Mr Bean’s Holiday / Bean – The Ultimate Disaster Movie Atkinson 2007 DVD

Double bill of feature films of Rowan Atkinson’s love-him-or-loathe-him Chaplinesque clod. Starting off proceedings is ‘Bean The Movie’ (1997), in which Mr Bean (-Atkinson) has obtained a job as an attendant at the National Gallery in London. He enjoys the protection of the chairman, but the gallery’s governors are keen to be rid of him. When the Grierson Gallery in Los Angeles asks for an expert to give a speech on the recently-purchased painting of Whistler’s mother, Bean is quickly despatched. On his arrival in America he begins wreaking havoc in the art world. In ‘Mr Bean’s Holiday’ (2007), Mr Bean has won a church fete raffle’s top prize, consisting of a trip to France. A hopeful and starry-eyed Bean boards the Eurostar and hits ‘Gay Paree’ like a ton of rubble. The language barrier predictably causes our hero no end of grief until he meets Emil, a Russian director on his way to judge at Cannes. Emil agrees to film Bean climbing aboard his train to the south and his dream vacation – a move that causes Emil to miss the train himself. Bean comforts Stephan, Emil’s son, who DID make it aboard, by trying to entertain him. Little does Bean know he’s accompanying a child that’s been reported kidnapped and that he himself fits the description of the prime suspect. Bean eventually must go to Cannes himself to try and sort out the mess but he’s only gone and left his wallet and travel documents behind! The trip to Cannes provides more opportunity for confusion as Bean ends up in the middle of a production being shot by the bigheaded director Carson Clay. At Cannes, after hitching a ride with the lovely Sabine – an actress in the film – Bean and Stephan end up, well, ‘brightening up’ the premiere of Clay’s film.