Mr. Bean's Holiday

Mr. Bean's Holiday
Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	2007; 19 years ago
Founder	Rowan Atkinson, Richard Curtis (creators of Mr. Bean)
Headquarters	United Kingdom / France
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Steve Bendelack (director), Hamish McColl and Robin Driscoll (screenwriters), Rowan Atkinson (lead actor)
Products	Comedy film
Parent	StudioCanal, Working Title Films, Tiger Aspect Films, Universal Pictures

Mr. Bean's Holiday is a 2007 comedy film helmed by director Steve Bendelack and scripted by Hamish McColl and Robin Driscoll, based on a story conceived by Simon McBurney. Originating from the British television series Mr. Bean, created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, this movie serves as an independent sequel to Bean (1997). Rowan Atkinson reprises his role as Mr. Bean, joined by Maxim Baldry, Emma de Caunes, Willem Dafoe, and Karel Roden. The narrative centers on Mr. Bean winning a vacation to Cannes, France, where he becomes entangled in a misunderstanding involving a kidnapping and embarks on a journey with the son of a Russian filmmaker and an aspiring actress.

The production was handled by StudioCanal, Working Title Films, and Tiger Aspect Films. It premiered in the United Kingdom on 30 March 2007, followed by its United States release on 24 August 2007 through Universal Pictures. Although critical reception was mixed, the film achieved significant commercial success, earning $232.2 million globally against a production budget of $25 million.

Plot

Mr. Bean wins a holiday package to Cannes, along with a video camera and €200, in a raffle. Once in France, he inadvertently creates havoc while sampling French seafood at the famed restaurant Le Train Bleu. He requests Russian filmmaker Emil Duchevsky to record him as he boards a train at the Gare de Lyon. After several takes, the train departs with Mr. Bean and Duchevsky’s son, Stepan, aboard, leaving Duchevsky behind.

Bean forms a connection with Stepan and they disembark at the next stop, which Duchevsky’s train bypasses without halting. Duchevsky holds up a sign displaying his mobile number for Stepan to contact him but obscures the last two digits. Bean tries multiple combinations unsuccessfully before catching another train with Stepan. They are forced off at Cavaillon after Bean realizes he has forgotten his wallet, passport, and ticket.

To raise money, Bean performs as a mime on the street and uses his earnings to purchase food and tickets to Cannes. However, his ticket is carried away by the wind and attaches itself to a chicken being transported to a farm. Unable to locate it among numerous chickens, Bean proceeds on foot alone. Later, he awakens on the set of a yogurt commercial directed by American filmmaker Carson Clay, starring an aspiring actress named Sabine. Mistaken for an extra, Bean briefly participates before being dismissed after revealing his video camera and accidentally triggering an explosion on set.

Bean hitchhikes and is picked up by Sabine driving a Mini identical to his own. They stop at a service station where Bean reunites with Stepan. Believing Stepan is Bean’s son, Sabine drives them to Cannes. At a petrol station, Sabine learns from the news that they are suspects in Stepan’s kidnapping. To avoid detection during the premiere of her debut film Playback Time at the Cannes Film Festival, she disguises Bean and Stepan as her mother and daughter.

During the premiere, the audience shows little enthusiasm for Playback Time, which revolves around a detective yearning for lost love. Upon discovering her role was cut from the film, Sabine watches as Bean connects his video camera to the projector, substituting the film’s visuals with footage from his video diary. The images sync with the narration to portray Sabine as the hero’s lost love and Mr. Bean as her new romantic interest. Clay, Sabine, and Bean receive enthusiastic applause that intensifies when Stepan reunites with his parents onstage.

Bean leaves through the theatre’s rear exit and finally reaches the Cannes beach, where he, Sabine, Stepan, Clay, and others perform mime actions to "La Mer".

