Mr Beans' french folly (Mr Bean's Holiday (DVD))

Name: allybally

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Product:	Mr Bean's Holiday (DVD)
Date:	08/05/07 (270 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: funny, entertains kids of all ages

Disadvantages: not for people who aren't keen on Mr Bean

On Sunday, my partner was working and it was pouring down with rain outside which put a stop to the carefully planned family day out I had arranged for my 3 year old son and 10 year old stepson at the cancer research event at the Hamilton Race Course. With faces falling quickly I had to think fast and the only thing I thought would resolve the situation quickly was a quick trip to KFC followed by a film of their choice.

Their choice was admittedly not mine but off we toddled to catch Mr. Bean’s latest film; Mr. Bean on Holiday.

Release Date: 30th March 2007
Genre: Family Comedy
Certification: PG
Run Time: 90 minutes
Director: Steve Bendelack
Actors: Rowan Atkinson, Max Baldry, Emma de Caune, William Dafoe

This will be the last Mr. Bean film as Rowan Atkinson has announced he will be hanging up the coat of the lovable character Mr. Bean.

***Who is Mr. Bean***
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Mr. Bean, he is a character created by long-standing British Comedian, Rowan Atkinson who very rarely speaks, preferring to use of exaggerated facial expressions and gestured with the addition of muffled and undecipherable ramblings to verbal communication.

Mr. Bean, a rather stuffy yet eccentric man who lives alone with his teddy bear is a much loved British institution whose success has meant a popular TV series with Christmas specials watched in homes across Britain, a spin off cartoon series, several films and associated merchandising and even critical acclaim in the US.

He is a quirky old fuddy-duddy who manages to turn every situation into a crisis of some sort. A simple task such as stuffing the turkey soon results in a lost watch and inevitably, a distraught Mr. Bean struggling around the kitchen with the fleshy poultry stuck on his head. Mr. Bean is simple but well choreographed humour to amuse those of all ages.

***What’s Mr. Bean’s Holiday all about***
Mr. Bean wins a trip to Cannes at a church raffle he only narrowly avoids missing. As part of his prize he is also given a digital video camera and he films everything as he sets out on his journey. From the start, his trip is doomed with missed trains, misguided taxi drivers, lost money, a tie stuck in the sandwich vending machine and a stolen passport to name just a few of the challenges Mr. Bean faces throughout the film.

Mr. Bean finds himself responsible for a young boy (Max Baldry) on the train to Cannes after causing his father to miss the train in the first place. Stepan, the son of a Russian Film Director on his way to Cannes for the film festival and Bean soon strike up an unlikely alliance which sees them through all sorts of ridiculous escapades while France embarks on a nation-wide manhunt for the two.

Oddly, after becoming separated from Stepan after chasing a bus ticket stuck to a chicken’s foot, their adventures include Mr. Bean befriending Sabine (Emma de Caune) on the set of a yoghurt advert (which includes the invasion of a small village by Nazis) being shot by Carson Clay (William Dafoe). Sabine agrees to take Mr. Bean to Cannes where she is attending the premiere of her first film directed by Clay. Of course, along the way they are reunited with Stepan and make there way to the Film Festival.

Of course, only a fool would expect it to be plain sailing from there on.

***I’ve never heard of Steve Benelack I hear you shout***
Hands up, I had never heard of him either however, his name may be familiar to League of Gentlemen fans as he directed several episodes as well as the League of Gentlemen film Apocalypses in 2005. His name is also accredited to other British hit series including Little Britain, Randall & Hopkirk, The Royal Family, Spitting Image and even as Director for the 2002 BAFTA awards.

***Cinematography***
This isn’t Spiderman or Pirates of the Caribbean so there aren’t an awful lot of special effects however some very clever choreography and some beautiful French scenery go a long way to making this film sparkle next to other blockbuster movies. One scene in particular which I thought very clever can be found towards the end of the film when a determined Mr. Bean finally catches sight of the Cannes beach and makes his way across a busy road to reach his destination.

***Acting***
Perhaps there aren’t any Oscar winning performances in this film, but the comic timing of Atkinson is more than enough to hold the viewers interest. Atkinson and Baldry have a great chemistry on screen and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them working together again in the near future. Apart from Baldry, who as Stepan bounces off Atkinson superbly, most of the cast are not there to shine, rather they are there to make Rowan Atkinson shine and they do so admirably. Having a man of William Dafoe’s stature and reputation show himself up and make a fool out of himself in a film which is so far removed from his norm, is fantastic.

***What I liked***
I am not a huge Mr. Bean fan I find the incessant mumbling irritating and unfortunately, this often takes away from the humour and talent of Rowan Atkinson. Having said that I was reasonably, pleasantly surprised. What I was most pleased to see (having never seen any of the other Mr. Bean films) was the relationship Bean develops with Sabine and Stepan. We see a vulnerability to Mr. Bean’s character; a different dimension and a hint of loneliness which endears us to him.

There is no questioning Atkinson’s talent for comedy and what he does is more performance; an art he has managed to master than simply acting. This is a great kids’ film which offers the exaggerated nonsense kids of all ages want. It isn’t often these days that a kid’s film can carry its own without flashing special effects, 3d animation or millions of pounds worth of merchandising to accompany it. It is short enough for younger kids like my 3 year old and still managed to make my 10 year old stepson laugh.

It didn’t do so much for me and I am not convinced it will be to all adults’ tastes but I would certainly recommend it for those cold and rainy days when your kids are complaining about being bored and you are short on other ideas.

***Funny scene that had me laughing more than it should have***
Waitress on Train: Un café?
Mr. Bean: Oui.
Waitress on Train: Du sucre?
Mr. Bean: Non.
Waitress on Train: You speak very good French.
Mr. Bean: Gracias

Summary: Mr bean heads to France and brings disaster with him