By
Mitch Emerson
August 25, 2007 - 07:27
|
Rowan Atkinson returns as Mr. Bean in
yet another unnecessary Bean movie,
Mr. Bean's Holiday. After
1997's feature
Bean, I thought we had seen the end of our
favorite British blunderer. I was wrong. In
Mr. Bean's Holiday,
Bean wins a vacation to Cannes and on the way there, he inadvertently
splits up a father and son. Taking it upon himself to return the boy
to his father, Bean and Stepan (Max Baldry) cross the country,
causing one absurd mishap after another along the way.
I firmly believe that Rowan Atkinson's
Mr. Bean is a comedic genius, in small doses. I remember watching
Mr.
Bean on HBO as a child and was really excited when
Bean
came out in 1997. I was disappointed in that film, so my expectations
for
Mr. Bean's Holiday were rather low. Sadly, it lived up to
those expectations. I don't mean to slam the film as it does have
it's moments. Most notably, a scene where Bean and Stepan lip sync to
a variety of music at a street fair to raise money for their trip.
Rowan Atkinson is Mr. Bean, plain and
simple. With a rubber face that rivals Jim Carrey, Atkinson is the
only actor that can pull off this character. Max Baldry is a cute
eleven year old boy that plays Stepan with a wonderful enthusiasm.
This kid is having a grand old time and it shows. French actress Emma
de Caunes plays Sabine, an actress on her way to the Cannes Film
Festival for the premiere of her movie who helps Bean and Stepan
track down his father. She brings a lightness to the film that also
helps ground it. Did I really say 'ground it” in regards to a Mr.
Bean film? In a semi surprising turn, Willem Defoe is Clay Carter,
the pompous director of the film that Sabine is in. Can't really say
much about him except that his presence adds a bit of credibility to
the film for American audiences.
Rowan Atkinson has said that this will
be the last adventure for Mr. Bean, and that saddens me as well as
makes me happy. I feel that the world has had enough of Mr. Bean, but
he will forever remain a fixture in the hearts of his fans. If you
want to see Mr. Bean in his prime, rent the series on DVD. If you
must have your Bean fix, then this movie may be for you. Otherwise it
would make a good rental on a rainy day.
Until Sprout: Son of a Bean,
keep reading,
Mitch E
mitch@comicbookbin
ComicBookBin