Cast

Rowan Atkinson portrays Mr. Bean
Emma de Caunes appears as Sabine
Maxim Baldry plays Stepan Duchevsky
Willem Dafoe features as Carson Clay
Jean Rochefort acts as Maître d'Hôtel
Karel Roden takes on the role of Emil Duchevsky
Steve Pemberton is cast as The Vicar
Catherine Hosmalin performs as Ticket Inspector
Urbain Cancelier appears as Bus driver
Stéphane Debac plays Traffic Controller
Julie Ferrier represents The First AD
Lily Atkinson plays the character Lily

Production

Discussions about a follow-up to Mr. Bean began in 2001 when Rowan Atkinson started developing a sequel initially titled Down Under Bean, intended to be set in Australia with a script by co-creator Richard Curtis. The project was officially revealed in 2005 under the working title Bean 2. Simon McBurney authored the screenplay, selecting France as the backdrop to accommodate Mr. Bean’s limited proficiency in French. Subsequently, Atkinson collaborated with Curtis on rewriting the script, yet the final screenplay was crafted by Robin Driscoll and Hamish McColl. McBurney also took on executive producer duties alongside Curtis.

Filming commenced on 15 May 2006, taking place across locations in England and France during the Cannes Film Festival of that year. The film’s title evolved from Bean 2 to French Bean before settling on Mr. Bean's Holiday, a nod to the 1953 French comedy Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, which served as an inspiration for the Mr. Bean character.

Atkinson remarked that returning to the role posed no significant challenges despite the hiatus; however, he found the cycling scene particularly demanding due to his limited athletic ability.

Music

The film’s score was composed by Howard Goodall, featuring orchestral arrangements with recurring musical themes assigned to specific characters and scenes; notably, the original Mr. Bean theme was omitted. The theme song for the film was a cover of "Crash" performed by Matt Willis. For the Japanese edition, the soundtrack included "OEDO-808" by Pistol Valve.

Theatrical

Mr. Bean's Holiday served as the official film for Red Nose Day 2007, with all proceeds directed to Comic Relief. Prior to its release, an exclusive Mr. Bean sketch was broadcast during the telethon event.

The film premiered at Odeon Leicester Square on 25 March 2007, with funds raised benefiting Comic Relief and Oxford Children's Hospital. Universal Pictures launched a teaser trailer in November 2006 alongside an official website.

Home media

The movie became available on DVD and HD DVD on 27 November 2007, followed by a Blu-ray release on 16 April 2019.

Box office

Debuting in US theaters on 24 August 2007 alongside titles such as War and The Nanny Diaries, it earned $9.9 million during its opening weekend across 1,714 venues, averaging $5,770 per location and ranking fourth at the box office. The domestic gross reached $33.3 million, while international markets contributed $198.9 million, culminating in a worldwide total of $232.2 million against a production budget of $25 million—signifying strong commercial performance. In the United Kingdom, it led box office charts for two weeks following its release on 30 March 2007 before being surpassed by Wild Hogs.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, Mr. Bean's Holiday holds an approval rating of 51% based on 115 reviews with an average score of 5.4/10, citing repetitive slapstick humor and overused jokes. Metacritic assigns it a score of 56 out of 100 from 26 critics, indicating mixed or average feedback. Audience polling by CinemaScore gave it a grade of "B."

Reviewers acknowledged Rowan Atkinson’s expertise in physical comedy but criticized much of the humor as weak or derivative of Jacques Tati’s style—whose influence permeates the film’s aesthetic and homage intentions. While some appreciated its straightforward charm and simplicity, others found certain jokes outdated or doubted its appeal beyond established fans.

Several critiques highlighted memorable moments like the cycling sequence but described much of the storyline as predictable or monotonous.

Awards and Nominations

At the 29th Young Artist Awards in 2008, Max Baldry earned a nomination for Best Supporting Young Actor. Additionally, the movie received recognition with nominations in the Comedy or Musical categories at the inaugural National Movie Awards held in 2007.

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