Movie Review: Mr. Bean's Holiday by ME

Title: Mr. Bean's Holiday
Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Willem Dafoe, Emma De Caunes, Jean Rochefort, Karel Roden
Directed By: Steve Bendelack
Produced By: Richard Curtis, Simon McBurney, Tim Bevan
Genre: Comedy, Adaptation and Sequel
Release Date: August 24th 2007 (wide)
MPAA Rating: G
Distributors: Universal Pictures Distribution

Rowan Atkinson returns as Mr. Bean in yet another unnecessary Bean movie, Mr. Bean's Holiday. After 1997's feature Bean, I thought we had seen the end of our favorite British blunderer. I was wrong. In Mr. Bean's Holiday, Bean wins a vacation to Cannes and on the way there, he inadvertently splits up a father and son. Taking it upon himself to return the boy to his father, Bean and Stepan (Max Baldry) cross the country, causing one absurd mishap after another along the way.

I firmly believe that Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean is a comedic genius, in small doses. I remember watching Mr. Bean on HBO as a child and was really excited when Bean came out in 1997. I was disappointed in that film, so my expectations for Mr. Bean's Holiday were rather low. Sadly, it lived up to those expectations. I don't mean to slam the film as it does have it's moments. Most notably, a scene where Bean and Stepan lip sync to a variety of music at a street fair to raise money for their trip.

Rowan Atkinson is Mr. Bean, plain and simple. With a rubber face that rivals Jim Carrey, Atkinson is the only actor that can pull off this character. Max Baldry is a cute eleven year old boy that plays Stepan with a wonderful enthusiasm. This kid is having a grand old time and it shows. French actress Emma de Caunes plays Sabine, an actress on her way to the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of her movie who helps Bean and Stepan track down his father. She brings a lightness to the film that also helps ground it. Did I really say 'ground it” in regards to a Mr. Bean film? In a semi surprising turn, Willem Defoe is Clay Carter, the pompous director of the film that Sabine is in. Can't really say much about him except that his presence adds a bit of credibility to the film for American audiences.

Rowan Atkinson has said that this will be the last adventure for Mr. Bean, and that saddens me as well as makes me happy. I feel that the world has had enough of Mr. Bean, but he will forever remain a fixture in the hearts of his fans. If you want to see Mr. Bean in his prime, rent the series on DVD. If you must have your Bean fix, then this movie may be for you. Otherwise it would make a good rental on a rainy day.

Until Sprout: Son of a Bean,
keep reading,

Mitch E
mitchemerson@hotmail.com