Rating: 
Summary: Refried Bean
Review: Unfortunately, the producers of this DVD set decided to refry (edit) classic television in order to save a few pennies - to keep this set down to three DVDs, rather than four. Yet, they included a promo for the animated series? Shameless. For this reason, I can give the set no more than four stars. Curiously, I must also mention that the labeling on the DVDs is incorrect. The last episode listed on the back of the case for Disc 1 is actually the first episode on Disc 2. Also, what the case says should be Disc 2's first episode is actually Disc 1's last. Shoddy production work - but not necessarily worth a rating reduction. But, that said, Mr. Bean is still wonderfully funny, and I have found the DVDs to be wildly entertaining. My six year old daughter is now a big fan, and I was amazed at how much my three year old enjoyed Rowan Atkinson's physical comedy. Mr. Bean is good, clean "G" rated fun that the whole family can enjoy. This set is a far better alternative to the single disc "highlights" DVD that had been available before. Having watched the entire set, I do feel satisfied with my purchase. However, I would have been very willing to pay more for a fourth DVD in the set, so that ALL of Mr. Bean's priceless routines could be enjoyed in their original state.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't blame A&E
Review: When I first knew about "The Complete Bean", I was waiting for the new DVD to come. As I read the reviews I was complete disappointed and promised myself to wait until a really whole version of the videos was published. After a couple of months, I read again all the reviews and among the new ones I found, for my surprise, that I 'd never seen the scenes other reviewers claimed to be deleted. I went to the VHS I recorded in 1994-1995 from air TV in my country (Uruguay), and those scenes weren't there at this time. As an example, in "Do it yourself...", as Bean enters the store, it appears the title "end of part one", and at the return of commercials, the title "part two" appears as he's going out of the store. There is no "armchair buy scene". Same for the "turkey weigh". As here we speak Spanish, the titles (in English) weren't from local TV, so I must think that the "deleted scenes" were cut-off originally in England. As I said, that was in 1994-1995, so there's no doubt that A&E has nothing to do with it, and the version that says that Rowan wants the videos to be seen that way is completely true.
Said so, I think if I can buy the DVDs with all I've seen on TV plus extra scenes, the collection deserves a 5.
The only thing I think is that those deleted scenes should be included among the extras.
Rating:
Summary: The quiet Brit...
Review: What i like about Mr. Bean is it's done with almost no dialogue. It's a bit like the old silent comedy stuff by Chaplin or Keaton. This set includes all 14 episodes of the show and some coll bonuses, like scenes from Atkinson's comedy sketches and interviews with Ben Elton and Richard Curtis. My favorite episodes are the one where he golfs all over town (Tee Off, Mr. Bean) and the one where he rides on top of his car in an armchair (Do-It-Yourself, Mr. Bean).
Rating: 
Summary: The EDITED bits of Mr. Bean
Review: This DVD set which proclaims itself to be the "whole" Bean isn't quite what it appears to be. While it does contain, in essence, all 14 episodes of the classic series, many of the episodes are slightly or even significantly EDITED. Two glaring examples are: in "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean," the scene of Mr. Bean winning the turkey by guessing it's weight, then throwing it in the back of his car has been CUT. It is NOT here. In "Do-it-Yourself, Mr. Bean," the entire 4-5 minute scene of Bean inside Harrod's trying to take the sale chair away from the old people who get there first has also been CUT. He goes inside... and comes back out with the chair. There is NO scene inside. I would hardly call this the WHOLE Bean. Many other minor segments of him driving have also been cut. All in all, each episode now runs 24-25 minutes instead of the general 27 to 30 minutes. It's a real shame that this set couldn't have been done right, even if it took a fourth disc to do it. I will miss those little moments that are now apparently lost forever. However, what we are left with, edited or not, is still a nice collection... thus, I have to at least give it 3 stars despite my disappointment at it not being truly COMPLETE. I really doubt we will ever see a special "uncut" release, so go ahead and add this set to your collection. The picture's better than ever and the special features are nice but a wee bit minimal. Enough complaining, it's still the best show around... even with his bits and pieces removed.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the best "silent" comedy of all time.
