For those of you who have never
heard of Rowan Atkinson, I apologize. You’ve truly been missing out.
The first thing I ever saw of Rowan
Atkinson’s work was “Mr. Bean”, and I instantly loved the set-up. The show is
largely sit-com-like, based on confrontation or misadventures Atkinson’s
character, Mr. Bean, stumbles across. The character is almost entirely played
through physical comedy, and some sketches include perhaps one line, coming
from the character opposite Mr. Bean. When I first started watching this show,
I was amazed how much Atkinson could portray in simple movements. I would
certainly say that the sketches are fairly ridiculous, but they never cease to
amaze me. Atkinson went on to make two feature length films out of his
character, the latter being fairly recent. However, I would suggest if you’re
looking to see the best of Mr. Bean to watch the original TV series, or the
first movie. I wasn’t to keen on the second.
As much as I love Mr. Bean, I’m equally
impressed by Atkinson’s work in more conventional comedies. “The Black Adder”
was a British comedy series that ran through most of 80s, based around Atkinson’s
pretentious, often obnoxious character, Edmund Blackadder. Naturally, Atkinson
is absolutely hilarious, but I have to say this is one of the best sit-coms you
can watch if you’re interested in good, classic, comedic writing. It’s just straight
up funny. A fun fact, Hugh Laurie appeared in a handful of “Black Adder” series
as an idiotic King George the IV to whom Atkinson’s character is a butler.
If this hasn’t sold you on Atkinson
so far, I’m sure this will get you. Anyone remember the movie “Rat Race”? If
so, you’ll remember Atkinson as the narcoleptic foreign man that nearly won the
entire game. This movie is a classic my book, and it never fails to crack me up
no matter how many times I watch.
Finally, if you’re already a fan of
Atkinson and want to see more, I would suggest watching “Johnny English”. It’s
a kind of farcical take on James Bond films. I would also suggest “Keeping Mum”.
In this one, Atkinson’s plays a far more dramatic role, and I think he manages
to do a fantastic job.
Though I have not seen that many of Atkinsons's movies or shows, the ones that I have seen are pretty hilarious. The one that immediately comes to mind for me is Rat Race which you mentioned above. Rat Race is a great movie. I agree with you in that it is always funny no matter how many I watch it. Atkinson's role in this movie is hilarious. Everytime he talks, you're bound to hear something funny. When he says "It's a race, it's a race. I hope I win" early on in the movie, I crack up every time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw who you were posting on this week, I thought I had no idea who he was. The name is completely unfamiliar to me, though I do remember his face from a trailer for a Mr. Bean movie. I don't think I've ever actually seen anything you mentioned he's been in. Now that I know some of the good stuff he has done, I might just take a look.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to say this but I absolutely hate this guy. I thick he is ugly, cheesy, and stupid. I'm not a big fan at all of those comedies like Mr. Bean so maybe that is why, but he still fails to attract my liking. I may be biased because that is the only movie I have seen of his, but nevertheless he didn't catch my interest.
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