Mr Bean’s Holiday

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Mr Bean tries to stay awake while driving

Mr Bean’s Holiday – Mr Bean is delighted when he wins a trip to the South of France; all he wants to do is go to the beach. However, when he finds himself responsible for a young boy who has been separated from his father, he begrudgingly has to put his holiday plans aside. Along the way he meets various characters, including the lovely Sabine, making this a holiday he’ll never forget.

Mr Bean’s Holiday (2007) – Director: Steve Bendelack

Is Mr Bean's Holiday appropriate for kids?

Rating: PG

Running Length: 90 mins

Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Emma de Caunes, Max Baldry

REVIEW: ‘MR BEAN’S HOLIDAY’

Mr Bean has been a staple of British television comedy since 1990. Starring the incredibly talented Rowan Atkinson as the eponymous character, Mr Bean is the atypical eccentric Brit who is both stupid and ingenious at the same time. The hapless hero had his first big screen outing in the 1997 Mel Smith movie ‘Bean’. This effort was ok, but struggled to find the essence of what made the TV show so good. ‘Mr Bean’s Holiday’ on the other hand knows exactly who the character is and what makes him funny: relying on modern silent cinema style jokes and awkward situation set ups.

Rowan Atkinson plays Bean with such passion that it is hard not to feel his love for the character. The other two major characters, Stepan (played by Max Baldry) and Sabine (Emma de Caunes) are both an absolute joy to watch as all three work their way through France with  happiness and acceptance of one another.

With a soundtrack that is reminiscent of silent movies, Studio Ghibli and light continental sounds (courtesy of the ever reliable – and scorer of the original Mr Bean TV series – Howard Goodall),  Mr Bean’s Holiday is a rare breed of movie that can engage anyone. With an ending which is funny, touching and beautiful all at once, it is hard not to be smiling and laughing from start to finish.

CONTENT: IS ‘MR BEAN’S HOLIDAY’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

While trying to find the direction to a local train station, Mr Bean draws a line on a map and follows it literally. This leads him to walk across busy roads and, while he continues oblivious and unharmed, the traffic around him has to stop suddenly and almost crash into each other. While Mr Bean is never hurt by the traffic, this scene could encourage some kids to step into traffic without looking.

When getting on a train, Mr Bean asks a man to film him getting on board. After several attempts, he is finally happy but as soon as Bean boards the train, the door closes, leaving the man on the platform. Bean then realises that the man’s young son is on the train and he bangs on the window in panic, asking his father what to do. The idea of being separated from a parent could be quite upsetting for some children especially when a stranger (albeit well-meaning) takes on the responsibility of reuniting them.

When on another train, Mr Bean hides from the ticket inspector in the toilets, thinking its empty. After a few seconds he realises that there is another man in there with him. There is nothing in this scene to suggest that the other man is using the toilet, he simply stands there, bemused. When the ticket inspector opens the door, there is a slight implication that she suspects the two are homosexual but nothing is said and this is likely to go over the heads of younger viewers.

Mr Bean rides a bike and holds on to a passing vehicle for extra speed. Of course this works perfectly and he is never in any danger. He also hitchhikes as a seemingly obvious way to travel. The idea that both of these dangerous activities appear to be devoid of consequences could encourage youngsters to copy what they see.

Mr Bean gets trapped inside a small wooden shed and in trying to escape, walks it into the middle of a road. The shed goes off camera and there is the sound of a large truck’s horn, followed by a loud crash and wood chips flying into the air. It seems that Mr Bean has been killed but seconds later, he inexplicably walks back on camera, dusting himself down and completely safe unharmed.

An idyllic French village is attacked by soldiers and a tank blows up a building. Mr Bean is horrified and attempts to save a young woman, however it is soon made clear that not everything is as it seems and no-one is in any danger.

As part art of an acting role, Mr Bean dresses up as a Nazi soldier. He then films himself clicking his heels together, doing the Nazi salute and goose stepping. While this is supposed to be him acting silly and has a point at the end of the movie, this could be very offensive to a lot of people. We recommend some caution for this part and as most children won’t understand the gravity of this scene, they may copy what Mr Bean is doing so parents may wish to discourage them from doing this.

A film director is very angry that an explosion hasn’t gone off on his film set and to make a point, presses a button which in turn activates the explosion. As he wasn’t expecting this to happen he is potentially harmed when it goes off; ambulances are seen heading in the direction of the film set and his hat flies high into the air. However this is a comedic scene and, as the director is seen alive and well soon after, kids shouldn’t be upset by this scene.

Mr Bean and Stepan make a phone call to several wrong numbers while trying to locate Stepan’s father. One of these calls is to a man who is standing on the edge of a bridge and, when he answers the phone believes he is talking to a woman (presumably his wife or girlfriend), implying that if she leaves him, he will commit suicide. When Bean and Stepan hang up the phone, the man looks shocked and jumps. The camera then goes to a wide shot of the bridge which goes over a river, the man lands in the water and the depth of the water suggests that the man will not be badly hurt, however some parents may not want their children to see such a casual attitude towards suicide.

While driving a car, Sabine struggles to stay awake and actually falls asleep causing the car to veer across the road. Mr Bean then takes over the driving but he soon starts to tire. After trying several things to keep himself awake, he gets the cigarette lighter from the car a burns the tip of his finger. This causes him some pain but he immediately seems happy and proud of his idea. Some kids who do not understand what a cigarette lighter is may try to copy this part of the movie.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?
VERDICT: IS ‘MR BEAN’S HOLIDAY’ FOR KIDS?

The character of Mr Bean may not be to everybody’s taste, it is undeniably going to entertain its target audience of kids, but with plenty of innocent humour and cleverly well-balanced plot, adults are bound to find Mr Bean at least entertaining if not downright hilarious. We feel this movie should be appropriate for kids of all ages but recommend caution for several dangerous things that younger viewers may attempt to copy.

  • Violence: 1/5  (mostly slapstick and comedic in nature. Mr Bean gets slapped in the face several times throughout the movie but is not badly hurt. A security guard is knocked unconscious with a handbag)
  • Emotional Distress: 2/5 (a child being separated from their parents could be upsetting for some kids)
  • Fear Factor: 0/5
  • Sexual Content: 0/5
  • Bad Language: 1/5 (one character says ‘damn’ in a foreign language which is subtitled)
  • Dialogue: 0/5
  • Other Notes: Deals with themes of not getting your own way, dealing with adversity, the kindness of strangers, accepting people for who they are and determination.

Words by: Laura Record

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