Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)

Mr. Bean's Holiday is one of those movies my family and I used to watch every year during the holidays. I don't know when, but at some point we stopped watching it and I completely forgot about it. Then, earlier this December, I had oysters, I recalled of that scene and thought it was about time to give it a rewatch. 

The film follows Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) as he travels to Cannes, Frances, a vacation he won at the church raffle. At the Gare de Lyon, he accidentally separates a young Russian boy (Max Baldry) from his father (Karel Roden), and he must put aside his selfishness to help the kid meet back up with his father.

Mr. Bean's Holiday's isn't a complex plot and, as you know if you are familiar with Mr. Bean —who isn't though—, it's absolutely ridiculous. Simple and far-fetched doesn't necessarily mean bad and it doesn't here as the story is quite engaging and enjoyable.

Also, it's the simple story that allows the film to focus more on its characters, specifically on Mr. Bean. He doesn't have any more depth that he has in the TV series, but he still is the goofy, silly man who finds himself in the most absurd situations, the funny and lovable guy everyone loves, and the filmmakers make a good use of him. As for the people Bean meets on his trip, they are decently written —they pretty thing and one-dimensional and yet there's something about each of them that makes you remember about them, and care about some of them.

As for the cast, Rowan Atkinson still plays the part of Mr. Bean very well: he's amazingly funny with his expressive face and slapstick —he sure doesn't need witty dialogue to make his audience laugh. Emma de Caunes is very charming as Sabine, a French girl who helps Mr. Beans, and Max Baldry is lovable as the kid who got separated from the father. However, the standout for me was Willem Dafoe in the role of a pretentious actor and director as he pokes fun at those filmmakers who are full of themselves assholes.

Universal Pictures

Steve Bendelack's direction isn't anything special but he lets the story unfold at a nice pace, the editing is nice and the cinematography does a good job at capturing the beautiful French locations.

Ultimately, Mr. Bean's Holiday isn't a first-class comedy but if you like old-fashioned slapstick, and you're looking for a comedy the whole family can enjoy, with no foul language, nudity or offensive jokes, this film might do for you.