Being a man, and having a sense of humor, I am genetically predisposed to liking slapstick. Women, many men may tell you that they don't like pie-in-the-face slapstick comedy. This is simply a lie used in order to get in your pants. There is not a man out there that won't laugh at the Three Stooges. If they don't then something is queer about them, and I don't mean their sexuality. Seriously, drop him like it's hot. He's probably the next Ed Gein. At the same time, we men recognize the fact that this is not something that women commonly see eye-to-eye on. That's okay; we've given up trying to tell you what's funny.
The reason I mention slapstick at all is because people may have vague remembrances of the Mr. Bean character from the original TV shorts back in the early 90s and remember it as British comedy simply because Rowan Atkinson, the man behind the character is British. But the country of origin is the only thing British about the program and has little-to-nothing to do with what's funny about Mr. Bean. He is the modern slapstick maestro – the living embodiment of the Stooges blended with Chaplin and Keaton which helps him find a worldwide audience as opposed to the more limited dry-humor that most expect from a British import. Bean is a mostly mute man-child capable of getting into ridiculous scenarios, finding a way out of any dilemma and never even understanding the direness of his actions.
He's stupid, selfish, ignorant and careless.
A hero for the Gen-Y if there ever was one, and there isn't a woman who would disagree with me that he's the poster child for the Y-chromosome.
He's all these things – and he's my hero.
 So after a decade long gap since Rowan Atkinson last played his probably most worldly recognized character, Mr. Bean returned to the silver screen in Mr. Bean's Holiday. The set up is simple and easy – Mr. Bean has won a raffle and his prizes are a digital video camera and a vacation to France, specifically Paris and Cannes. As usual disaster follows Mr. Bean in everything that he does. Faced immediately with a culture that is completely foreign to him, Bean quickly takes the philosophy that he only needs to learn three words in French. Those three words are oui, non and gracias, respectively. Get used to these jokes, because Bean's misuse of them is what gets him into most of the trouble. He seems to think "oui" is the answer to every question and "merci" is not at all in his vocabulary.
Of course what trouble doesn't occur due to the language barrier Bean gets into based on pure carelessness. Getting into someone else's cab, for example is something that's likely to happen simply since Bean has the attention span of a gnat. Causing a Russian film director to be locked out of a train that his son has already boarded is something that not only is he almost completely regardless about, but he's naive enough to find the humor in the situation. Mr. Bean is on par with a hurricane intent on its destination. He will get there, nothing can stop him, and he will leave devastation in his wake.
 It's the naivety of Bean that makes him so charming to begin with. Despite the fact that he all but separated a young boy from his father he still makes attempt to set things right and the two unlikely companions go off to Cannes together and the mishaps begin again. A lip-synched opera, eating seafood the hard way, losing a bus ticket to a chicken and landing in a World War II inspired yogurt commercial are only a few of the impossible to comprehend situations that Bean finds himself in, and if you can get over the fact that you're not watching high art, you're going to find a lot to laugh about.
While Bean is entertaining enough to love on his own, he's even better when he's got someone to work off of. The always beautiful Emma de Caunes (The Science of Sleep) is on hand as Sabine a beautiful doe eyed actress that Bean somehow keeps running into and who is also on her way to Cannes. While there is certainly no sexual chemistry between the two (and there shouldn't be, since it would betray Bean's childishness) the friendship that gradually builds between them is warming and ultimately leads to a fantastic finale in the Cannes auditorium. Unfortunately, Bean doesn't share as much screen time with Carson Clay (Willem Defoe, Spider-Man, Wild at Heart) because the film that he submits to Cannes, called Playback Time, is a riotous parody of the more pretentious entries into the world-renowned festival. More interaction between Atkinson and Defoe would have been heaven.
To reveal too much more about Mr. Bean's Holiday would be both a disservice to the film as well as you readers. Suffice to say it's a very silly film that people looking for a good night of belly laughs should check out. If you're already familiar with Mr. Bean, then you should know what to expect. If you're not, there's no reason why you can't start now, and this film is as good a place as any.
 The DVD Presentation
Released theatrically in America mere months ago, Mr. Bean's Holiday has no excuse to look anything other than great on DVD. It does. There are no compression artifacts or any other distractions that I've noticed which is good considering it is such a scenic movie. The audio is more of a mixed bag. There are English and French surround mixes, but with the exception of a couple soundtrack songs and the occasional explosion, there isn't much for those rear speakers to do. This is just the nature of Bean though. The character is built around silent film mechanics and pure physical comedy. No need for extreme audio effects. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish and French for those that require them.
And the Extras Are?
Deleted Scenes – (23:55)
There are quite a few deleted scenes included as the first set of supplements. While none are integral to the plot, and some are only a few seconds long, these are worth watching. There are a few exceptionally funny sequences that I can't explain why they weren't included. The scene where Mr. Bean successfully cons a French ticket agent is brilliant and another one where he scams gas is really funny as well. There are some problems here though. There is a very dialogue heavy deleted scene with Sabine which is entirely in French. Some subtitles would have been helpful here to catch some of the actual dialog. Also, all the deleted scenes are for some reason presented in non-anamorphic widescreen.
French Beans – (11:25)
This is your "Making Of"-lite featurette. Lots of interviews with the cast and crew talk about what it was like shooting in France. Rowan had to keep shaded all the time in order to remain pasty. The writers and directors talk about the space that the landscapes afforded them. For the less film-obsessive, the comparisons to Tati's M. Hulot's Holiday are explained as well. It isn't anything grandiose, but it's pretty much the depth expected for this type of feature.
Beans in Cannes – (5:49)
This short bit focuses on the scenes shot in and out of the Cannes red carpet and auditorium for the climax sequences. The participants talk freely about how Cannes felt about the jokes made at the pretentiousness of the festival and the films commonly shown there. It was interesting to hear the allowances that the festival made for the film's production crew. This is worth watching, but really could have been combined with the French Beans feature.
The Human Bean – (6:13)
The final feature on this set is about the Bean character. Interviews are included with the same participants about Rowan and what it's like acting against Bean, and Rowan himself talks about what he found difficult about reviving the character. This is entertaining, but I feel it could have been fleshed out a bit further to look at the history of the character and more importantly, the conception.
Deleted scenes and three featurettes; that's all we get. No trailer, no commentary, nothing. It's sad really. I thought for sure Bean: The Movie would get an anamorphic re-release at the same time as this DVD, but I guess fans are out of luck. What is included here though is fun, just not great.
 The Bottom Line
I really like Rowan Atkinson as a comedian. I loved him in the original Mr. Bean TV series as well as on Black Adder and Not the 9 O'Clock News, but his lead theatrical performances in the original Bean: The Movie and Johnny English left me slightly cold. Mr. Bean's Holiday is more of a return to form and works well for pure family friendly silliness that slapstick fans are sure to enjoy. I laughed quite a bit and will be watching this again and again.
Minus one pant for not having an appearance by Teddy, but plus a half-pant for having a French cover of Bobby Darin's "Beyond the Sea.
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