Directed by Mel Smith
Running Time: 1:31
If you've never seen the British television show, Bean, here's a quick idea of what he's like. According to the man who created and plays Bean (Rowan Atkinson), Bean is just a man with the mind of a 10 year old. Atkinson says that whenever he's in a certain situation, and he wants to know how Bean would react, he just thinks about what a 10 year old would do in that situation. This works well in a half-hour TV show, but not as well in a 90 minute movie. In Bean, Mr. Bean is chosen to go to the United States for the unveiling of the greatest painting ever painted by an American, Whistler's Mother. Bean is supposed to be a great art expert, when in fact he is no more than a security guard that everyone hates. Needless to say, things go very wrong when he gets to the States. Bean has little to do with plot, and more to do with Atkinson's amazing comic abilities. He's just funny to look at most of the time, and he has a great ability to make faces. But as I said earlier, it works well for 30 minutes at a shot, but becomes somewhat strained at 90 minutes. The big thing about Mr. Bean is that he doesn't talk much, it's all physical humor, and after a while it started getting on my nerves. There's only so many times I could hear him whine out an answer to a question. There are many funny scenes in the movie, don't get me wrong. But the highlight of the film for me is when he actually made a speech near the end of the movie. I know his character isn't supposed to speak that much, but I just think when you're the main character in a 90 minute movie, you kind of have to speak every so often. Bean is a funny movie at times, and a little slow at times, but enjoyable nonetheless. And remember to stay after the closing credits, there's a little more Bean for you to see.
