Bean (1997) Rated PG13 Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Peter MacNicol, and Pamela Reed Rating: out of

This doesn't stop Bean from being sent to America by London's National Art Gallery as an "art expert" to accompany "Whistler's Mother" to its new home in a Los Angeles museum. Peter MacNicol plays the curator who is responsible for managing the logistics of the painting and as a result, Bean is welcomed into his home for the duration of his trip.

Bean's antics force the curator's family to leave home for the refuge of his mother-in-law's house. Bean single-handedly destroys his kitchen while preparing a meal for guests. And, on a sight-seeing trip of Los Angeles, Bean manages to jerry-rig a virtual reality ride to function at warp speed. Of course, when a bumbling idiot like Bean is paired with a $50 million painting, there is little hope that the painting will remain unscathed.

Bean, the character, does have his moments. An introductory scene depicting him on duty as a guard in the National Art Gallery is hilarious. Later comic scenes fair much worse and, after awhile, I just wanted the man to say something rather than screwing up his face or snorting his way through a situation. A little Bean goes a long way.

Bean, the movie, is perfect for a night's rental but really not worth the money to see on the big screen. The Brits may have found this movie worth seeing again and again, but I didn't.

Trivia: Rowan Atkinson played the hot-shot comedian Ron Anderson in The Tall Guy with Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson. (Source: The Internet Movie Database)