MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY

Directed by Steve Bendelack
Starring Rowan Atkinson, William  Dafoe, Emma de Caunes, Jean Rochefort, Karen Roden, Max Baldry
Universal Pictures
$27.95   at Amazon.com

Reviewed by Meenu Gupta
 
 I enjoyed every bit of this rollicking movie that stars Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean, whom I loved in the movie "Rat Race.” In a church raffle, he wins a trip to the French Riviera and a camcorder whose footage becomes a key element in the finale. Thanks to Mr. Bean, a Russian film director is left at the station as the Eurostar train pulls off with his son. Further mishaps follow as Mr. Bean and the son head south to the Cannes Film Festival.
 
The movie is great family entertainment, perfect for kids. I enjoyed Atkinson's funny acts as he forgets his money and passport at a pay phone, walks through the traffic mindless of the chaos, and reads his lucky draw ticket number upside down as 616 instead of 919. I also felt a personal connection to the movie, a nostalgia of my travel to Paris and my soujourn on the train from Gare de Lyon.    .
 
The DVD extra features include several deleted scenes. In one of them, Mr. Beans faces language problem in a foreign land and tries to communicate by making gestures.  They were funny but worth deleting. Commentaries feature Simon Mc Burney talking about the making of the movie and Max Baldry, Emma de Caunes, Steve Bendelack talking about Rowan Atkinson as a person, performer and co-star.

9 out of 10 binkies

Meenu Gupta is a reader, contributor and member of Mothering Heights. Her other works can be found at Indian Currents. She lives in California with her two year old son and husband.

THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM-SEASON ONE

Directed by Rob Schrab
Starring Sarah Silverman, Laura Silverman, Brian Posehn
Written by Sarah Silverman, Rob Schrab, Dan Harmon
Releasing Company: Comedy Central through Paramount
Price: $16.99 (Amazon.com)

Reviewed by: Mary Anne O’Connell

Well, this is definitely not a show for the whole family. My first exposure to Sarah Silverman was in the movie School of Rock. I really liked her character and thought she was very funny. Then I heard her on The Howard Stern Show where I experienced the “real Sarah.” She has a cute innocent voice and says what’s on her mind in a raw and twisted way. Her comedy includes poopie jokes and ethnic insults, which I must say, can be really funny at times but can also be extremely offensive. So when Comedy Central announced she was having her own show I was excited to watch.

The first season is a great introduction to Sarah to any of you “Silverman newbies” out there. The beginning of each show has a quick slideshow presentation that sums up her life and the various people in it. And she loves to sing – which can be annoying! She will just break into song in the middle of an episode! Anyway, Sarah plays a self-absorbed, immature, unemployed woman, who lives with her younger sister Laura (who is her older sister in real life), both of their parents died when they were young, and she has a dog name Doug which she confides it at the end of each show. Sarah also has two gay friends/neighbors (“gaybors” as she calls them) Steve and Brian, who appear in every episode and are a great addition to the cast and story line. The four characters hang out as a group and meet at a coffee shop. (Reminiscent of the Seinfield group).

In my opinion, the first and third episodes were pretty funny. In Episode One, Officer Jay, Sarah buys some cough syrup that she samples first in the drugstore (something I’ve always wanted to do!), and then begins hallucinating (the animation was a cross between My Little Ponies and Pee-Wee’s Playhouse). She gets behind the wheel of her car and winds up parked at a children’s playground and later crashes into a tree. Laura (Sarah’s sister) ends up dating Officer Jay who then becomes part of the permanent cast. 

In Episode Three, Positively Negative, Sarah thinks she is dying of AIDS because she has a bad case of the “blahs.” While getting her blood drawn, the question and answer dialogue that goes on between her and the nurse is hilarious! Example: the nurse questioned her about getting a blood transfusion in the ‘80’s and Sarah thought she said “…in Haiti.” And then, of course, more Silverman singing!

To sum up, The Sarah Silverman Program is funny enough to recommend if you get her sense of humor, but still not appropriate to watch with my kids who are 12 and 15. If it’s on, I may watch it, but I definitely won’t be hooked on it the way I am with Curb Your Enthusiasm.

DVD Extras: Five of the episodes have a cast-commentary option. They are really fun and worth watching after you’ve seen the episode. There are also 13 songs from Sarah’s Comedy Central stand-up show and three animated shorts and a sing-a-long section (skip that!). 

7 out of 10 binkies.

Mary Anne O’Connell is a part-time stay-at-home Mom and part-time Nurse. She was born in Chicago, Illinois. B.K. (before kids) she enjoyed a part-time gig at improv at ETC (Second City) and hopes to return to it A.K. (after kids)…now what to do with the husband…hmm….

FUNNY FACE

Starring: Audrey Hepburn

I am feeling better thanks to chicken soup and Wedding Crashers--nothing like a good laugh to heal the mind, body and soul connection.

Tonight, my girls and I had soo much fun watching the new release of Funny Face.  Audrey Hepburn is such a vision to watch.  She just makes me smile. And I saw that she makes my girls smile, too.

A must see for the family. 

And it took this viewing for me to realize how much The Devil Wears Prada ripped on Funny Face!