Bean (film)

Bean (film)
Company type	Film
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	1997
Founder	Rowan Atkinson, Richard Curtis, Robin Driscoll
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Comedy film

Bean—also titled Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie and Bean: The Movie, is a 1997 British comedy film helmed by director Mel Smith and penned by Richard Curtis alongside Robin Driscoll. This movie draws inspiration from the British sitcom Mr. Bean, which was originally created by Rowan Atkinson and Curtis. Atkinson reprises his iconic role as the titular character, supported by performances from Peter MacNicol, Pamela Reed, Harris Yulin, and Burt Reynolds. The storyline follows Bean, employed as a security guard at London's National Gallery, who is dispatched to the United States to attend the unveiling of the 1871 masterpiece Whistler's Mother by James Abbott McNeill Whistler.

The film debuted in Australia on 3 July 1997, followed by its UK release on 2 August 1997. Although critical reception was mixed, it achieved substantial box office success, earning $251.2 million globally against an $18 million production budget. A sequel, entitled Mr. Bean's Holiday, was released independently in 2007.

Plot

Mr. Bean serves as an awkward security guard at the National Gallery in London. Despite the board of directors’ disdain for his lack of diligence, their efforts to dismiss him are thwarted by the chairman’s support. Instead, they send him on a three-month leave to represent the gallery at a ceremony in Los Angeles celebrating the acquisition of Whistler's Mother by the Grierson Art Gallery.

David Langley, the curator of the gallery, welcomes Bean under the mistaken identity of "Dr. Bean," despite his family's initial misgivings. Bean’s presence soon leads to turmoil: he is arrested at the airport for simulating drawing a gun and causes damage to family belongings, prompting David’s wife Alison to leave with their children. Suspicious of Bean’s supposed art knowledge after further mishaps—including an arrest at an amusement park—David’s doubts grow.

When the painting arrives, Bean inadvertently harms it and attempts an unskilled restoration, replacing the face with a cartoon sketch. David fears losing his job and facing legal consequences but remains supportive despite his despair. To salvage David’s reputation, Bean substitutes the artwork with a life-sized poster treated to resemble the original, successfully deceiving attendees during the unveiling event.

Subsequently, when David’s daughter Jennifer endures a critical motorcycle accident, Bean is mistaken for a medical professional at the hospital. Inadvertently, he assists in saving Lieutenant Brutus—who had been shot—and revives Jennifer from unconsciousness. Surprised but thankful for Bean’s actions, David and Alison permit him to extend his stay for another week.

Having formed a connection with the Langley family, Bean returns home carrying photographs from his journey as well as secretly smuggling out the authentic painting, highlighting his unconventional yet significant contribution to this international art occasion.

Production

In November 1991, one year following the debut of the original Mr. Bean television series, Variety reported that 20th Century Fox was developing a film adaptation in collaboration with Tiger Television. This followed Fox's theatrical releases of two short films derived from series sketches: Mr. Bean Takes an Exam and Mr. Bean Goes to a Première. Ultimately, production was handled by UK-based Working Title Films alongside PolyGram Filmed Entertainment under Gramercy Pictures branding.

Removed and alternative scenes

The North American version includes an extra sequence in which David advises Mr. Bean to fill the turkey as a diversion tactic during the Griersons' dinner party. After losing his watch inside the bird, Bean ends up with his head trapped inside the turkey—a comedic bit previously seen in Merry Christmas Mr. Bean—and blindly stumbles around.

Conversely, the international cut excludes this turkey gag but features two different scenes: Bean discovers frankfurters and an onion in the fridge, then places the turkey in the microwave, proposing to cook it for 20 minutes instead of several hours, which results in an explosion.

Rowan Atkinson revealed in the documentary Bean Scenes Unseen that these variations were due to differing audience reactions during test screenings in North America versus other regions.

Music

The film’s score was composed and conducted by Howard Goodall, who also crafted the original music for the Mr. Bean television series, although the original theme tune was not utilized. The soundtrack contains cover tracks like Wet Wet Wet’s rendition of the Beatles' "Yesterday," OMC’s version of "I Love L.A." (distinct from Randy Newman’s original used elsewhere), and Alice Cooper’s "Elected" performed by Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson. This last song incorporates audio clips of Mr. Bean’s election pledges and was previously featured in Comic Relief 1992.

Boyzone released "Picture of You" as a single tied to the movie.

Box office

Bean launched in Australia on 3 July 1997, earning $3.1 million from 193 screens with an average of $16,062 per theater, securing the number one position for that weekend and maintaining it for a second week. In the UK, it premiered on 8 August 1997 across 345 locations, generating £2.56 million ($4.0 million) and ranking second behind Men in Black. This performance set a new record for the highest opening weekend gross for a British production, surpassing Four Weddings and a Funeral. In Germany, Bean topped box office charts with 12.3 million Deutsche Mark ($6.8 million) from 682 screens, outperforming The Fifth Element, and stayed at number one for another week.

The film became the quickest UK production to reach $100 million globally prior to its US debut. When it opened in Canada on 17 October 1997 across 242 theaters, it grossed $2.26 million with a $9,319 per-theater average, placing tenth at the combined US-Canada box office—a milestone for a Canadian-exclusive release.

In the United States, Bean premiered on 7 November 1997 in 1,948 theaters, earning $12.7 million and coming in second behind Starship Troopers. The latter’s R rating helped Bean exceed expectations; reports indicated younger audiences bought tickets for Bean but attended screenings of Starship Troopers instead.

By the conclusion of its theatrical run, Bean amassed £17.9 million in UK earnings—ranking as the fourth highest-grossing film domestically that year—$45.3 million in North America, and $251.2 million worldwide.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 43% approval rating based on 35 reviews, with an average score of 5.3/10. The consensus reads: "While featuring a skilled physical comedian as its lead, Bean’s relentless mugging and slapstick humor soon become tiresome." On Metacritic, it has a score of 52 out of 100 from 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Roger Ebert awarded the film two-and-a-half stars out of four, acknowledging its "many moments that were very funny" but criticizing its length: "If it had been just an hour long, Bean would have been nonstop laughter. Instead, they added an extra 30 minutes that slowed things down."

Sequel

A follow-up film titled Mr. Bean's Holiday debuted in 2007, marking a decade since the initial movie's release.