JOHNNY ENGLISH

2003, Universal Pictures/ Studio Canal

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 88 mins.

THE STORY:

When all of the real agents in British spy organization MI-7 are killed in an explosion, the only one left to protect the country from a maniacal billionaire bent on taking the throne of England for himself (John Malkovitch) is well-meaning but accident prone Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson). He tries to be suave and clever, but typically just ends up causing problems for himself and all around him. Somehow, however, he manages to outsmart the bad guy, save face for MI-7, and defend his country.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• bastard
• hell
• bugger
• damn
• stupid
• shut up
• ass

VIOLENCE:

• There is shooting and references to people being killed, but nothing on camera-- plus so much silliness that any scariness/ violence is erased

TEACHING POINTS:

• nothing significant

THE UPSHOT:

The grown ups in the room loved this as much as the 7 year-old in the room did. And what made a nice change was that we enjoyed it for much the same reasons. Rowan Atkinson is brilliant as usual, and his physicality is amazing. He does a great job of making us laugh at and sympathize with Johnny English.

John Malkovitch is also great as a stereotypical Bond-type villain-- quirky, crazy, suave and ultimately outsmarted. 

Funny and smart. A hilarious treat.

4/5

The PINK PANTHER 2

2009, MGM

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 91 mins.

THE STORY:

Bumbling inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) bumbles his way victoriously through another mystery. The Pink Panther diamond which he rescued in the first installment of the movie series is again stolen, and Clouseau must find the diamond and the master thief, the Tornado, who has presumably taken it. He gets a spot on the Dream Team, a group of international detectives charged with finding the gem, then loses their respect and the public's credibility through his apparent bungling of the case. 

Mixed in with this action is a love story, as Clouseau attempts to hide his feelings for his assistant Nicole (Emily Mortimer), while also trying to stop her falling for the suave Italian Dream Team detective (Andy Garcia). Ultimately, however, he solves the crime, wins the girl and returns to his position of honour.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• damn it
• ass
• stupid
• idiot

VIOLENCE:

• nothing significant

TEACHING POINTS:

• have the courage of your convictions
• if you don't tell people how you feel, they won't know

THE UPSHOT:

Was it awful? No. Was it great? No. It was OK. Great character actors (Lily Tomlin, Alfred Molina, John Cleese, etc.) and potential for humour, but it's just a bit lazy and not as funny as the first one. Some scenes were humorous, but both the 7 year-old and the grown ups in the room were much quieter through this one. 

There is also far more sexual innuendo, which probably flies above the heads of younger kids, but savvy youngsters will get that something is up. I get the feeling the film is trying to be all things to all people, but it doesn't manage to tread the line very well, and just ends up being too immature for adults and too adult for kids.

Disappointing, but still better than a lot of other things I've had to sit through. 


3/5

The PINK PANTHER

2006, 20th Century Fox

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 92 mins.

THE STORY:

When the coach of the French soccer team is murdered and his giant pink diamond (the Pink Panther) stolen, bumbling, accident-prone police detective Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin) is brought in on a huge case. rather than expecting him to solve the case, however, the scheming Chief Inspector (Kevin Kline) hopes that Clouseau's ridiculous antics will be a distraction to the public and press as he himself solves the case and claims the Medal of Honour that has eluded him for so long.

Clouseau has many hilarious adventures and misadventures in his quest to solve the crimes, but ultimately prevails by getting both the crook and the girl.  

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• damn
• stupid
• shut up

VIOLENCE:

• nothing significant

TEACHING POINTS:

• nothing significant unless you count You can't judge a book by its cover

THE UPSHOT:

After the success of Mr. Bean with the 7 year-old in the room, we thought we should try more films along the same lines. This led us, naturally, to Inspector Clouseau. The reviews I saw were not inspiring, but both the 7 year-old and the adults in the room laughed repeatedly at the sheer silliness. Is the story original and unexpected? No. Are the characters deep and multifaceted? No. Is Steve Martin's accent consistent and convincing? Absolutely not. But is it funny? Is it worth 92 minutes of your time? Yes. 

4/5

The PEANUTS MOVIE

2015, 20th Century Fox

Animation

Rating: G

Approx. 88 mins.

THE STORY:

Affable, artless Charlie Brown is busy trying to survive the daily travails of life with the Peanuts gang, when along comes the new girl in school: the little red-haired girl of his dreams. His general awkwardness skyrockets as he tries to appear like a winner in her eyes.

The drama escalates when his test paper is confused with another student's and he is mistaken for a genius. Suddenly everything he does is just and clever in other's eyes, and for a brief time he enjoys his new reputation. But he soon realizes the error and is faced with a moral dilemma: stay quiet and bask in the praise, or be honest and risk losing the respect of his friends and the love of the little red-haired girl.    

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

none

VIOLENCE:

none

TEACHING POINTS:

• honesty is not easy, but is the only way to live with integrity
• others' opinions of you are not as important as your own

THE UPSHOT:

This modern adaptation remains amazingly loyal to the original in all possible respects-- script, story, visuals, characters, you name it. So if you grew up watching the Peanuts gang, the almost palpable nostalgia alone will endear you to this film. I did not, so it did not.

That said, I did enjoy The Peanuts Movie quite a bit. The dialogue is clever and tight, and there is some gentle but consistent humour; but I couldn't help thinking that a lot was lost on the 7-year-old in the room. My biggest criticism, though, would be that the entire story is laid out in the first 10 to 15 minutes, and it then feels like a very long journey toward the ultimate resolution.  

If the film made me wax nostalgic, it would be a 4. But, as it didn't, it's a ...

3/5