Mr. Bean's Holiday DVD Review

by Kam Williams

Britain's Most Beloved Mute Behaves Like a Buffoon While Vacationing in France

In England, where Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) is something of a national treasure, his original sitcom ran on TV from 1990 to 1995 before going into syndication. In the U.S., the show aired briefly on PBS, but the character never really made much of a splash here till his eponymous first feature film arrived in theaters in 1997.

A bit of an acquired taste, the rubber-faced half-wit appeals to folks susceptible to his inimitable brand of humor. He's a nattily-attired, nearly-mute, naïve innocent who routinely wreaks havoc wherever he goes. And all while an increasingly calamitous comedy of errors unfolds around him.

Mr. Bean's Holiday is lost entirely on this critic, given that I had a hard time figuring out whether this misadventure was supposed to be funny. Perhaps a laugh track could've helped. In any case, the story revolves around our hapless hero's very eventful trip by rail from Paris to Cannes during which he inadvertently separates a young boy (Max Baldry) from his father (Karel Roden), a famous movie critic en route to the film festival.

Bean and the boy lose their luggage and tickets and are booted off the train only to be lucky enough to be picked up while hitchhiking by a beautiful actress (Emma de Caunes) who just happens to be headed all the way to the same destination.

To be honest, it makes little zero sense to recount this picture's plotline. Either you're the type of person who's entertained by the sight of a grown man silently chasing a chicken or lip-synching along with opera, or you ain't. Lotsa low-rent, mime-like malapropisms, if that's your taste.

Fair (1 star)
Rated G
In English and French with subtitles
Running time: 90 minutes
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Deleted scenes, plus three featurettes.