Mr. Bean’s Holiday (2007) — PICK
The Water Horse (2007) — PICK
Wonder (2017) — PICK
Whatever streaming service you prefer, there’s decent family fare worth checking out this month.
Amazon Prime subscribers can enjoy Mr. Bean’s Holiday, a delightfully goofy G-rated excursion into the world of Rowan Atkinson’s signature character at his most whimsical. As usual, Bean inadvertently wreaks havoc everywhere he goes, but with the perfect timing and conceptual wit of Charlie Chaplin or Jacques Tati.
Netflix subscribers should check out The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, Jay Russell’s Scottish-set fantasy based on the novel by Babe author Dick King-Smith, about a young boy named Angus who discovers a mysterious egg that hatches a mythical creature that becomes the Loch Ness monster. For Hulu subscribers, there’s Wonder, Stephen Chbosky’s uplifting adaptation of R.J. Palacio’s novel about a sensitive young boy named Auggie with a rare facial deformity, starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson as his caring parents. Varying points of view make a potentially sappy story something richer and more satisfying.
Caveat Spectator: Mr. Bean’s Holiday: Slapstick violence; brief potty humor; mild peril. The Water Horse: Mild action and peril; fleeting cursing and mild language. Wonder: Mild depictions of bullying and menace; a profanity and mild rude language. All fine family viewing.