Mr Bean's Holiday - Region 2 DVD

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