Fans of Rowan Atkinson's rubber-faced brand of physical comedy will know what to expect from this unassuming slice of slapstick. Based around a character portrayed by the Mr Bean star in a series of Barclaycard adverts, it utilises a very British strain of schoolboy humour to send up another home-grown institution - the James Bond-style superspy. Atkinson plays the titular hero, an enthusiastic but bumbling intelligence agent appointed to track down those behind the theft of the crown jewels. In a performance comprised largely of facial tics, childish pratfalls and poo jokes, Atkinson manages to bring the simplistic screenplay to life - and even gets the girl (Natalie Imbruglia) in the process. Sliding Doors director Peter Howitt aims the movie directly at family audiences, forgoing subtlety for youngster-friendly sight gags, while the actors - particularly John Malkovich as a French megalomaniac - seem to relish the opportunity to lark around.

A lowly pencil pusher working for MI7, Johnny English is suddenly promoted to super spy after Agent One is assassinated and every other agent is blown up at his funeral. When a billionaire entrepreneur sponsors the exhibition of the Crown Jewels—and the valuable gems disappear on the opening night and on English's watch—the newly-designated agent must jump into action to find the thief and recover the missing gems.