Mr Bean's Holiday [2007] [DVD]

It’s taken a long time for Rowan Atkinson to bring us Mr Bean’s Holiday, the sequel to the substantial hit of 1997. But in that time, he’s lost none of what made the character so huge in the first place, delivering an effective comedy that’s again managed to ignite box offices right across the world.

The set-up for Mr Bean’s Holiday is in the title: the hapless title character wins a holiday to France, meaning this time it’s the French Riviera that’s the backdrop for the slapstick humour that has defined the series. And so Mr Bean finds himself in a series of increasingly unlikely situations, causing all manner of havoc in the process.

While unlikely to convert anyone who isn’t already a fan, Mr Bean’s Holiday is nonetheless a comedy that delivers reliable laughs very much in the spirit of what has gone before. Atkinson continues to inhabit the character with great skill, and it’s--rightly--his work here that brings the lion’s share of the laughs.

By most accounts, Mr Bean’s Holiday is the swansong for a character that’s manage to delight audiences worldwide for over a quarter of a century. And while the film is, truthfully, no classic, at its peak it’s a hoot, and offers gentle, enjoyable family entertainment. --Jon Foster