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Parents' Guide to

Bean

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Bean's first movie adventure has slapstick, gross-out humor.

Movie PG-13 1997 89 minutes
Bean Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 8 parent reviews

Sang Lama
Sang Lama Adult
February 19, 2021
age 17+

Every of Mr.Bean movie or flims are masterpiece

Mr. Reviews Guy
Mr. Reviews Guy Adult
January 9, 2021
age 10+

Great movie, but surgery scene

This is a fun movie, however some parts are NOT for young kids. There is a surgery scene in this.
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In BEAN, after frustrating his supervisors with his incompetence as a guard at an art museum, Bean (Rowan Atkinson) is sent as an "expert" to an art gallery in the U.S. There he is tasked with speaking at the unveiling of the "Whistler's Mother" painting. But as with anything Bean becomes involved with, disaster is never far away.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8 ):
Kids say (25 ):

The character Bean -- or Mr. Bean -- is something of a throwback to the classic silent film comedians. A childlike man who is unabashedly consumed with enjoying himself, and incapable of considering the consequences for others, he developed a cult-like status with his U.K. TV series during the 1990s. In an effort to make the character more appealing to a U.S. audience, here the producers send Bean to Los Angeles for his cinematic debut. The result is uncomfortably uneven.

The plot is an excuse for what is really a series of slapstick sketches involving very little dialogue but many funny faces and physical contortions, and a lot of potty humor and general grossness. This movie will be most successful with kids who are already familiar with the character and appreciate that kind of comedy. However, other kids may be very uncomfortable with the gross and embarrassing situations.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the comedy used in Bean. How would you characterize the humor? How does it compare to comedy you've seen in other shows and movies? Did you find this kind of humor funny? Why or why not?

  • Discuss the slapstick violence in the movie. How do you know when something "violent" is meant to be funny and not scary or real?

  • Bean gets into a lot of scrapes in the movie. How does he feel when he realizes what he's done?

  • How did this movie compare to other Bean adventures, such as the TV or animated series?

Movie Details

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