Movie Review: Mr. Bean's Holiday

Rowan Atkinson's Bean character is supposed to be funny, right? Someone should have told that to the minds behind this debacle. Maybe it is my unfamiliarity with the character, or my not knowing exactly what to expect. Perhaps it was that I was actually expecting to laugh. The opposite happened. Sure, I had the occasional chuckle, but all of the jokes were telegraphed and felt stale. Atkinson has said that this is Bean's last outing, and it couldn't have come too soon.

Mr. Bean's Holiday wastes no time getting down to business. Mr. Bean arrives at a church fundraiser where he wins the big raffle prize: a vacation in the South of France, Cannes to be exact. He takes the included camcorder and heads off to enjoy some fun in the sun. Now, we all know that where Bean goes, trouble is sure to follow. This movie does not disappoint. Well, at least it doesn't disappoint on expectations of plot.

His journey is supposed to take him on a train ride to Paris where he will transfer to another train for the remainder of his journey. The first part goes off without a hitch, but when it comes to make the transfer things start to go wrong. He loses his money, passport, and train ticket. He also finds himself in the company of a young boy who was separated from his father, a member of the Cannes film festival jury. His travels find him trying to get the boy back to his father so that he can enjoy some time on the beach. Sounds easy enough. Of course, nothing is easy when it comes to Bean.

My Bean experience to this point had been limited to clips I have seen on television and online. I have never seen an episode of the show (at least not a complete one) nor have I seen the first film, 1997's Bean. Perhaps the character is an acquired taste. More likely, however, Bean is better in small doses. The character, quite frankly, does not have the substance to carry a full length movie.

Mr. Bean's Holiday overstays its welcome almost sooner than it begins. Those occasional chuckles I mentioned earlier were in spite of myself, automatic reactions to something that was meant to be funny, something that was supposed to be funny, and triggered some autonomic response in spite of my knowledge that what I was seeing was not funny.

Consider bits where Bean attempts to eat a seafood platter in a French restaurant, or where he attempts to hitch a ride with a man on a scooter, plus when he decides to walk a straight line through Paris to the train station regardless of what stands in his way. Combine those "hilarious" moments with constant mugging for the camera and a steady stream of funny faces. There is no denying that Rowan Atkinson is gifted with physical gifts to pull of these sight gags and pratfalls, that is not the problem. The problem lies with coming up with gags that feel at least somewhat fresh. The writing is just terribly poor and really does nothing to build up any goodwill for the character.

It may sound like I really despised the film, but that isn't the case. I just did not find it funny. Sure that is enough for me to rate a comedy poorly, but it is not always the whole story. The movie is rated G and is safe for the whole family. The younger family members will likely laugh at the antics, while parents will be happy to have the kids entertained.

Bottomline. Unless you have kids looking for a little chuckle, there is no reason to subject yourself to this. If you want some Bean, look him up on YouTube, I am sure you can get your fix there.

Not Recommended.