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When it comes to Rowan Atkinson’s classic character Mr. Bean, you either love him or you hate him. And no matter how spectacularly awesome a DVD can be, it’s not going to make the Bean-hater finally see the light. But that’s no matter because the DVD of Mr. Bean’s Holiday isn’t spectacularly awesome, but the flick itself is quite funny… if you like Mr. Bean, that is.

I have been a fan of Rowan Atkinson for years, long before Bean made it to the big screen ten years ago. And after watching it again on DVD and hearing what the filmmakers had to say about Mr. Bean’s Holiday, I do realize that in this long-awaited sequel, we get a very pure Mr. Bean story. This incarnation is much closer to the feel of the old BBC television series, relying more on Bean’s movement and physical comedy than supporting characters for the story.

This time around, Bean has won a trip to the Cannes Film Festival in the South of France. He charges away, without knowing a lick of French, and heads off on holiday. However, along the way, he loses his money and accidentally strands a young French boy at a train station. Together, Bean and the boy try to get to Cannes for Bean to have his vacation and the boy to be reunited with his father.

While Mr. Bean’s Holiday is rated G, it’s not a kid’s movie by definition. Kids will enjoy it, at the very least for the slapstick and physical comedy. It’s safe for all ages, but it’s for a higher level of an audience. Teletubbies this is not.

The DVD does come short on special features. However, what it lacks in number, it makes up for in quality. Namely, the feature I enjoyed the most was the deleted scenes. Normally the deleted scenes on a DVD are humdrum and lame, painfully obvious as to why they were deleted in the first place. However, like last year’s Borat, the deleted scenes offer more of the humor that makes the movie work.

Additional special features include featurettes on putting Bean in France, working with the Cannes Film Festival and the general character of Mr. Bean.

Ultimately, Mr. Bean’s Holiday is made for the Bean/Atkinson fan. If you come to this not liking him, you might as well stay away. But for myself, I just hope they don’t wait another ten years to make another movie.

Grade: B

Release Date: November 27, 2007 Rated: G Running Time: 90 minutes Number of Discs: 1 Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Willem Dafoe, Jean Rochefort, Karel Roden, Emma De Caunes Director: Steve Bendelack Studio: Universal Studios Also Available On: HD-DVD