Bean

Move over Pee Wee Herman, Mr. Bean has come to North America. Mr. Bean was popular in Canada before the movie came to be and since junior high, I was teased for looking like him. I found it hilarious that while living in the Philippines, I was mistaken for him constantly. Mr. Bean’s humor transcends language & culture and so a movie staring him was inevitable. I like how in “Bean”, they use some classic gags from the show. This is a fun movie because of how the story is structured. It can be quite depressing and gloomy at some moments. It feels like all hope is lost but this is so the latter third of the film will be such a payoff. The supporting characters add variety and flesh out the story. Mr. Bean's success at the end of the movie is more joyous due to the reactions of others. It is still possible to make a movie where the main character has very little dialogue and can still entertain. Silent movies are still enjoyable after almost a century has passed and animated movies like “Dumbo” and “WALL-E” are considered masterpieces. On one hand with Mr. Bean's feature film, we lose the laugh track but we get a different kind of humor when his antics are experienced, commented on or witnessed by other main characters. The supporting cast of this film, especially Peter MacNicol, adds to the comedy because they have to interact with this oddball. I am also happy to see "Harris Yulin" from "Ghostbusters II".

There are two main qualities associated with Mr. Bean: first he is accident-prone and this is fully shown in the first two thirds of the movie. I love the first line in the movie as it breaks the silence of the art professors: “I suppose we could just fire him.” We come to realize that all those smart professors couldn’t think of any other way to be rid of Mr. Bean. The comedic talent of Peter MacNicol nicely contrasts Rowan Atkinson’s. A great moment between these two is the ride at the amusement park. I love how on the first run of the ride, David is having so much fun while Bean is completely bored. It is such a great contrast thanks to MacNicol and it is hilarious. Then Mr. Bean increases the speed of the ride. It is great how one guy appears to fall forward into the projection and how Mr. Bean pushes another guy away who appears to be trying to get back on the ride. Your sympathy for the character of David is what brings drama into the movie. I love how a very dismal moment accompanied by Paul McCartney’s “Yesterday” is unexpectedly interrupted by Mr. Bean in the shower. I like how to conclude the scene, David just shuts the shower door rather than kick Mr. Bean out. The success of this film comes from the ability to set up a gag. They have a build up of anticipation for the payoff. The film also changes mood quite effectively. As a first example, we think that Mr. Bean has successfully removed the ink from the painting and then suddenly we are horrified to see all the paint being dissolved. The music is what makes the mood dramatically change from good to even worse than before. David is horrified when he sees what has happened to the painting. His reaction combined with what Mr. Bean has drawn in place of the face makes for a hilarious moment. Mr. Bean, without saying anything, portrays how much he wants to fix things. Just when all hope is gone we experience the second main quality of Mr. Bean: his ingeniousness. In the last third of the films, we build up towards funny and very triumphant moments. The climax is what rocks in this movie. So much bad happens in the film and in one day, Mr. Bean fixes everything. You really have no idea what Bean is up to as he gathers various items from the house until he is in the storage room of the gallery. After that moment, you are on board with Mr. Bean all the way. Every victory of his makes you cheer. The best part about Mr. Bean’s speech is David’s reactions. You feel relief and happiness from what Mr. Bean has said because of how David feels. The final sight gag in the movie is very fitting and a very funny way to end the movie. Another funny gag that I feel I must mention is Mr. Bean’s ironic reaction to the novice doctor. Mr. Bean sounds genuinely appalled to find out that it is the doctor’s first week on the job.

I do a lot of cheering in the movie. That is because of the contrast of the mood throughout the film. That is the key to this film’s appeal. I am glad that the creators of the TV show made this film. They showed us a movie that satisfied our expectations even though it isn't the greatest comedy in the world. I find it effective how they took our beloved comedian and put him in a story that we wouldn’t normally put him in. It furthers the character’s potential in my opinion and how can that be bad? Can you imagine for example if Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny had not developed into the characters we know today? Mr. Bean will hopefully live on forever in our consciousness and I am glad they made a simple stand-alone sequel.

3.5 Stars