Mr. Bean's Holiday

It is raining and dreary in London. The waterlogged Mr. Bean has fortunately won first prize in a church raffle: a train trip to the French Riviera and new video camera. After taking the Eurostar to Paris, Bean arrives at the Gare du Nord station and casually films Sabine (Emma de Caunes), who has stopped to give a street performer money. Comic confusion at the station's taxi stand results in Bean's arriving at the wrong next stop. He sets off for the correct station -- walking through traffic on the ChampsÉlysées -- only to find himself the angry object of the paparazzi when he obscures their intended target, the arrogant film director Carson Clay (Willem Dafoe). Finally arriving at Gare Du Lyon, Bean misses his train to Cannes. He passes time at a restaurant, where he is served a platter of langoustine (which he eats complete with shell) and oysters so repellant that he tips them into a woman's handbag.

On the platform, he asks a Russian named Emil (KAREL RODEN) to film him on holiday. Emil obliges, but is left standing on the platform as the train pulls away with his son, Stepan (Max Baldry), stuck on the shuttle with Bean. At the next station, Stepan leaves the train with Bean's camera. Just as Bean follows him, however, the train departs with Bean's bag onboard. Emil passes on a fast train, holding a sign with a partially obscured number and his destination of "Cannes." Bean and Stepan board the next train south to catch him, but (of course) Bean realizes he has lost his wallet. The ticketless two are quickly ejected from the train. The following morning, well-meaning Bean and mischievous Stepan turn to street performance at a local market to earn money. The audience loves their two-man show, and throws coins at the urchins. Things are finally looking up as Bean spots a bus to Cannes. Naturally, Bean's ticket flutters away while Stepan is driven away. That night, Bean sleeps in a hay cart and wakes to find himself in a quaint French village. An explosion and soldiers in the square cause Bean to spring into action. Just as he wrestles a Nazi and "rescues" a café girl, Carson Clay -- shooting a commercial -- angrily shouts, "Cut!" Meanwhile, the clueless Bean unwittingly sets the director up to unleash an explosive that blows up the set. It's time to get out of there, "tout de suite." Sabine, on her way to Cannes, assumes the hitchhiking Bean is a filmmaker and explains she is going to attend the premiere of her new film. At a motorway café, they meet up with Stepan. The three of them continue south in Sabine's Mini Cooper, with Sabine assuming Stepan is Bean's son and Stepan believing Sabine is Bean's girlfriend. At a fuel station, Bean's photograph is broadcast on television as the suspected abductor of Stepan. As Sabine's picture also flashes on the screen, she makes an escape plan. On being stopped at a police roadblock, Bean and Stepan disguise themselves, and Sabine explains she is late for her premiere and the police offer an escort. They arrive at the Palais des Festivals in time for the premiere of Sabine's film, and Bean and Stepan sneak into the auditorium -- where the film is playing to a fidgety, bored audience. Onscreen there is a flash of Sabine, but her part has been largely cut. The ingenious and gallant Bean slips into the projection box, plugs in his camera and projects his holiday video on screen. As guards enter the booth, Bean escapes through the window. While the guards race toward Bean, Stepan appears and is happily reunited with Emil. The thrilled audience applauds, believing "Carson Clay's" new film a masterpiece. Amidst all the chaos (and Clay's undeserved bows), Bean glances out of a doorway and spies the beach. At last, his whimsical journey is complete. Source: movieweb.com