08-04T05:49:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841/1 "2003-08-04T05:49:30Z")
Did not find any threads on this movie. Short. A bit lackluster, IMHO. Some funny moments. I like Rowan Atkinson in his Mr. Bean shows. Anyone else see this? ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841/2 "2003-08-04T06:11:31Z")
Saw it; found it very unfunny. And before anyone accuses me of not understanding british humor, I’ll state that I find Fawlty Towers, Yes Minister, Yes Prime Minister, Mr. Bean and Monty Python all to be brilliant (and hilarious) shows. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841/3 "2003-08-04T06:14:13Z")
ratsratsratsrats; I really wanted to see it, too. But these are not the first lukewarm reviews I have heard. ::sigh:: Guess I’ll just watch Mr. Bean reruns. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841/4 "2003-08-04T06:21:20Z")
Saw it with my pre-teen age nephews. They all loved it, and I guess I dug it by proxy. There were some very funny scenes, but in general it wasn’t all that great. Was hoping it would be a lot better. ---
**Author:** ![kiwiboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/35a633/32.png) [@kiwiboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiwiboy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841/5 "2003-08-04T06:24:22Z")
I enjoyed it, but agree it’s got no claim to cinematic greatness. Think of it as a family version of the _Austin Powers_ movies. **Bill H.**'s nephews were proabbly the perfect audience for it. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841/6 "2003-08-04T06:30:09Z")
I thought it was OK. The Big Shit Joke was a bit much, but otherwise it had some pretty entertaining gags. Blackadder is a lot better. ---
**Author:** ![ninevah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/46a35a/32.png) [@ninevah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninevah)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841/7 "2003-08-04T11:59:00Z")
I also found the movie very un-funny. But what do you expect from a movie that was based around the antics of a bank commercial character?! ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841/8 "2003-08-04T12:30:47Z")
I found it funny. Not roll on the floor laughter, but a nice chuckle now and again and a good enough time at the movie theater on a summer day. Although, watching anything after seeing the trailers for _The Cat in the Hat_ and _Good Dog_ seems wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841/9 "2003-08-04T12:59:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Violet \* > \*\*Did not find any threads on this movie. … Anyone else see this? \*\* [I saw it. And opened this thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=198700) ---
**Author:** ![International\_Playboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/48db29/32.png) [@International\_Playboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/International_Playboy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841/10 "2003-08-04T13:32:08Z")
I thought it was ok, it was about what I expected but less than I had hoped for. As is unfortunately the case nowadays, it seems that most of the best jokes were shown in the trailers. Though I had forgotten about the scene in the spoiler posted in NoClueBoy’s thread. That was one of the best. I saw Rowan Atkinson on The Daily Show the week before the movie was released. He said that they weren’t going for an actual spoof of spy movies, such as Austin Powers but were taking a more subtle approach. The movie has its moments, though I wish English would have been a bit more like the Blackadder characters and less like Mr. Bean. I did like this character a little better than the one Aktinson played in Rat Race, which seemed just a dumber variation on the Bean character. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841/11 "2003-08-05T00:15:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by International Playboy \* > \*\*I thought it was ok, it was about what I expected but less than I had hoped for. As is unfortunately the case nowadays, it seems that most of the best jokes were shown in the trailers. > \*\* Yeah! What’s up with that? I was gonna see it anyways, because BlackAdder is one of my fave characters evar (tho I loath Bean), so why not hold a few good moments for until I am in the theatre? I don’t think it was likely that anyone not already a RA fan would be likely to see it based on a trailor, right? Right? …sigh… I’m just yelling into the wind on this one, I know it. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-english/192841/12 "2003-08-05T04:28:59Z")
Well, I guess I’m not the majority here, but I liked it. It’s not Blackadder, but what is? And from what was said here, I guess I’m glad I never saw any trailers for it before going to see it – there were a few moments that had me just falling out of my chair laughing. If those were in the trailer, that sucks – but it didn’t ruin it for me!