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hi-jinx & pratfalls
Mr. Bean’s Holiday movie review
by rick grant    rickgrant01@comcast.net
C+ Rated G 90 min

      Over the years, comedic actor Rowan Atkinson has taken his nerdy character, Mr. Bean, about as far as he can go without repeating himself. We’ve seen all his shtick ad nauseam. In the beginning of this Mr. Bean adventure, Atkinson goes though his mime routine with only a few new moves and facial expressions - ho-hum indeed. But as the story unfolds, the boy-on-the-train character livens up the picture and it gradually builds momentum to the hilarious grand finale. The question is: Is it worth sitting through the lackluster first part of the film to reap the reward in the second half? Die-hard Atkinson fans will say yes.

      Mr. Bean is the classic dufus who leaves a path of destruction in his wake. When Bean wins a trip to Cannes, France and a video camera, he embarks on his fractured adventure into the South of France, shooting video of himself and everything else he encounters. This video is important later in the story when Bean goes to a film premiere of artsy director Carson Clay’s (Willem Defoe) movie. But Bean’s train ride from Paris to Cannes involves many farcical misadventures, including being an extra in Clay’s pretentious film.

      When Bean misses his train, leaving him stranded on the platform, he meets 10-year old Stepan (Max Baldry). This leads him to a sequence of events wherein he is trying to help the boy reunite with his father. But the police mistakingly believe he has kidnapped the boy, which sets up a whole new sequence of misunderstandings. The point is – Bean means well but is the victim of a series of situations that complicate his trip, which becomes fodder for Atkinson’s spastic physical comedy.

      Interestingly, Bean has no dialogue except an occasional grunting sound. He’s like a retard on drugs. Thus, his comedy is built on mime and physical gyrations. A little of this goes a long way. However, his supporting cast more than makes up for his shortcomings. Sabine’s (Emma de Caunes) entrance into the film in her cool mini-Cooper is a breath of fresh air for the film.

      Bean and Sabine are wanted fugitives, but Bean’s naïveté makes him oblivious to worry. His total lack of social graces works out in his favor.

      It turns out that Sabine had a role in Clay’s film and she is invited to the Cannes Film Festival premiere. Once in Cannes, the scenario’s excitement level and comedy increase exponentially as the farcical elements get more complicated. Willem Defoe is a standout as the self-absorbed director whose mug is in every frame of his film. That faux film is a classic parody of artsy-fartsy pretension.

      Not surprisingly, this film is a remake of an old French film that Atkinson’s used as a showcase for this Bean adventure. Atkinson’s physical comedy and slapstick are borrowed from the late great Charlie Chaplin, infused with his own trademark mugging. We can only hope that Atkinson was sincere when he said this is his last Bean film. After his TV shows and countless other Bean vehicles, the character is now cliché.

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