Mr. Bean's Holiday

After too long on our screens Mr. Bean returns but not in his usual way. Instead of crazy laughs per minute (as in Bean and the earlier Mr. Bean TV episodes), this is a road trip movie with some gaps in the action. There are laughs but some of the scenes are more clever than hysterical. Nothing however can take away from the joy of sharing in Mr. Bean's exploits as he tries to reach his simple goal, a holiday at the beach. Everyone left the film with huge smiles and several had tears of happiness (not tears of uncontrollable laughter). If you want to see a happiness inducing pick me up movie then this is one of the best around.

Last week i took the girlfriend to see '300', this week it was her turn to pick the film... her choice... Mr Beans Holiday. I wasn't too impressed with this but fair is fair! I couldn't remember much of the first film but wasn't expecting to be blown away or enjoy it to be frank! However i was pleasantly surprised and am not ashamed to admit i enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, this is no classic but it is a enjoyable film. The first thing i liked was the fact it wasn't set in America, so i didn't have to listen to a number of Americans try to explain who this Mr Bean character was! I didn't laugh out loud, but I did chuckle along at the jokes and enjoyed some of the darker aspects such as the mobile phone gags! When i saw Karel Roden pop up early on in the film i chuckled to myself as he filmed the camcorder... thinking back to the film '15 minutes' (if you've seen it you'll understand what i mean) This helped me loosen up and allowed me to enjoy the film. Also loved the whole Carson Clay in love with himself film moment near the end.

I loved Black Adder, but was only a Mr Bean fan when i was very young, as an adult i have to say i'd grown out of it! This however made me reminisce and remember how good a comedian Rowan Atkinson is! The director also deserves credit too, as he keeps this story nicely edited through-out and lets the adventure unfold at a nice pace. Mr Beans love interest also deserves credit for being very easy on the eye! I won't go on about this film much, but basically don't just cross it off as something you'll hate. This is a loving, nice, and light-hearted affair, though strange in places it fits itself as a film that is good enough to sit through and enjoy. So if it's a rainy day sit back, relax and watch! A basic film comedy for all the family!

This hasn't quite been the great year for movies that I had hoped for, but it has certainly been a very good year for comedies, and "Mr. Bean's Vacation" is the best so far. It is also quite a daring film -- who would have imagined a G-rated, live action comedy these days, and without any fart jokes? Where's Mel Brooks when we need him? Just kidding.

This movie homage, and I can it can be argued that it is, to the great Tati films of "Mon Oncle" and "Mr. Hulot's Holiday" is Rowan Atkinson's triumphant farewell to the great character he created. It is hard to imagine any other actor living today pulling this off. Indeed, "Vacation" comes very close to being a silent film -- though I want to assure anyone wandering in from a showing of Transformers, that there are explosion. Now over at the well-known movie review site, half the critics are complaining about Mr. Bean's mugging. Half the critics at that site will apparently complain about anything. But when you have a face as brilliantly expressive as Atkinson's, gosh people, you use it. To moan about that, well, it's like going to a Fred Astaire movie and complaining about the dancing.

But more than that, every scene works, fast or slow, the pacing is perfect. Silly scenes or heartfelt, or both, the comedy never flags. It is one of those movies that long afterward you will be recalling scenes and laughing. The casting is perfect. William Defoe? Yes! There is also a lot of feeling here. I completely bought every one of the characters and their relationships. That is great comic writing.

It also has one of the best endings of any movies out there. For some reason, contemporary films are having a terribly difficult time with coming up with a satisfactory ending. Not "Mr. Bean's Vacation." It has an astonishingly goofy conclusion, one that Mel Brooks at the top of his form would have had a hard time equaling.

I cannot recommend this movie enough, though I wish it had been longer. Take your family to see it -- it will be a long time before anyone can say that again about a contemporary comedy.

I don't understand the bad comments here. I saw the movie just now at a press screening in Bangkok. I did not expect much (because I read the negative comments yesterday), but it was very good! It's not rocket science, it's just another Mr. Bean movie. I even thought this one was better than the first one, especially in the second half of the movie. The end was a bit over the top, but that's only for the last two minutes, you will see why.

Willem Dafoe is also pretty funny as super ego movie director/actor and blends in well in the story with his 'replay' movie. Don't take life too serious and you will enjoy your time in the cinema watching Mr. Bean's Holiday!

I don't know what it is about this obviously ridiculous film, but this is one of the few films that makes me laugh consistently throughout. It's hilarious, exciting, and it features one of the Rowan Atkinson's finest performances. One of my favorite comedies that I've seen.