Las vacaciones de Mr. Bean

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.

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.

Mr. Bean is back and he's going to France on a holiday adventure. It's great to see Rowan Atkinson back on the big screen after a long time. I think the last time I saw him on screen was in 'Love Actually' (not so-great film but Atkinson was awesome). And of course, he's playing the character he immortalized, the goofy Mr. Bean. There are several Beanish slapstick moments set throughout the dazzling spectacular French locations. Beam also befriends a young Russian, Stepan and a French actress, Sabine. Together they share his adventures.

Though the comedy itself doesn't rely on witty dialogues, there's plenty of fresh slapstick and silly moments that made me laugh. Of course, I enjoy Mr. Bean's sketches too so there is a chance that those who don't like him, might not enjoy the film. I found the characters quite lovable. Emma de Caunes as Sabine is charming and pretty and child actor Max Baldry as Stepan is impressive (unlike those annoying movie kids who 'beg' the audience to love them when getting on their nerve). But 'Mr. Bean's Holiday' clearly belongs to Atkinson. He's a wonderful comedian and it's great to seem him back as Mr. Bean.

Cinematography and visuals do a great job by portraying the stunning locations of France. Yes, because of that the film is visually impressive too. The editing seems good enough but I found the ending to be slightly choppy.

Having said all that, 'Mr. Bean's Holiday' is much better than it's prequel. This one feels fresh and...well my summary pretty much says it all. A fun family film, especially if you like the Mr. Bean Sketches.

Mr. Bean's Holdiay was a movie I really enjoyed. Mr. Bean was back in true form, and delivered an unexpectedly funny movie. Part of Mr. Bean's humor is when something is about to happen, you can see it from a mile away, and you yell at the screen "look out Mr. Bean!" or "He left it on the counter! Oh No!" or what have you. There is plenty of this,but there is also a great deal of irony and clever wordplay in it as well. It's a well rounded comedy movie, that will be funny to children and adults alike. I'm not really a big Mr. Bean fan, but I really liked this movie anyway, and I know that most people will too, if they give it a chance. I will definitely recommend this movie to my friends, and to anyone who reads this review.

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!