Transferring Rowan Atkinson's surprisingly popular creation to the big screen probably seemed like a good idea. It is. Unfortunately, in its execution, Bean stumbles too often and too heavily. Of all the people who could potentially work at the Royal National Gallery, none is more unlikely than Mr Bean (Rowan Atkinson). He's clumsy, inattentive, destructive and a menace. Unfortunately the Chairman (John Mills) hired Bean personally and thinks the world of him, meaning that Bean can slumber on without being given the boot.

That doesn't necessarily mean that the governors, lead by Lord Walton (Peter Egan), are powerless to rid themselves of his presence. It turns out that the Grierson Gallery in Los Angeles has just purchased "Whistler's Mother", reputed to be the New World's premier work of artistry. All they need is an expert in the field to give a speech at the unveiling; Doctor Rosenblum (Peter James) and Doctor Cutler (Clive Corner) are happy, almost delirious, to be passed over if it means getting rid of Bean. If only David Langley (Peter MacNicol) and his unsuspecting family knew what they were letting themselves in for.

Long a familiar sight on British TV, Mr Bean always seems to pop up around holiday time. This is not a coincidence; the kids are home and Mr Bean, if nothing else, is designed to appeal to children. There's a clarity to the humour, which ensures that all can follow Mr Bean's wacky, logical in another universe, adventures. Wisely Bean sticks to what it knows best and doesn't saddle Mr Bean with jokes that only the parents will get; sadly this is also why the movie disappoints. There's very definitely not enough material here to sustain a feature film, even one that clocks in at less than 90 minutes. So when the pace flags, which it surely does, Richard Curtis and Robin Driscoll are unable to rescue Bean from a slow death. Let's hope that there isn't a sequel!

That said, Rowan Atkinson does his best with the material. Lightweight and superficial though it might be, Atkinson employs an armoury of weird facial expressions and bizarre personal habits to amusing effect. The impact that he has on the Langley household is pretty stunning, even if Mr Bean fails to quite demolish the building. Somewhat more surprising is that Atkinson doesn't cross that important line, beyond which he would become irritating and unbearable. The pity is that Atkinson is capable of a great deal more, as anyone familiar with his work will know. Mr Bean as a character places far too many restrictions on him as a performer, most obviously vocally.

As directed by Mel Smith, Bean contains little to make the film either special or memorable. There are a few good laughs, largely because nothing is taken seriously, which is fine if you're not offended by medical malarkey. The fact is that if you disengage your cognitive faculties and enjoy the stupidity, then Bean is innocently enjoyable.

The biggest, almost fatal, weakness is that Bean doesn't capture the essence of what makes Mr Bean funny; his determination and inventiveness when solving a problem, taking the most obscure route to victory and sticking with it. Mr Bean ploughs on and a tower of complexity rises above him, teetering in the breeze, as he inches forward to his fiinal goal. The film only near this level perhaps once or twice, even then rushing through instead of giving the ideas time and space to develop. So Bean achieves pretty much what it set out to do, but it could have been an awful lot better.