One of the rarest things to find in cinema today is a movie that you can sit down and watch with your parents, your children, your best friends, and your minister, and laugh and laugh without feeling silly, guilty, or awkward in the company you keep. One such rarity is the latest release starring Rowan Atkinson (Rat Race, Scooby Doo) and his beloved fop, Mr. Bean -- Mr. Bean's Holiday.

This G-rated comic adventure film follows the popular British goofball throughout Europe as he travels to Cannes to claim a free trip he won in a raffle. If you've seen the first Bean movie or any of the small-screen episodes that spawned it, you automatically know that the journey is not without incident.

Along his travels, he unwittingly separates a young boy from his father and must spend the rest of the movie trying reunite the family. In the process, he runs afoul of a narcissistic American director and a fancy French waiter.

While the lack of dialogue does make the movie seem quieter than most -- surprising for a Bean flick -- the movie is not all slapstick and visual gags. Some of the funnier moments come in the language barriers between the British Bean, the Russian boy and his father, and the myriad of French people who weave in and out of the story. For someone of remarkably few words, Mr. Bean sure does understand at least pieces (although the wrong pieces, sometimes) of a handful of languages.

The DVD is also lots of fun, adding all supporting extras one would hope to see featuring the homely, rubber-faced Mr. Bean. After the credits roll, stick around for more than 22 minutes of deleted scenes and a special featurette showing Atkinson's approach to the character. Other behind-the-scenes featurettes include a documentary on the Cannes Film Festival and a look at location scouting through the French countryside.

So as you settle down by the fireplace, get cozy with the family and loved ones under a blanket, pop the corn, and bask in the glow of the television, remember to pop in one movie that will delight and enthrall everyone without apology -- Mr. Bean's Holiday. It's sure to be a warm night when you need a break from the Christmas socializing and shopping.
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