Written by Hombre Divertido
Generally, there are two types of people in the world. Those that like Mr. Bean and those that don’t. Considering that Mr. Bean’s Holiday had made 188 Million internationally before being released in the U. S., it really didn’t matter which group it fell upon here.
The pratfalls and antics of Bean (Rowan Atkinson) work well in the brief and simple scenarios of the popular British television show, but his first outing; the 1997 motion picture Bean, had far too convoluted of a story to support the comedy of Bean. Though this effort has a far more simple premise, it appears that the writers took a holiday from writing gags for our talented actor.
Atkinson, who is aging gracefully and still posses the rubber face and athletic ability to pull off the expressions, gestures, and pratfalls that make up all that is Bean, finds his character on his way to Cannes for a vacation. Along the way, he misses a train, causes the separation of a man and his son, attempts to assist the son in finding his dad, losses all his money and passport, and interrupts the filming of a movie. Oh, if only he had interrupted the filming of this one with the same type of humorous effort.
There are some nice moments in this film, just not enough. One should always be concerned when a scene from the commercials does not show up in the film, as is the case here, and at a running time of eighty eight minutes, one must wonder how they felt that anything remotely funny could be left out. Too much was left out, and the final product is just unsatisfying.
Recommendation: The DVD of the televisions series would be a better investment of your time and money if you really want to experience Mr. Bean. If you are intent on seeing a motion picture featuring Rowan Atkinson, go with Rat Race or Johnny English. No awards to be given to those two efforts, but far more fun than Mr. Bean’s Holiday.
