Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I've seen two, maybe three episodes of "Mr. Bean", so I'm certainly not a fan. This movie features Mr. Bean going on holiday to France. I admit that I'll probably never get used to that "on holiday" term. I'm just not British! This film was just alright for me. I wish that it had focused more on comedy and was less serious.I do like the actors in this movie. It's just that there really isn't anything too special about this film. There's so much better and worse stuff out there. I do really like the ending however, when it all comes together and it's pleasant enough. It's completely harmless with nothing offensive at all. It's just not enough to recommend. **1/2

In "Mr Bean's Holiday" from British Director Steve Bendelack the world-famous Rowan Atkinson character gets a wider canvas than the TV show allowed him, speaks - just a little, and perhaps tames his darker side somewhat. As a bonus, many of the French settings are gorgeous, and a certain rather pleasing chemistry develops between Bean and a Russian boy played by (authentically-Russian-speaking) Brit child actor Max(im) Baldry; only for this to extend rather neatly into a small circle once it starts to include the archetypal carefree and beautiful (and Mini-driving) young French lady played just superbly - without much effort at all - by Emma de Caunes. The fact that this young beauty allows her character to join Bean in doing certain comedic and occasionally even dumb things offers a huge and joyful - and sexy - kick for the viewer. It is thanks largely to the benevolence and acceptance personified by this character (Sabine - and what else could she be called, really?) that, in this section of the film at least, misfit Bean somehow begins to fit in, and it's a delight, rather than a disappointment, and one only highlighted by a conflict-cooperation scenario evolving with the aid of a pretentious American film director encountered previously by the key characters and nicely done by actor Willem Dafoe - who sends himself up very proficiently indeed.In a way that harks back to many a musical you've seen, this all crescendoes into our entire cast plus a host of extras parading along Cannes beach and singing along with Charles Trenet's "La Mer". It's a surprisingly powerful and truly heartwarming ending, and one we've reached via what are, in the film's terms, a series of entirely logical steps (including steps taken off a tallish building, via a descending step-like series of vehicles!!). This is Harold Lloyd in 2007.Similar logical steps leading to crazy disaster and mayhem are taken earlier on in the film, too, as Atkinson's Bean moves through a series of escalating mishaps that frustrate the audience (almost to their limits?) at regular intervals as his basically well-meaning wish to help out sees him lose luggage, ticket, passport and so on, and thus inevitably condemns him to fall foul of authority figures. There is a great deal of Laurel and Hardy in this scenario, which contrasts markedly - if effectively and even necessarily - with the above-described second half of the film. Again reminiscent of some aspects of Stan and Ollie are gags that leave one feeling momentarily queasy, but of course do Bean no lasting harm - Bean doing oysters and langoustines in a station restaurant is a case in point, and may indeed prove "hard to swallow" for the viewer!A key question might be how many of the gags really came straight out of Atkinson's head, but the likely answer would seem to be "many", and of course this also at times denotes innocent silliness turning to what is - by Bean standards at least - sly or vengeful or pseudo-competitive activity.The fact that this gives way to feelgood later on may represent a slight betrayal of the character's heritage, but on the whole it's rewarding for the viewer. Probably essential and wise too, since a whole film on the lines of the first half might prove too waring and wearying. Overall, this eclectic approach continually minds us of Laurel and Hardy and Chaplin, occasionally even Keaton or the aforesaid Lloyd. However, since we're in France, thoughts are also inevitably going to stray to the tradition of the great Jacques Tati. It then becomes most interesting for the more careful and aware viewer to assess how clever Atkinson's dumb act can look in the esteemed company the above comedians represent. All in all, the answer for me would be "pretty clever", and I found much to admire in the film's handling of itself.

Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007): Dir: Steve Bendelack / Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Emma De Caunes, Willem Dafoe, Max Baldry, Jean Rochefort: Every bit the disaster the first film was only this time the holiday in question regards his absent mind. Mr. Bean wins a trip to the beaches of Cannes but when he asks a random stranger to video tape his departure onto the train he accidentally separates a father and son. Just one random act of stupidity after another with no story or care. Arriving ten years after the pitiful first film, director Steve Bendelack does his best but comes away with virtually a longer version of what is seen on TV. Rowan Atkinson plays Bean as a sort of homage to silent stars and his antics work a tad better here than in the previous film. His raffle ticket setup for the vacation is amusing but from there it is the basic plot weighted by antics. His dealing with the film reel at Cannes in the conclusion adds a bit of humanity that works. Emma De Caunes is wasted as an actress who picks up Bean. She is making her film debut and must get to Cannes. Willem Dafoe plays a frustrated director in what is a major fall for an actor capable of much better. Max Baldry plays the boy whom Mr. Bean will reunite with his father, as if we couldn't predict that. The TV program featuring Mr. Bean is so much better and funnier than this. This holiday is a complete waste of time. Score: 3 ½ / 10

If you enjoy watching a little brat slapping an old man in the face - it's your type of comedy.Suppose many people on this planet (judging by the gross income of $183,956,926 worldwide according to IMDb) are ready to pay tons of money for the wrong depiction of foreign culture. Or at least the director of this flick did not bother to find out a few basic things before shooting this mess of a movie. Russian people never slap people in the face on meeting. NEVER. So, showing a Russian kid slapping Bean in the face is one of the stupidest things to witness. Well, maybe it was made for laughs? Not to me. Rowan Atkinson, representing an aging dim-witted person, is even trying to express some kind of delight during this kind of "Hello!" rite. It looks cheap, vulgar, and fictitious. Even disgusting. A sheer example of how a straw can ruin the whole production. Any other things? Let's get started.Rowan Atkinson in this one looks old. Jumping about, making the same stupid faces (cf. "Bean"), etc. makes a viewer feel disillusionment and pity for the actor. Especially if you see it all in the scenes where a vile kid is present too. Do you remember Mr Charles Chaplin? In his later movies he did not try the same "kick-in-the-butt" tricks but achieved the new heights, still keeping his unique style of comedy - THAT was craftsmanship.The original "Bean" movie was real (the same is true to "Mr Bean" the series), that's what was so important to me. Mad, bizarre, outrageous, disastrous, but at the same time very true to life. Every single scene was believable (all right, maybe, the "Ride of Doom" was a bit OTT). But here you see Bean being locked inside a wooden closet on the road and a big truck smashes it to pieces off-screen, and Bean gets away with it safe and sound. They make a superman out of our beloved down-to-earth Bean. If you want an incomprehensive comedy with undying heroes you watch "Airplane", "Naked Gun" or "Toxic Avenger" (the best choice) - correct? So this was another little feature that ruined the movie for me.Another point. A question of love and male-female relationship. Bean is a character, who is supposed to be a nerd from top to toe. And what do we see here? A young beautiful actress is trying hard to keep a conversation with him, to be nice and interested. Her little talks in the car are quite uncomfortable to hear. Why should she give a damn about some old freaky penniless guy who didn't even look cute? Something doesn't match here. And you feel it. It's another one to ruin the film.You need more? How about the misuse of foreign languages? When will these directors learn to get their Russian characters speak realistic Russian language? Russian characters speaking Russian with unbelievable intonations and heavy accents are irritating and not funny. Here one should recall "Black Eagle" (yes, one of the IMDb's low-grade – quite unjustly, if you ask me – action films) with an easy and true-to-life use of the Russian language, which was very funny to boot.One more thing, which is even more personal in perception of this flick. There is a dumb "Oscar-like ceremony" and a big-name actor in the role of some modern director delivers dramatic faces. Not appropriate here.The restaurant scene was all right and almost made me laugh, but, come on, we'd seen something like that in "Bean" the series, and it had been insane there. But here it just looks amateurish in comparison.One of the dullest comedies with many uncomfortable scenes to sit through. A 1 out of 10 (even this lowest mark cannot express my total disappointment with this flick that ruined not only itself, but Bean character as well). How dare they destroy one of the funniest on-screen characters ever? Thank you for attention.