The Phoenix Network:
 
 
 
About  |  Advertise
 
Features  |  Reviews

Mr. Bean's Holiday

An uncalled-for sequel
By CHRIS WANGLER  |  August 22, 2007
1.5 1.5 Stars

VIDEO: Watch the trailer for Mr. Bean's Holiday.

A cash grab for all involved, this uncalled-for sequel arrives 10 years after the first Mr. Bean movie, and long after Rowan Atkinson’s rubber-faced, classically inspired routine reached its zenith. On a holiday to Cannes won in a church raffle, our bumbling hero rudely devours an unwieldy seafood platter (lightly funny), mimes a Puccini aria for bus fare (sort of funny), and dresses up in drag (utterly not funny). The painfully long and episodic skits detract from some interesting satire about the movie business (e.g., the French must cope with American arrogance in the person of a self-important festival director played by Willem Dafoe). Director Steve Bendelack, whose coda is an ensemble performance of Charles Trenet’s classic song “La mer,” obviously respects the past, but he appears to be on a holiday of his own — from any faintly realistic notion about his audience.
Related:
  • An Italian feast
    ‘Signore + Signore’ isn’t just about the ladies
  • Smoke screens
    Does a surge of stoner movies mean America is going to pot?
  • Sweet tooth
      Boston Lyric Opera imports The Little Prince , the BSO premieres Yehudi Wyner’s piano concerto, and Renée Fleming
  • More more >
  Topics: Reviews , Giacomo Puccini , Willem Dafoe , Charles Trenet ,  More more >
  • Share:
  • RSS feed Rss
  • Email this article to a friend Email
  • Print this article Print
Comments

Today's Event Picks
ARTICLES BY CHRIS WANGLER
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   CADILLAC RECORDS  |  December 12, 2008
    Muddies the Waters, but in a Good Way
  •   BOLT  |  November 24, 2008
    Pixarian technical wizardry and Disney schmaltz
  •   PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS  |  October 08, 2008
    Amitav Ghosh's Sea of Poppies
  •   GHOST TOWN  |  September 16, 2008
    A fill-in-the-blanks, DOA comedy
  •   MIRRORS  |  August 20, 2008
    A less gory and more clichéd remake

 See all articles by: CHRIS WANGLER

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



Thursday, January 08, 2009  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2009 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group