As I am a huge fan of the "Mr. Bean" live-action series, I was excited to see a new Bean feature film as it has been 10 years since we last saw Bean on the big screen. Unfortunately, the new sequel titled "Mr. Bean's Holiday" was not at all worth the 10 year wait.

The story: Bean wins a video camera and a trip to the French Riveria, but his trip ends up taking a slight detour as he helps a young child find his father. For those accustomed to the grumpy, accident-prone, Teddy-loving Bean, you'll be sad to learn that THAT Bean is nowhere to be found here. Instead, Bean has become a watered down kind-hearted hero. Clearly screenwriters Hamish McColl and Robin Driscoll have lost sight of what made Bean appealing to begin with and instead put the character into a family film in which Bean has a kid tagging along with him on his journey. As if that weren't disgraceful enough, the story is completely flimsy and feels made up on the spot. I don't know about other viewers, but I certainly did not wait 10 years to watch Bean chasing a floating ticket or having him constantly fiddle with a video camera while making goofy faces. The only remotely funny portion of the film is the end sequence at Cannes. The phony pretentious/artsy Willem Dafoe film "Playback Time" is hilarious and is more creative than any Bean gag.

The 1.85:1 widescreen picture has a few spots of grain and could have used sharper colors, but generally the print is very clear. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 track is adequate enough since the movie is relatively quiet as Bean doesn't talk TOO often.

* Previews for "Veggie Tales: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything," and "The Land Before Time- The Wisdom Of Friends." * "French Beans" is an 11 1/2 minute featurette about Bean's character and why the story was set in France. * "The Human Bean" is a 6 minute feature on actor Rowan Atkinson. * "Beans In Cannes" (5:48) talks about how they shot at the real Cannes. * 17 weak deleted scenes (running nearly 24 minutes) that mostly consist of Bean walking around with his camera. Note: Many scenes are without subtitles and are done with green screen.

Don't embark on "Mr. Bean's Holiday" and watch the Bean television series instead. You'll be glad you did.