Review: Though "Blackadder" is, in my opinion, his best series, "Mr. Bean" is ultimately what put Rowan Atkinson on the map. The story of a bumbling, almost mute loner getting through life might not sound overly exciting, but it is made hilarious by outrageous situations and Rowan Atkinson's priceless delivery. Newly released, this 3 DVD set has all of the episodes, and some decent extras. Anyone who purchased the VHS tapes when they were made available (circa 1995) would know that the episode "Hair by Mr. Bean of London" was not televised. It is included here. As well, all the episodes that we know and love are here to enjoy. My favorite episodes are "Mr. Bean in Room 426" (where he stays at a resort hotel), "Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean" (where is drives his car while sitting in an armchair on the roof), and "Back to School Mr. Bean" (where he gets the wrong pair of trousers and steals them back). All of the episodes are funny in their own way, but some definitely stand out. Similar to most comedy shows, the jokes will dull with repeat viewing. Most of these episodes I have seen many times, so I don't laugh quite as hard as I used to. But I could watch Rowan Atkinson in anything, and I think he rivals any comedian around. I enjoy him more when he plays more speaking parts, because he's very well spoken and funny on a more intellectual level, but Mr. Bean is for the more slapstick comedy fan. The DVD package has some nice extras. The big attraction is a 40 minute documentary called "The Story of Bean", which is actually the story of Rowan Atkinson. It has interviews with Atkinson himself, his past collaborators (writer Ben Elton, actors Angus Deayton and Helen Atkinson-Wood), and it also includes information tidbits on how he started out in comedy, how he develops his characters, and so on. It is very entertaining. They have also included two sketches from UK comedy relief, where Mr. Bean goes on a dating show (hilarious!) and where he caused trouble at an ice skating show (also very funny). There are also two Mr. Bean sketches that have never seen the light of day, and they are both very funny. Happy as I was with what was included, I couldn't help but be disappointed by what they didn't include in this set. There is no commentary, which would have been good since there is no dialogue in the episodes and the commentary (especially from Atkinson) would be fun. Also, they didn't include any of Atkinson's wonderful standup comedy bits. I would have loved it if they could have included "Rowan Atkinson Live" in this package, to give Mr. Bean fans a chance to see some of his better work. But you can't always have your cake and eat it too, so I am content overall with this DVD package.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT COMPLETE!!!
Review: The title of this set is a lie. It's not the WHOLE Mr. Bean. Some really great scenes have been edited out. I give this a 2 because it's really a disappointment that they cut the scenes down so much. One example is when he goes into the store to buy the chair. They totally cut that scene out.
Rating:
Summary: That's the last time I buy A&E...
Review: I've been a fool. When I went to the store to buy this set, I bought it despite the prominent A&E logo. There was a little birdie on my shoulder that told me I should read the Amazon reviews before making the purchase. However, I thought maybe A&E had learned their lesson after the Monty Python debacle, where they used the cut and censored BBC tapes from the '60s and '70s for the Flying Circus DVD set (to much outrage from loyal fans). It appears they have not. So I'm now a disgruntled owner of the chopped-up Mr. Bean, and am kicking myself squarely in the face for it. I own the box sets of Are You Being Served, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, Keeping Up Appearances and The Young Ones, all from BBC Video. The packaging on each is superb. The video transfers are breathtaking, the episodes are faithful to their original broadcasts, and there are enough special features to choke a mollusk. Outtakes, interviews, episodes of related shows and commentary... it's all there with the BBC, and gives new depth to each beloved show. A&E uses that extra disc space to advertise their other products (though to be fair, the extras on the Bean box set were leaps and bounds over what they've done in the past). When all is said and done, I'm left to ponder if A&E is lacking in the quality assurance department, or if they just don't care. Bean may not have been a BBC show, but A&E should look to any BBC Video release to see how to handle all future BritCom projects they plan to undertake. It actually pains me to give this box set four stars - Mr. Bean is a shoo-in for a five-star review if ever there was one - but sadly, A&E's hackjob demands it.
Rating:
Summary: Great for an American fan.
Review: As an American fan, I never actually saw Mr. Bean as aired in sequence. I had only seen repeats. This is an excellent collection for me (and anyone else) since I had little memory of the episodes and had only seen very few of them. Although I'm positive the collection could have been made better, I'm still very happy with it. Afterall, it's Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) and I'll take anything.
Rating:
Summary: Good for some things, not for eveyone.
Review: I like TALKY comedy, like Rown Atkinson in the BlackAdder series. As an adult, I was a tiny bit bored by the purely adolescent comedy and lack of dialogue in "Mr. Bean", and hated the MOVIE (not the TV series). However, this series is a great choice FOR adolescents. I personally use it as a conversation-starter for my "English as a Second Language" kids' classes, and for that, it is incomparably good. The lack of dialogue means that there's no intereference in foreign kids' understanding...and no sounds to get in the way as the kids explain the action onscreen. If, by chance, you've got small kids or are teaching any language or conversation skills to kids, this is a must-have.
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Idiot
Review: Rowan Atkinson is the perfect idiot...always trying to get over, but somehow innocent. I highly recommend this set to everyone. Good for lotsa laughs.Enjoy!
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