Christmas on Disc: No Words Necessary

Tonight I watched Merry Christmas Mr. Bean and every time I watch it I love it. Hard to summarize, since there's no real plot to the show, but I can tell you some of the standout bits. It starts with Bean in a department store where he plays with the nativity scene. Best part of this, it isn't offensive at all and it just feels like a little kid playing with his toys. Then he conducts the Salvation Army band before finding a Christmas tree. Then we watch him prepare for Christmas Day by hanging stockings up for himself, his teddy bear and a mouse, all of this is after he mails his Christmas cards...to himself. Christmas morning he checks the stockings (his held the match so he could wear Christmas socks) and prepares to make, by my estimate, a 50 pound turkey for him and his girlfriend. After prying the turkey off his head (don't ask), Bean and his lady exchange gifts. Only one is happy.

This is perfect for the whole family to watch after Christmas dinner. Hardly a word is spoken and, let's face it, the appeal of Mr. Bean is that he's just a grown up six year old. Nothing blasphemous, no language, nothing even remotely off color. It really feels like Atkinson just saved up bits that were specific to Christmas until he had enough to do a whole show.

American audiences will recognize the head stuck in a turkey routine from the Bean movie (and EVERY commercial for it showed that scene), except this time it's funny. And while the astute among us will see the bad gift exchange coming a mile away, the second gift Bean gives her is just the icing on that cake.

I can't recommend this enough. If you'll be spending time with any little ones, get your hands on this. If not, then watch it whenever you get the chance. It's a perfect marriage of Christmas themes and Mr. Bean at his finest. My favorite bits, the nativity scene and Bean conducting the band are both in this clip. I'm sure you could find the other pieces to this if you were so inclined.