What About Bob?

What About Bob? is a surprisingly unpredictable comedy. Released in 1991, What About Bob? stars Bill Murray as an obsessive-compulsive psychiatric patient who is basically afraid of everything. He is afraid to leave his house, but must do so to meet his new psychiatrist, Dr. Leo Marvin, played by Richard Dreyfuss. After learning his psychiatrist is leaving for vacation, Bob decides to follow along and have a nice vacation of his own. This leads to chaos in the Marvin family and loads of humorous situations. Many of the jokes in the movie are surprisingly witty for a PG family comedy. With minor use of slap-stick humor the movie provides some predictable jokes, but the use of sophisticated one-liners, sometimes involving mental illnesses, makes it truly hilarious. But not only is the movie funny, it is refreshingly family friendly. It provides laughs without crude or suggestive humor.

The best part of the movie, however, was not the humor but the acting abilities of Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray. Both were completely believable as their characters and both played the parts incredibly. Bill Murray was hilarious, but he also seemed like a truly nice yet insane man. Richard Dreyfuss, on the other hand, was somewhat of a jerk throughout the movie, but his harsh personality was believable and created some more subtle humor.

What About Bob? is an refreshing movie that can be enjoyed by anyone who wants a good, hearty laugh.

-H