 What About Bob? (1991) Bill Murray stars as Bob, a poly-phobic who follows his psychologist, Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss), on vacation. That's about all there is to it. He infiltrates the doctor's family, and eventually causes the controlling Dr. Marvin to have a mental breakdown. The film veers from caper slapstick into very dark comedic territory by the end, and yet somehow maintains a light tone throughout. This isn't perfect comedy by any means, but the film is satisfying, and the details make it worth watching. I particularly enjoyed the whole "baby steps" motif, based on the title of Dr. Marvin's self-serving book, and for some reason found great enjoyment in the fact that Dreyfuss's character is consistently referred to by his full name, Dr. Leo Marvin. I don't know why, but that affectation often makes me very happy. And Bob carrying his fish around in a gefilte fish jar was a nice piece fish. My favorite scene features poor, pathetic Bob begging and whining for Dr. Leo's help: "Gimme, gimme, gimme, I need, I need, I need." I often feel that way myself, so it rang very true. Dreyfuss's manic, screaming breakdown was a lot funnier this viewing, though it sowed the seeds for the festering peat bog of Krippendorf's Tribe. Murray is his droll self, infusing Bob with a desperate likeability, despite a few out-of-character scenes wherein he seemed more like the nightclub singer from "Saturday Night Live" than Bob. Supporting actors are aces. Having had a bad week, What About Bob? was just the ticket.
Review by Crimedog |