Bean is a 1997 British comedy film, directed by Mel Smith and written by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis. It stars Rowan Atkinson as the titular character, Mr. Bean, who is a clumsy and eccentric caretaker at the Royal National Gallery in London. The film premiered on July 3, 1997, in the United Kingdom and was later released in the United States on August 15, 1997.
The story begins with Bean, who works as a caretaker at the Royal National Gallery in London. His boss, Mr. Grierson, wants to fire him because he is always sleeping on the job and causing chaos. However, the gallery's chairman, George Carson, defends him by saying that he is actually a brilliant art restorer.
To get rid of Bean, Mr. Grierson decides to send him to the United States, to a small art gallery in Los Angeles, where he will officiate at the opening of the greatest US picture ever, "Whistler's Mother." The problem is that Mr. Bean knows nothing about art and cannot even speak proper English.
When Bean arrives in Los Angeles, he meets David Langley, the curator of the Grierson Art Gallery. David is excited to meet Bean and shows him around the gallery. But Bean's clumsiness causes chaos, from ruining a painting of a nude woman to setting fire to a room.
On the day of the opening, Bean accidentally destroys "Whistler's Mother" by sneezing on it. He later discovers a fake replica of the painting in David's office and decides to replace the original with the fake one. However, he unknowingly reveals the truth about the fake painting during his speech at the opening.
Despite his mistakes, Bean's antics amuse the audience, and he becomes an overnight sensation. David is happy with the publicity but is later fired by Mr. Grierson for his incompetence, leaving Bean behind to be the new curator of the Grierson Art Gallery.
The film ends with Bean being hailed as a hero by the public and Mr. Grierson realizing that Bean's quirks are what make him a valuable asset to the gallery.
