The Best Bits of Mr. Bean

Director: Paul Weiland, John Birkin, John Howard Davies
Studio: Polygram Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

For the newcomer or die-hard fan, this greatest-hits collection includes snippets from several Bean masterpieces. Among the 10 or so generous clips are Bean's extraordinary difficulties getting out of a parking garage without his pass, his "twit dance" alongside a street musician (okay, a musician at a tube stop), his problems keeping awake at church, and his greatest, uh, triumph in preparing to meet the queen with his fly open. Essential comedy and exceptionally funny. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

The Real Deal!.......2007-06-29

"The Best Bits of Mr. Bean" is the real deal, as far as Bean "best-ofs" are concerned. A&E's "Best of Mr. Bean" is simply a combination of four episodes that, yes, are just about the funniest in some cases, with bonus features (The Story of Bean documentary, etc.) that you can already get with the complete series DVD, which is much more worthy of your cash (I haven't actually viewed the DVD but looking at in a Barnes and Noble store has confirmed for me that even for the diehard fan type, it's really not worth it.) This, on the other hand, offers an original and entertaining plot (Bean searching for an umbrella and messing about in the attic) around which to base flashbacks to some of the funniest and most well-known "bits" from the series, as Bean finds reminders of those skits packed away in his attic (i.e. a hymnnal reminding of the time he fell asleep in church.) Bean (Rowan Atkinson), and Teddy actually appear to give us some new material between flashbacks that big fans will want to have. (Also bare in mind that Rowan Atkinson himself was involved personally with this compilation and presumably gave it final approval; almost certainly A&E's chash-in, I mean compilation, was done without an real involvement of Atkinson.)
As for the skits themselves, no they are not full episodes ( and really I can't imagine that anyone who really looked at the DVD, or product details on Amazon, before making the purchase would expect this to be 11 full-length episodes, and anyway with only fourteen total episodes EVER produced, 11 would be such a majority that simply releasing the full series from the start would be a better business idea.) However, there is plenty of funny stuff here: Bean's frenzied rush the morning of his dentist appointment and the actual appointiment that follows this are unquestionably Bean classics, as are the segments in which he drives his mini ( that's what his car is called) from an armchair atop the roof, gets a Christmas turkey stuck on his head, falls asleep in church, and has his mini accidentally crushed by an army tank. Of course the exam sketch is the all-important ( and all-hilarious) first-ever Bean sketch, and the Royal Lineup, while hilarious is one Mr. Bean's more adult-suited bits. The rest (the high-dive, parking garage, holiday packing, and street-performing sketches) are still funny but in many cases, simply not classics at the level of the stuck turkey, and the armchair-mini driving.

Still, between the new gags with Teddy and Bean in the attic ( this really is a fun, creative plot idea, at least in comparison to the flashback episodes on many other TV series), and all the classic funnies, this is worth it, mainly for the serious collecto, but it's also the type of thing that's good for parties, if you want to give "unexposed" friends a light start on Bean, or if you just want the classics. I would also recomend that those just starting on Bean who aren't sure where to go, or are just coming off of the first movie try to find this, possibly at the library or video rental, since the chances of finding it to buy are slim, (it's apparently, and shamefully, out-of-print), and there's a good chance you'll be happy enough with the complete series DVD, after seeing this once or twice. In sum, this is a nice beginners DVD, as it contains bits from almost all points of the show's run (the final year or two are sadly missing, and I for one, feel that that the golfing and insomnia sketches from about that time would be strong contenders); it's also a nice buy for the collector or experienced fan, in order to get both the original material presented here, and to have all the MAJOR classics on one DVD. Either way, as a fan the final score is definite:5/5!

Hilarious Movie.......2006-05-09

This movie is very funny.This is vintage Rowan Atkinson, true comedy genius. This is as good as it gets.

I recommended it to all people with a sense of humour.

Hysterical, Just Not The Full Episodes.......2005-11-23

If you want the entire story of each featured on here, then you'll be disappointed. If you want some of the funniest scenes of the series, then this is the place! And there are a lot of funny stuff on here. This is the Best of Bean. My personal favorite story is when Mr. Bean can't stay awake in church. This is a great introduction to Bean for those who have never watched an episode, for old fans like me, you get the best highlights of the series but just don't expect to get the entire episode.

Overall great to get, especially if you don't mind not having the entire story

Almost perfect.......2005-11-03

One thing that impresses me about this DVD is that Mr. Bean is played by Rowan Atkinson, whom I was named after.

In this DVD, it is a rainy day, and Mr. Bean thinks it is good weather for feeding the ducks. First, he has to find umbrellas for him and his teddy. He finds his teddy's umbrella with no problems, but when his umbrella breaks, now he has to find a new one. Along the way, he comes across reminders of many of his past experiences.

To make a long review short, Mr. Bean does some silly stuff (getting dressed in his car, sliding down an elephant slide at the pool, fitting everything into a small suitcase, etc) in these episodes:

Mr. Bean at the dentist (5 Stars)
Mr. Bean helps a street performer (3.5 Stars)
Mr. Bean's Christmas (5 Stars)
Mr. Bean on the high dive (5 Stars)
Mr. Bean in a parking garage (5 Stars)
Mr. Bean packs for his holiday (5 Stars)
Mr. Bean's armchair drive (5 Stars)
Mr. Bean falls asleep in church (2.5 Stars)
Mr. Bean meets the queen (2.5 Stars)
Mr. Bean takes an exam (2.5 Stars)
Mr. Bean's car is destroyed (4 Stars)

Overall, 4 stars because the church, exam and queen episodes weren't that funny to me. Despite this, I still think this DVD is worth watching!

sooooooooo funny. 16th april 2004........2004-04-17

The reason i loved this is because it shows you different parts off different tapes of mr bean. He makes me laugh he is great.

Average customer rating:

The Real Deal!
Hilarious Movie
Hysterical, Just Not The Full Episodes
Almost perfect
sooooooooo funny. 16th april 2004.

The Best Bits of Mr. Bean
Starring: Rowan Atkinson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Slapstick | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

7-9 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

10-12 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Family Films | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Amazing Adventures of Mr. Bean
Mr Bean 5
The Exciting Escapades of Mr. Bean
The Final Frolics of Mr. Bean
The Terrible Tales of Mr. Bean

ASIN: B00000K32E
Release Date: 1999-11-23

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

The Real Deal!.......2007-06-29

Hilarious Movie.......2006-05-09

This movie is very funny.This is vintage Rowan Atkinson, true comedy genius. This is as good as it gets.

I recommended it to all people with a sense of humour.

Hysterical, Just Not The Full Episodes.......2005-11-23

Almost perfect.......2005-11-03

sooooooooo funny. 16th april 2004........2004-04-17

The reason i loved this is because it shows you different parts off different tapes of mr bean. He makes me laugh he is great.

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