Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Childlike Englishman, Mr. Bean, is an incompetent watchman at the Royal National Gallery. After the museum's board of directors' attempt to have him fired is blocked by the chairman, who has taken a liking to Bean, they send him to Los Angeles to act as their ambassador for the unveiling of a historic painting to humiliate him. Fooled, Mr. Bean must now successfully unveil the painting or risk his and a hapless Los Angeles curator's termination.
Bean is a straightforward expansion of Rowan Atkinson's beloved TV character onto the big screen, with a thin fish-out-of-water plot that serves primarily as a vehicle for physical comedy set pieces. The plotting is functional but formulaic — a series of escalating disasters loosely strung together. Atkinson's physical comedy is genuinely exceptional and elevates the acting category, though supporting performances are serviceable at best. Cinematography is workmanlike, suited to broad comedy without any particular visual ambition. Novelty is moderate — while the film doesn't reinvent anything, Mr. Bean as a character remains a singularly peculiar comedic creation, and transplanting him to LA gives the character a fresh context. The ending, involving the botched Whistler's Mother reveal and subsequent resolution, delivers a satisfying comedic payoff that stays true to the character, though it's somewhat predictable.