BEAN
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING: **1/2 OUT OF ****
United Kingdom, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 11/7/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:30 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Sexual innuendo, off-color comedy) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Peter MacNicol, Pamela Reed, Tricia Vessey, Andrew Lawrence, Harris Yulin, Sandra Oh, Tom McGowan, Burt Reynolds, Larry Drake Director: Mel Smith Producers: Peter Bennett-Jones, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan Screenplay: Richard Curtis and Robin Driscoll Cinematography: Francis Kenny Music: Howard Goodall U.S. Distributor: Gramercy Pictures
To viewers of Comedy Central and PBS, Rowan Atkinson is a familiar face. The British comedian, who is recognized around the world as one of today's funniest people, has starred in three popular "Brit-coms": NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS, BLACK ADDER, and MR. BEAN. It is the latter program, which became one of the highest-rated shows in Britain, that earned Atkinson international fame. Nevertheless, because the series is aimed at a niche market in the United States, Atkinson is still best known in this country for his roles in FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL (as the blundering priest who utters the benediction, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spigot") and THE TALL GUY (as the egotistical star of the stage show). With BEAN, Gramercy Pictures (and its parent company, Polygram) hopes to change that.
While BEAN branches out from the format developed for the television series, it remains faithful to the concepts and constructs that led to its success. Part of the reason for this is the involvement of screenwriters Richard Curtis and Robin Driscoll, who collaborated on most of the TV episodes. Director Mel Smith, who previously helmed THE TALL GUY, has known Atkinson and Curtis since 1979 when all three worked together on NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS. Meanwhile, Atkinson plays Mr. Bean exactly as he did on television: a mean-spirited, self-serving, infantile caricature with an endless capacity for causing disasters. Viewers of vintage films will recognize a little of Charlie Chaplin in Atkinson's portrayal. Younger fans will inevitably compare him to '90s pop icon Jim Carrey. Both Carrey and Atkinson share a fondness for screwball, physical comedy and possess the ability to contort their features into seemingly-impossible expressions, although Atkinson's apparently-reserved demeanor makes him seem funnier than Carrey.
There are three main changes from the television series. The first is a shift in location from England to Los Angeles. The second is giving the normally-silent title character a few more lines than usual. By his standards, Bean is positively loquacious here, making a speech, and, at one point, even being told to "be quiet." The third, which is a mistake, is attempting to develop the supporting characters beyond their natural roles as victims of Mr. Bean's blundering. It doesn't work. Those individuals, like the plot itself, are throwaways.
BEAN begins by giving Mr. Bean a job -- he holds an unspecified position at the London National Art Gallery. ("I sit in a corner and look at paintings" is how he describes it.) In order to get rid of him, the board of directors decides to send him on a mission to America. The California-based Grierson Gallery has just purchased the painting "Whistler's Mother" and is looking for a noted art historian to be present at the grand unveiling. When they write requesting an expert from the London Art Gallery, however, they don't expect to be visited by the seven plagues -- all in the form of one man. And, while Bean wreaks havoc all over Los Angeles, no one is more affected than David Langley (Peter MacNicol), the Grierson Gallery's curator. In only a few days, his wife, Alison (Pamela Reed), and two children have moved out, his house is a disaster area, and his job is on the line. And that's before Mr. Bean gets his hands on "Whistler's Mother."
Although BEAN contains a fair share of bathroom humor, flatulence jokes, and assorted gags featuring bodily fluids, not everything is lowbrow, and this is an aspect that differentiates it from the likes of ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE. The script contains instances of dry wit, such as detailing the merchandising plans of the Grierson Gallery for "Whistler's Mother" (it's reminiscent of the MY DINNER WITH ANDRE action figures from WAITING FOR GUFFMAN), and some biting dialogue (Bean's description of the painting's subject: "a hideous old bat who looks like she's got a cactus lodged up her backside").
This storyline is basically just a setup for a series of variably funny comedy skits. The episodic nature of the narrative leads to some hilarious sequences and a few dull patches. Overall, things seem a little stretched out, making it clear that a 30-minute TV slot is a better length for Mr. Bean than a 90-minute feature film. By the end of BEAN, the talented Atkinson begins to wear out his welcome, and the rest of the cast -- a predominantly lifeless group of actors -- offers little support. Despite several side-splitting scenes (Bean's bathroom antics, Bean in an amusement park, Bean stuffing a turkey, Bean examining "Whistler's Mother"), the comedy in the film is too uneven to justify the length. Thanks to Atkinson, BEAN is a pleasant diversion, but it's far from the comic masterpiece sought after by BEAN aficionados and novices alike.
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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