In yesterday’s Globe and Mail, columnist Gayle MacDonald pondered the question of why Canadians love Mr. Bean so much. The new movie, Mr. Bean’s Holiday, is drawing crowds of Canucks, but not so many Americans: on opening weekend, Mr. Bean’s Holiday captured almost 20 per cent of the box office in Canada, whereas in the States, the movie was number 4, earning just 5 per cent of the box office.

So what’s the deal? Do Canadians just get British humour more than Americans do? Or do we just have some kind of country-wide crush on Rowan Atkinson?

If you’re one of those Mr Bean loving Canadians, you might want to also check out the companion book, published by Bloomsbury UK: MR. BEAN’s DEFINITIVE AND EXTREMELY MARVELLOUS GUIDE TO FRANCE. Very modestly named, don’t you think?

Or, for younger fans, there’s MR. BEAN’S HOLIDAY ACTIVITY STICKER BOOK.

For more Mr. Bean fun, here are some links for you:

• Read the The Globe and Mail article on Mr Bean mania in Canada.
• Watch a video interview with Rowan Atkinson from the film’s premiere in Montreal earlier this month.
• Watch Just for Laughs’s video interview with Rowan Atkinson.

Were YOU one of the thousands of Canadians who saw Mr Bean’s Holiday on opening weekend? How was it? Is it as good as the original Mr Bean tv show? Let us know what you think about the Bean - and why Canucks love him so much…