Mr. Bean's Holiday

Well, it's still Mr. Bean, surprisingly so – he doesn't try to talk much and is once again just that slapstick character who gets into all sorts of antics. This time, he finds himself in a situation where he's essentially accused of kidnapping a boy, whose father is incidentally played by Karel Roden. It's not a major film, but for a one-time watch, you'll quite enjoy this trip through France. It's a shame that the setting isn't utilized even more. (08/03/2014)

Mr. Bean works best in short sketches - I wrote that about Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie as well - but while I found the American adventure quite entertaining, Mr. Bean's Holiday in Europe hardly appealed to me at all. At some points, Bean's bad luck and ineptitude even annoyed me, and I felt like they relied on a proven brand (Mr. Bean) and forgot to take care of the comedy. The screening of Willem Dafoe's self-absorbed film with Bean's interludes was hilarious, but by the final set-piece on the beach, the smile had passed and all that came out of my mouth was an incomprehensible "wtf?!". (29/09/2023)

Mr Bean should stick to TV, movies don’t suit him. A TV show can work with a series of funny scenes, but a film needs a story, and therein lies the problem. Half of the humour relies solely on Atkinson making faces, and from the other half only very little is truly funny. Disappointment, 40% (17/11/2007)

I'm really sorry that such a brilliant character has to end their journey in a failed mess, the only plus side being that Mr. Bean doesn't do a lot of talking, otherwise things would have turned out even worse. There is a difference between when Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson take care with each shot and intertwine the script with clever and well-planned sketches, and when they paste proven, but more suffering grimaces onto silly family troubles. Rowan's rubber face still has a lot to offer even after so many years, and when we get a new gag, it's worth it, and while watching the episodes by the speaker or escaping on a motorcycle, I went back many years ago when I saw this perfect clown for the first time. I'll keep playing those episodes, but I can no longer watch a script turn this perfectly cunning character into someone who almost acts like he's sick. (06/08/2007)