Starring Rowan Atkinson
Written By: Rowan Atkinson, Richard Curtis, Robin Driscoll, Ben Elton
Directed By: John Birkin, John Howard Davies
Studio: A&E Home video
Buy on Amazon.com link

You should all know who Mr Bean is by now. If you don’t, well then you are really missing out on one of the most brilliant British comedies of all time. Instead of buying the bulkier complete Mr Bean boxset, you can buy just the best episodes. Sounds like a fair deal right?

Mr Bean is about well, Mr Bean, played brilliantly by Rowan Atkinson. He’s a grown man who rarely talks, and thinks & acts like a 4th grader. A man child if you were. Each episode, you just see him doing normal things like riding on a road with his mini, or going swimming, celebrating new years, buying things at the mall, or trying to go swimming at the beach. But normal things to us turn into complicated things for Mr Bean. Him trying to do these things ends in awkward moments, but they are also very funny! This DVD set includes the best of the best of the British Tv series, and has 5 of the funniest episodes.

Mr Bean is just hilarious and I always have to go back and watch the episodes I grew up watching. It’s in the same style as Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. This is a very visual type of humor and it’s also like mime comedy. Rowan Atkinson rarely speaks in the role because thats the way he created him, but when he does, it’s still funny. You don’t picture this weird British voice popping out of his mouth. But Rowan Atkinson is so gifted as an actor that he doesn’t have to say anything and you can tell what he’s thinking and how he’s feeling. His facial expressions and body movement is priceless and you can tell he started out as a stage comedian and actor before getting into this role. You almost have to be a talented actor to do a role like this.

I first remember seeing Mr Bean when I was about in 6th or 7th grade. I believe the skits aired on Comedy Central or HBO in-between shows. They would only show one skit because they were short enough for that. Then I remember in 8th grade when I broke both my arms and I was sitting in hospital waiting to go into surgery. They put the TV on, doped me up with medicine and I watched Mr Bean on channel Thirteen. I must have been on high on the medicine or Mr Bean was the most funniest thing in the world to me. It was probably a combination of the two. I just sat their giggling my ass off as my parents and the nurses were staring at me, wondering why I was laughing after breaking both my arms. The episode I watched that night was The Curse of Mr Bean, which is the best Mr Bean episode ever! It’s when he goes into the carpark, and tries to not pay for a ticket. Then he goes swimming and attempts the high platform to jump off of. That’s the part that got me giggling by the way. It’s funny because Bean is scared to death to jump from the platform and ends up getting forced in the pool by some kids. Then after that you see Mr Bean on a date at the movies. They end up seeing a scary movie and he does what I always want to do when I end up seeing a scary movie. Putting popcorn in his ears and throwing the bucket on his head so he can’t hear or see anything. Other episodes included on this Best of set are: Mr Bean, The Return of Mr Bean, Merry Christmas Mr Bean, and Do It Your Self Mr Bean.

Plus there’s a 40 minute documentary on Mr Bean, which you can also see on the Complete DVD Set of Mr Bean. This documentary has also been on TV and features many interviews with everyone associated with the show. You see old footage of Rowan Atkinson during his Oxford years and on stage. Even his old footage had me laughing out loud. I particularly liked the one where he was air drumming to the music and doing it so flawlessly. If you haven’t seen that documentary yet, be sure to watch it when you get a second.

If you don’t own the Complete Set of Mr Bean, then this is something you might like to own instead. It only has 5 episodes on it but it’s certainly worth it. Though I’d personally just buy the whole boxset and be done with it.

Features:
The Story of Bean – A 40-Minute Documentary
Rowan Atkinson Biography & Filmography
Interactive Menus

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo

Video:
Standard 1.33:1 Color

Subtitles:

Favorite Scenes: Mr Bean, The Return of Mr Bean, The Curse of Mr Bean
Rating: NR
Running Time: 125 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: