TODAY'S NUGGET: Bean (1997) - Sometimes Comedy Scenes Do Not Translate

[Quick Summary: Bean, a clumsy employee from the National Gallery, causes havoc when he is lent to a LA museum to help with the arrival of "Whistler's Mother."]

I think Stephen Fry nailed the differences between UK & US comedy:
- UK comedy is about character and US comedy is about jokes.
- UK likes to poke fun at themselves. US has a hard time.
- UK likes the loser hero. US almost always is a hero hero.

My advice is ALWAYS write whatever is funniest to you.

However, writers should realize that others may not get it.

For example, this script has many funny scenes, but the one below irritated me. 

In this scene:
- David and family are hosting Bean, but have missed him at the airport.
- Bean arrives first at their home, enters, and pokes around.
- Family comes home, but do not realize Bean is in the house.
- UK readers, help me out: What is the point? I know everything does not have to push plot forward, but how is this funny or tell me more of character (vs. gross)?

INT. THE LEARY HOUSE, KITCHEN - NIGHT

The light is on. DAVID takes a deep breath. Bad night. He picks up an empty coffee jar, sighs and goes into the pantry [for] a full one. BEAN enters. He opens the refrigerator and he studies the food on offer. Nothing he fancies...then he sees a single meatball on a plate.

He picks it up - a little nervously - and pops it whole into his mouth. He has a little suck - doesn't like it one bit - and so takes it out - and puts it back on the plate, closes the fridge door, and exits...

...just as DAVID comes out of the pantry. Close on BEAN's hand as it comes round the door frame and turns off the light. DAVID, on the move, stubs his toe on a chair. He groans in pain, limps to the fridge. He spots the lone, already-sucked meatball and pops it in his mouth.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Some scenes did not land for me - not funny, too long.  

However the script is an amazing 80% non-verbal slapstick (95% for Bean), which likely counts for its success.

Bean (1997)(6/7/96 draft)
by Richard Curtis & Robin Driscoll with Rowan Atkinson