Travelling by the seat of one's pants

Last night I went to see Mr Bean's Holiday with some friends. I love Rowan Atkinson's work, and I was not disappointed with this film. It tells of a time when Mr Bean wins a holiday to Cannes, France by entering a church raffle. Getting to Cannes should be simple for most - except Mr Bean. As you can imagine, he only makes it to the beach by the seat of his pants.

Mr Bean gets into some awful positions along the way: being chased out of railway stations, wanted by the French police, sacked from a yoghurt commercial, and chased by a top-knotch movie director, to name a few. But he gets to the beach in the end, and saves a few peoples' lives along the way. The ending was a slight let-down - a very quick anticlimax, and a somewhat disturbing musical section. However the film is worthwhile seeing, especially if you just want to chill out without being challenged intellectually too much.

The best part about the film was the music. What a soundtrack! Beautiful French music filled every interval, a welcome change from the electronic trash that goes with most current films. The scene where some buskers play inside a restaurant is particularly pleasing - all the people get up, laughing and dancing, illustrating the power of music to transform a somber atmosphere.

I'll be buying this when it comes out on DVD - it gets an 8 out of 10 from me. Feel safe showing it to your whole family, too; once again, Atkinson has delivered good, clean humour that will be appreciated by all.