FILM SYNOPSIS: In his latest misadventure, Mr. Bean—the nearly wordless misfit who seems to be followed by a trail of pratfalls and hijinks—goes on holiday to the French Riviera. But his trip doesn't go as smoothly as he had hoped when the bumbling Bean falls face first into a series of mishaps and fortunate coincidences, far-fetched enough to make his own avant-garde film. Wrongly thought to be a kidnapper due to communication difficulties, he has some serious explaining to do after wreaking chaos across the French countryside and arriving at his vacation spot with a Russian filmmaker's precocious son and an aspiring actress in tow.

REVIEW: Though Atkinson's Mr. Bean has often been compared to Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp, for me the character, with his muttered, incoherent speech and weird demeanor, has always come across like a creepy version of Jerry Lewis. His central gag is that while his misadventures cause havoc, he remains oblivious to his error-prone deeds. When he does notice the caused confusion, he seems uncaring with the result.

The paper-thin plot has Mr. Bean attaining a winning raffle ticket for a trip to the beach at Cannes. Even before the number is called, his bad luck begins, letting the audience know that this is supposed to be a slapstick comedy, something not to be taken seriously. He loses his passport, causes people to miss their train, dumps uneaten oysters into a woman's purse, inadvertently destroys a filmmaker's set, and pursues a chicken whose claw has attached itself to his train ticket.

At first I was put off with the bizarre nature of the lead character, and the audience seemed unsure of the comic's ability to amuse for an hour and a half. I thought it strange that the filmmakers injected a boy into the storyline, in which the seemingly unstable Bean would have to perform a great deal of buffoonery. But quickly it becomes clear that Mr. Bean is a protector of the child. Realizing he's no threat to kids, we are then able to enjoy their antics together. And once the beautiful Emma de Caunes is introduced, we also realize that Bean is much taken with the opposite sex (though sexuality in the film is dealt with delicately, assuring a G rating).

It's a mixed bag, incorporating a leisurely pacing with Wile E. Coyote temperament. Though the comic has incredible timing and an awkward athleticism that allows him to behave like a cartoon, some of his routines seemed tired, overdone, while others just seemed eerie.

Most of the film seems to have a child-like quality, even a sweet-spirited agenda. Eventually the audience and I warmed to both the silly character and the even sillier story. The film has been a winner in Europe. Now we shall see how Mr. Bean enjoys his holiday in the States.

Rated G. Running Time: 88 min. Intended Audience: Family.