'Mr. Bean's Holiday,' 'The Nanny Diaries' beat the heat

Some people refer to August as the "Dog Days of Summer." The motion picture industry refers to it as "Movie Dump Month." The summers blockbusters have run their course, fall Oscar contenders are on the horizon and movies that fall somewhere in the middle are, well, dumped onto local screens. August is often the kiss of death in Movieland.Two such movies have just been dumped ... er, released ... and may offer some relief, however slight, from the August heat and doldrums.First, "Mr. Bean's Holiday," recounts the latest misadventures of Rowan Atkinson's peculiarly English and rather silly title character. This time Bean, tired of the soggy London weather (after all it's June), wins a raffle for a vacation on the sunny beaches of the French Riviera. Armed with a camcorder, the genially oblivious, usually mute misfit sets out on his European holiday - only to bumble into a series of mishaps and fortuitous circumstances - that seem designed to either land him in the pokey or make him the darling of the Cannes Film Festival.Atkinson's amazing physical moves and pratfalls offer a welcome departure from his HBO series and previous Mr. Bean movie, where the character was often grating rather than disarming. With a nod to silent movie greats Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton, as well Jacques Tati's 1953 French classic "Mr. Hulot's Holiday," this is a kinder, gentler Bean. Emma de Caunes as an aspiring actress and Max Baldry as the son of a Romanian film director offer engaging supporting performances, and Willem Dafoe turns in a surprisingly funny turn as an egocentric director. But it is Atkinson as the loveable wanderer who provides the glue that holds this piece together.Not a great film, think of "Mr. Bean's Holiday" as a sorbet on a hot summer evening: a nice holiday outing with a little something for the whole family. Bon appetit.On screen number two is "The Nanny Diaries," starring Scarlett Johansson and Laura Linney, the film adaptation of the best selling roman à clef co-written by former nannies, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.Fresh from her college graduation, New Jersey native and anthropology major Annie Braddock (Johansson) travels to Manhattan to interview for her first job in the corporate world. Mid-interview, Annie realizes she hasn't a clue as to who she really is or what she really wants to do with her life. During a soul-searching walk through Central Park, the young woman rescues a toddler, and - when the child's socialite mother "Mrs. X" (Linney) mistakes "Annie" for "Nanny" - a new job presents itself.Viewing the situation as an Anthropological Study of Upper East Side Manhattan Socialites, Annie takes the gig, and must deal with a mother who spends more time planning charity events than tending to her family, a philandering father and an unruly and neglected child. Comparisons to "The Devil Wears Prada" are inevitable; both books were biting satires of their respective cultures, a tone the film version of "Prada" managed nicely. "The Nanny Diaries" never quite finds its edge, (and let's face it, Laura Linney is no Meryl Streep) though the film features several charming moments. A red umbrella floats down and lifts Annie up over the city a la "Mary Poppins" while "Chim Chim Cheree" plays in the background, and inside the Museum of Natural History there are some truly remarkable dioramas that, instead of showing just our ancestors, pointedly show our modern culture. Scarlett Johansson does her best to hide her glamorous beauty under a mousy brown exterior, and her performance is fine, though far from her best. Linney looks and dresses the part of an upper crust matron, but never quite manages to become the villainess she portrays, and Paul Giamatti is just plain creepy as the totally unsympathetic absentee father. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keyes is noteworthy in her too few scenes.Despite its flaws, "The Nanny Diaries" is an engaging bit of fluff. Take a break from the yard work and view it at a bargain matinee with a cool beverage at your side.