The Bob's Burgers Movie
Year: 2022
Directed by: Loren Bouchard & Bernard Derriman
Starring: H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, John Roberts & Kristen Schaal
Runtime: 102 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 02/11/22
Directed by: Loren Bouchard & Bernard Derriman
Starring: H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, John Roberts & Kristen Schaal
Runtime: 102 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 02/11/22
We seem to be living through a renaissance of the adult cartoon at the moment whether we realise it or not. For decades shows like The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy have been running long past their sell by date and they continue to struggle to make themselves relevant and funny, however with the dawn of streaming we have had shows like Rick & Morty, Bojack Horseman, and Bob’s Burgers. If I had guessed that one of these was going to get a film adaptation, I would have most likely said Rick & Morty due to sheer popularity, but it seems that Bob’s Burgers beat it to the punch. Whilst never having watched the show, seeing the positive reviews surrounding the release of The Bob’s Burgers Movie earlier this year, I was intrigued to see what all the fuss was about for a show that’s now been running for over a decade.
Husband & Wife Bob & Linda Belcher (H. Jon Benjamin & John Roberts) run a diner in the coastal town of Oceanside. When their request for an extension on their loan is denied by the bank, they are faced with needing to sell as many burgers as possible in a week in order to pay off the loan. But when a sinkhole opens up outside the door to the diner, they must find creative new ways to regain their cashflow.
Meanwhile Bob & Linda’s children, Tina (Dan Mintz), Gene (Eugene Mirman), and Louise (Kristen Schaal) discover the remains of a murdered carnival worker in the sinkhole. When Bob & Linda’s landlord, Calvin Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) is charged with the murder, they begin their own investigation to clear his name believing him to be innocent.
One thing is for certain after having seen The Bob’s Burgers Movie and it’s that I will absolutely be checking out the show that this stems from, because I had a really good time with it. Whilst the film effectively acts as the thirteenth season of the show, I could easily jump into the film with no knowledge of the show whatsoever, and so like all good film adaptations of existing properties it caters as much to newcomers as I’m sure it does to existing fans.
I loved just how dry the humour is. Most adult animations tend to lean into absurdist comedy where everything is so over the top and outrageous, something I find completely desensitising and rather irritating, but Bob’s Burgers plays everything with a straight face and consistently undermines just how outrageous the situation is by trying to normalise and rationalise everything. I found that considerably funnier than just pointing at something weird and making loud and often crude noises about it.
The way the stories of Bob & Linda, and the kids naturally merge in the final act was really well done as well. It’s a problem that a lot of stories have to overcome of how do you get everyone in the same room for the big finale, and the way Bob’s Burgers handles it not only makes a lot of sense but it then ties the two storylines together in a believable way.
Husband & Wife Bob & Linda Belcher (H. Jon Benjamin & John Roberts) run a diner in the coastal town of Oceanside. When their request for an extension on their loan is denied by the bank, they are faced with needing to sell as many burgers as possible in a week in order to pay off the loan. But when a sinkhole opens up outside the door to the diner, they must find creative new ways to regain their cashflow.
Meanwhile Bob & Linda’s children, Tina (Dan Mintz), Gene (Eugene Mirman), and Louise (Kristen Schaal) discover the remains of a murdered carnival worker in the sinkhole. When Bob & Linda’s landlord, Calvin Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) is charged with the murder, they begin their own investigation to clear his name believing him to be innocent.
One thing is for certain after having seen The Bob’s Burgers Movie and it’s that I will absolutely be checking out the show that this stems from, because I had a really good time with it. Whilst the film effectively acts as the thirteenth season of the show, I could easily jump into the film with no knowledge of the show whatsoever, and so like all good film adaptations of existing properties it caters as much to newcomers as I’m sure it does to existing fans.
I loved just how dry the humour is. Most adult animations tend to lean into absurdist comedy where everything is so over the top and outrageous, something I find completely desensitising and rather irritating, but Bob’s Burgers plays everything with a straight face and consistently undermines just how outrageous the situation is by trying to normalise and rationalise everything. I found that considerably funnier than just pointing at something weird and making loud and often crude noises about it.
The way the stories of Bob & Linda, and the kids naturally merge in the final act was really well done as well. It’s a problem that a lot of stories have to overcome of how do you get everyone in the same room for the big finale, and the way Bob’s Burgers handles it not only makes a lot of sense but it then ties the two storylines together in a believable way.
I did get the feeling that it was a little on the long side though, coming in at just over an hour and forty minutes, Bob’s Burgers certainly isn’t a particularly lengthy film, but it couldn’t have hurt being five to ten minutes shorter. The pace seems to dip around the beginning of the third act, which is really when you want to start ramping things up, so maybe that’s what contributes to this feeling of it being a bit too long?
The presentation is what you would expect of a big screen adaptation of an adult cartoon, crude looking drawings given a higher level of polish than they would receive on TV. I prefer the animation style to that of Family Guy for example, characters are oddly proportioned and gangly looking with big eyes and mouths to convey feelings through the mostly monotone vocal performances. I could see some people taking issue with the monotone nature of the voices, but for me it made a lot of the film so much funnier because hardly anyone seems to carry any emotion in their voice and its all done through physical actions.
The background also hides a ton of visual gags, and the names of shops in particular were something that never failed to make me giggle. I’m sure for veterans of the show this is all normal for them, but the first time seeing the ‘It’s Your Funeral’ funeral parlour I couldn’t help but smirk.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie also has a handful of musical numbers up its sleeve, and they’re fine. Personally, I found them to be the weakest elements of the entire film, but they could be a lot worse. I’m still waiting for the day where an adult animation tops the quality of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’s musical numbers which were far better than they had any right to be.
I had a good time with The Bob’s Burgers Movie, and really that’s all I wanted. It didn’t blow me away, but it has left me wanting to take a look at the show that inspired it and get more of that deadpan humour that I enjoyed so much. As far as film adaptations of TV shows go, I’d say that The Bob’s Burgers Movie is pretty decent, and well worth a look if you’re in need of some more adult animation on Disney+.
The presentation is what you would expect of a big screen adaptation of an adult cartoon, crude looking drawings given a higher level of polish than they would receive on TV. I prefer the animation style to that of Family Guy for example, characters are oddly proportioned and gangly looking with big eyes and mouths to convey feelings through the mostly monotone vocal performances. I could see some people taking issue with the monotone nature of the voices, but for me it made a lot of the film so much funnier because hardly anyone seems to carry any emotion in their voice and its all done through physical actions.
The background also hides a ton of visual gags, and the names of shops in particular were something that never failed to make me giggle. I’m sure for veterans of the show this is all normal for them, but the first time seeing the ‘It’s Your Funeral’ funeral parlour I couldn’t help but smirk.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie also has a handful of musical numbers up its sleeve, and they’re fine. Personally, I found them to be the weakest elements of the entire film, but they could be a lot worse. I’m still waiting for the day where an adult animation tops the quality of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’s musical numbers which were far better than they had any right to be.
I had a good time with The Bob’s Burgers Movie, and really that’s all I wanted. It didn’t blow me away, but it has left me wanting to take a look at the show that inspired it and get more of that deadpan humour that I enjoyed so much. As far as film adaptations of TV shows go, I’d say that The Bob’s Burgers Movie is pretty decent, and well worth a look if you’re in need of some more adult animation on Disney+.