Bean (1997)
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A clumsy security guard is sent to the United States to represent his gallery during a high-stakes art unveiling.
The story
Mr. Bean is a well-meaning yet clumsy and destructive security guard at the National Gallery in London. After the gallery's sentimental chairman prevents the board of directors, who despise Bean for his laziness, from firing him, the board instead opts to send Bean on a three-month sabbatical to serve as their representative at an unveiling ceremony of the painting Whistler's Mother, which has been purchased by the Grierson Art Gallery in Los Angeles from the Musée d'Orsay. In the United States, he is taken in by a local curator who believes him to be an art expert.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mr. Bean is a clumsy security guard at the National Gallery in London. To avoid being fired, he is sent to Los Angeles as a representative for the unveiling of 'Whistler's Mother'. He stays with curator David Langley, who believes him to be an expert. After a series of mishaps, including being arrested at an airport and a park, and accidentally ruining a dinner, David discovers Bean's true ignorance. When Bean accidentally damages the painting with sneeze-related stains and solvent, he replaces it with a life-sized poster coated in egg whites and nail varnish. The fake successfully fools the crowd at the ceremony. Later, when a medical emergency occurs, Bean is mistaken for a doctor and performs life-saving actions. He eventually reveals his true identity to the Langleys, who allow him to stay for a week. He eventually returns home with the original painting.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mel Smith
- Writers
- Richard Curtis · writer; Robin Driscoll · writer
- Cast and characters
- Rowan Atkinson · Mr. Bean; Peter MacNicol; Pamela Reed; Harris Yulin; Burt Reynolds
- Genres
- comedy
- Themes
- identity; misunderstanding
- Tone and mood
- comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- fish out of water; comedy of errors
- Source material / true-story basis
- Mr. Bean
- Franchise connections
- Mr. Bean
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office success, gross of $251 million against a budget of $18 million.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 52 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended to be produced by 20th Century Fox.; The North American release includes a deleted turkey scene.; The score was composed by Howard Goodall, who also composed the original Mr. Bean series.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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