Bean *** (1997, Rowan Atkinson, Peter MacNicol, John Mills, Burt Reynolds, Johnny Galecki, Pamela Reed, Harris Yulin, Larry Drake, Peter Capaldi) – Classic Movie Review 791

Rowan Atkinson scored a super-sized hit in 1997 with this nutty, big-hearted big-screen version of his popular TV show (1990-95). It cost $22million and grossed $182million worldwide, though only $45million of that was in the US. In the UK, it was a smash, taking £18million. Bean is amusingly directed by Atkinson’s old comedy pal from TV’s Not the Nine O’Clock News (1979-82), Mel Smith.

In what was advertised, rather ambiguously, as ‘the ultimate disaster movie’, the idiotically trouble-prone Mr Bean is sent by his employers, London’s National Gallery, to Los Angeles, where he is to look after the famous painting, Whistler’s Mother. Bean naturally creates havoc on the plane, at LA airport, and later for his long-suffering American gallery curator host David Langley (Peter MacNicol).

Though it’s clearly tailored for the U.S. market, this unsophisticated and patchy but wacky and often funny big-screen outing for the gormless Bean should still have enough laughs to please all fans of the original British TV series.

The droll Atkinson’s performance is full of beans and, though some of the jokes are frankly crude and weak (‘Mr Bean, are you on any kind of medication?’ ‘Not that I know of’), the script is still able to find more than 57 varieties of fun and laughs. Richard Curtis provides the screenplay, along with Robin Driscoll.

Somehow, you don’t expect to see Burt Reynolds (as General Newton), Sir John Mills (the chairman), Johnny Galecki (as Stingo Wheelie!), Pamela Reed, Harris Yulin, Larry Drake and Peter Capaldi (the future Doctor Who, playing Gareth) in these circumstances. But for better or for worse here they are. MacNicol is a good foil for Bean.

Mr Bean’s Holiday followed in 2007.

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The beloved English actor Sir John Mills  died on 23 April 2005, aged 97.

The popular English funnyman Mel Smith died on July 19 2013, aged 60.

Larry Drake, best known for his Emmy-winning role in L.A. Law and Dark Man (1990), died on 17 March 2016, aged 67.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 791

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