Bean there, done that

Film offers some new laughs, stays true to the show

WILLIAM O’DONNELL

Mr. Bean’s Holiday
Directed by Steve Bendelack
♥♥♥ out of 5

Let me begin this review by doing all of my readers a favour. 1. Mr. Bean wins a raffle. 2. His prize is a trip to Cannes, France. 3. Mishaps at the train station partner him with the estranged son of a judge at the Cannes Film Festival. Preceding was the plot points from the first quarter (or so) of this film that you might care to know before you watch the latter portion. I tell you them so that you may skip this tepid and generally bad section of the film and can start the real fun starting from the scene where Mr. Bean begins to hitchhike by himself.

My first "uh oh" moment with this film was when I noticed that Rowan Atkinson (a.k.a. Mr. Bean) did not have a hand in writing the screenplay. Something told me this made a difference, as I witnessed popular Bean sketches be regurgitated into lamer scenarios on screen; they were met with sparse signs of amusement from the audience. As a longtime Bean fan, these bits felt more like insults than homage.

Feeling unfulfilled thus far, I came close to giving up by the time the young boy character was introduced. What is it with feature-length adaptations of television characters that makes people think that established character(s) suddenly need cutesy and/or wacky support (in this case, both) from a new, "partner"-type, character? The token kid added little more than the plot point I offered earlier in this review to the film.

Part of Bean’s comedic success comes from the base fact that he is an absurd character existing in a regular world. The scenarios in his sketches became hilarious for he takes the most ridiculous and often the hardest way to solve each of the problems he faces. Every once in a while, he encountered a character that was more than just namelessly normal (such as his mousy girlfriend or the antagonist in the "laundromat" episode), but never was there a call for a goofy partner to join in Bean’s silliness.

Bean bares a dark, mischievous side that is countered by a naive but adorable side. It is easy to see how this juxtaposition was the spark behind the original short sketches can be dampened by the relatively long length of a feature film. It is harder for Bean to strike the audience without the chance of the finale/payoff joke right away or even a laugh-track.

I was rejuvenated during my viewing when Bean was separated from the child and left to a solo adventure, as he should be. Starting from the hitchhiking point I mentioned before, which kicks off with two consecutively laugh-out-loud bits, the film becomes quite funny and enjoyable for the majority of the remainder. Atkinson seems more at home with the middle sketches and delivers delightful ludicrousness.

I found the music to be a low point at certain times, namely a bitterly awful, pop-punk song that scored Bean’s adventure on a bicycle; the song never seemed to end. They must have played the entire, agonizing song, even after Bean had long since abandoned the bike and the pace of the bit changed. Other songs were slightly annoying, but acceptable as typical movie soundtrack additions (Kool and the Gang’s "Celebration" for example). Perhaps only "La mer" (original French version of what would become "Beyond the Sea") successfully added to the movie instead of detracting.

The side characters worked well enough for Bean to do his thing. Willem Dafoe, a perennial scene-stealer, did well as a pretentious director of both an over-the-top, monstro budgeted commercial for yogurt that Bean finds his way onto, as well as a narcissistic, masturbatory session to himself of a film that premieres and is spoiled at Cannes.

There is also a token French cutie thrown into the mix as the supposed dream girl of Mr. Bean’s. Her qualities include owning the exact same car as Bean, unbelievable patience for strangeness, her own brand of goofy tendencies, costumes on hand 24/7, and a puntastic name "Sabine" (pronounced Sah-Bean) to partner her with our hero. Despite these qualities, Bean is made out to remain rather asexual as their "friendship" is emphasized in front of an audience at Cannes while not a single romantic glance shared between them. Despite her obviously token status, she hardly threatens the film.

In the end, this made for a satisfying experience that does not deserve the critical reaming it has received thus far. Granted, the first quarter more than does, but I’ve already saved you the trouble of sharing in the pain, so now there’s no excuse to not enjoy the comfy and light tale that follows.





