Mr. Bean

"Mr. Bean" is one of those shows that you couldn't forget even if you tried (not that you'd want to try). The title character (Rowan Atkinson) is a perfectly ordinary man who either never seems to do anything right, or always finds the hardest and most inefficient way to do it. Rarely speaking, he gets himself into all sorts of wacky situations.

One of the funniest predicaments was at a hotel. Mr. Bean was following a man in the restaurant, taking twice as much as the other man. Sitting down at a table, Mr. Bean began wolfing everything down, only to learn that the food had gone bad. Feeling ill, he goes back to his room and falls asleep. He wakes up a few hours later and accidentally locks himself out of his room. Now he has to wander around the hotel naked.

Actually, he ends up naked a lot, and usually there are other people around. But the point is, Mr. Bean is completely cracked. Whether going swimming, trying to tend to a baby, going to the beach, or hosting a New Year's party, he always manages to do everything in a way that most people would never imagine, and most often ends up embarrassing himself.

As the British say, smashing.

"Mr. Bean", starring the legendary Rowan Atkinson, was a huge hit during its run in the 1990s, and I probably first saw it when I was around ten, shortly after it ended, so I was seeing reruns. I certainly wasn't much of a fan at the time, and didn't see too many episodes. I didn't really get into the show until my late teens, just a few years ago, which was when I finally watched every episode. Unlike before, it made me laugh many times, and since then, that has always been the case during repeat viewings of episodes!

Mr. Bean is a mysterious, self-centred, antisocial, extremely naive buffoon whose best friend is his Teddy! He is pretty much isolated from society, and life is not easy for him, as he constantly struggles with very simple things! This is because he lacks some fairly basic knowledge, and has the mind of a child. He finds himself in various kinds of trouble wherever he goes, and comes up with very bizarre ways to try and solve the problems he faces! Not only does he often cause trouble for himself, but sometimes for other people as well, which he often doesn't tend to realize! In other words, Mr. Bean is a walking disaster!

The humour in this show is very visual, and there is very little dialogue. The gags are almost always sight gags, which is mostly what the show is about. While there may be an occasional lacklustre gag, I would say the vast majority of them are funny, often hilarious, (there are so many highlights)! While "Mr. Bean" is certainly not the most sophisticated comedy ever made, it's still great for many of those who like visual humour, and due to the very limited dialogue, you don't even have to speak fluent English to enjoy the show, which is why it has received such a world-wide reputation! The show ran for a few years, but the episodes were made very gradually, so only fourteen were made in total. Nonetheless, it is a classic series, and deserves its wide appeal!

Most Britcom imports that I have seen over the years have always brought laughter. It the mid 90's PBS began running episodes of Mr. Bean.

Rowin Atkinson, far better known in the UK and Europe then here in the States, is one of the most talented actors and comedians anywhere. He has to be. To take a character that is normally mute, always plotting mischief, and goes on more hair brained schemes and adventures then the entire Monty Python crew is,as Mr. Bean would put it," Absolutely Brilliant".

Even the most hardened sceptic will find this series so overwhelming funny that they would scream for more. Alas, there were only 13 episodes filmed. Rowin Atkinson has stated that he felt there was nothing more for Mr. Bean to do. Too bad. I can see a series, such as this going on for hundreds of episodes.

If you want to have a really good time with a wonderfully lovable goof ball, Watch this BBC classic!

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Mr Bean (Rowan Atkinson) is in this world, but not of this world. His mind simply doesn't seem to comprehend things the way an average person would and his life is one long disaster because of this, getting himself into constant mishaps and far out, zany situations, which he is left to sort out on his own as he doesn't seem to mix with anyone and he rarely speaks. But he never gives up and, despite the simplest of tasks being a constant struggle for him, applying his own zany methods of solving the problem always pays off for him in the end.

To look at the sorry state of modern British humour, with all it's focus of sex and general vulgarity, you'd be forgiven for forgetting that a show like Mr Bean was made at one time. There's nothing unsuitable going on here, just good, clean U rated humour of the type Tommy Cooper and the like made in the 50s. And I find it just as laugh out loud funny now in my early 20s as I did when I was a young boy in the early 90s.

Although I can look at it a little deeper now and see there must be more to this character than than meets the eye. There must be a reason why he does things the way he does and things seem to keep going wrong for him. As others have noted, it looks like he may have a type of autism. In fact I'm so convinced about it that I really think were a professional psychologist to analyse him, I think Mr Bean could be the first famous, fictional character to be diagnosed with something like Asperger's Syndrome.

If you'd like to see some truly hilarious British humour at it's very best before it all became obsessed with sex and vulgarity, then this would come highly recommended. Shows like Little Britain do work because it's well realised but it's really just as vulgar as the rest. Shows like this show we were more restrained and civilised once, and hopefully we might start putting out this type of humour more again sometime soon. *****

What exciting television adventure to England wouldn't be the same without a quick glimpse of the hysterical Mr. Bean? Superbly played by comedian Rowan Atkinson, Mr. Bean takes us into the doldrums of day to day life to show us that even the smallest gesture can be the funniest. He whirlwinds us through England in the most unconventional way, either in his sporty yellow car (with lock), or in his dentist office, or his doctor's office, or around the countryside stopping at several childish playgrounds. No matter where he takes you, the laughs are sure to follow and remain with you for a very long time.

Atkinson has mastered the ability to bring this verbally challenged character to life in ways that comedians today falter. Atkinson weaves this richly developed character into simple settings where he transforms into part social satirist and part MacGyver of the common man. His ability to take any common item and transform it into a new bit of comedy is rare today. The fact that you never knew what Mr. Bean was going to grab next on the set always allowed endless moments of joy. Now, I can watch him over and over again thanks to A&E and the power of DVD. Released as a set, I can see Mr. Bean morning, evening, and late afternoon whenever I have the urge to laugh at life.

This series is enjoyable for the newest Bean follower to even those of us that have been following him around for years. While some novice viewers may be disappointed to see the cuts that A&E made to some of the episodes, the packaging and supplemental features should suffice. It is packed full of fun information about Bean, especially a very informative feature on how Bean was created by Atkinson himself. It also allows us to see some of Comic Relief UK that showcased the talent of Mr. Bean right next to Alan Cummings himself. The extras are just more icing on an already sugar-packed cake.

Overall, this collection is amazing. I love Mr. Bean and the style of humor that he brings to each episode and situation. He is funny without being crass or vulgar, allowing us to build so many new dimensions on this simple character. Atkinson is a master in his trade and has created a character that will be remembered for years to come. So, if you are a fan of slapstick humor with intellectual stimulation, than Mr. Bean is right up your alley. The set is not expensive, so I say go ahead and splurge on a DVD that you will never regret purchasing. You are definitely in for a hysterical treat! Mr. Bean is a role model for all and the true face of comedy!

Grade: ***** out of *****