Volume 95 Issue 4	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	September 05, 2007

Home About Us Advertising Rates Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Volunteer Online Classifieds St. Vincent's Academy Diaries	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly Bean there, done that Film offers some new laughs, stays true to the show WILLIAM O’DONNELL *Mr. Bean’s Holiday* Directed by Steve Bendelack ♥♥♥ out of 5 Let me begin this review by doing all of my readers a favour. 1. Mr. Bean wins a raffle. 2. His prize is a trip to Cannes, France. 3. Mishaps at the train station partner him with the estranged son of a judge at the Cannes Film Festival. Preceding was the plot points from the first quarter (or so) of this film that you might care to know before you watch the latter portion. I tell you them so that you may skip this tepid and generally bad section of the film and can start the real fun starting from the scene where Mr. Bean begins to hitchhike by himself. My first "uh oh" moment with this film was when I noticed that Rowan Atkinson (a.k.a. Mr. Bean) did not have a hand in writing the screenplay. Something told me this made a difference, as I witnessed popular Bean sketches be regurgitated into lamer scenarios on screen; they were met with sparse signs of amusement from the audience. As a longtime Bean fan, these bits felt more like insults than homage. Feeling unfulfilled thus far, I came close to giving up by the time the young boy character was introduced. What is it with feature-length adaptations of television characters that makes people think that established character(s) suddenly need cutesy and/or wacky support (in this case, both) from a new, "partner"-type, character? The token kid added little more than the plot point I offered earlier in this review to the film. Part of Bean’s comedic success comes from the base fact that he is an absurd character existing in a regular world. The scenarios in his sketches became hilarious for he takes the most ridiculous and often the hardest way to solve each of the problems he faces. Every once in a while, he encountered a character that was more than just namelessly normal (such as his mousy girlfriend or the antagonist in the "laundromat" episode), but never was there a call for a goofy partner to join in Bean’s silliness. Bean bares a dark, mischievous side that is countered by a naive but adorable side. It is easy to see how this juxtaposition was the spark behind the original short sketches can be dampened by the relatively long length of a feature film. It is harder for Bean to strike the audience without the chance of the finale/payoff joke right away or even a laugh-track. I was rejuvenated during my viewing when Bean was separated from the child and left to a solo adventure, as he should be. Starting from the hitchhiking point I mentioned before, which kicks off with two consecutively laugh-out-loud bits, the film becomes quite funny and enjoyable for the majority of the remainder. Atkinson seems more at home with the middle sketches and delivers delightful ludicrousness. I found the music to be a low point at certain times, namely a bitterly awful, pop-punk song that scored Bean’s adventure on a bicycle; the song never seemed to end. They must have played the entire, agonizing song, even after Bean had long since abandoned the bike and the pace of the bit changed. Other songs were slightly annoying, but acceptable as typical movie soundtrack additions (Kool and the Gang’s "Celebration" for example). Perhaps only "La mer" (original French version of what would become "Beyond the Sea") successfully added to the movie instead of detracting. The side characters worked well enough for Bean to do his thing. Willem Dafoe, a perennial scene-stealer, did well as a pretentious director of both an over-the-top, monstro budgeted commercial for yogurt that Bean finds his way onto, as well as a narcissistic, masturbatory session to himself of a film that premieres and is spoiled at Cannes. There is also a token French cutie thrown into the mix as the supposed dream girl of Mr. Bean’s. Her qualities include owning the exact same car as Bean, unbelievable patience for strangeness, her own brand of goofy tendencies, costumes on hand 24/7, and a puntastic name "Sabine" (pronounced Sah-Bean) to partner her with our hero. Despite these qualities, Bean is made out to remain rather asexual as their "friendship" is emphasized in front of an audience at Cannes while not a single romantic glance shared between them. Despite her obviously token status, she hardly threatens the film. In the end, this made for a satisfying experience that does not deserve the critical reaming it has received thus far. Granted, the first quarter more than does, but I’ve already saved you the trouble of sharing in the pain, so now there’s no excuse to not enjoy the comfy and light tale that follows.


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