As
a reviewer, I try my hardest to avoid exposure to other people's opinions of
newly released movies and TV shows before I can watch them myself, as well as
any spoilers that manage to leak online. I’m the kind of guy whose opinion can
be easily swayed by others without even knowing it, and the last thing I want
to do is to parrot what someone else is saying rather than reporting what I
really think. Sometimes, however, you just know what you’re going to get
beforehand no matter how blind you go into something. The Bob’s Burgers
Movie, the big screen adaptation of the long-running FOX series, was exactly what
I expected it to be, no more and no less, and it was perfect because of
it.
For those unfamiliar with the
original show, Bob’s Burgers is an animated comedy about a
wacky family in the vein of The Simpsons or Family Guy,
but decidedly more wholesome and family-friendly. The Belchers are not as
dysfunctional as their fellow FOX families, and their show is generally pretty
sunny in its disposition. As for the humor, Bob’s Burgers depends
less on the set-up, big laugh, set-up, big laugh formula of other shows and
instead supplies near constant chuckles, only occasionally prompting
laugh-out-loud moments. I am, as you can tell, a fan, and the movie did not disappoint.
Like The Simpsons Movie before
it, The Bob’s Burgers Movie plays out much like an extended
episode of the show, but with cleaner and more detailed animation and… well, I
guess that’s it, really. The stakes in the movie aren’t much higher than they
can sometimes reach in the show, nor are the musical numbers any more
spectacular (yes, there are musical numbers; Bob’s Burgers loves
its musical numbers), but that this just stands in testament to the overall
quality of the show the film is based on. The conflicts seen in the film aren’t
really anything new either… Bob and Linda have money problems, Tina has boy
problems, Louise has growing-up problems, and Gene has a silly music-related
problem. Supplementing the core group are the family’s usual massive extended
cast, from Kevin Kline and Zach Galifianakis as the Fischoeder brothers to Paul
Rudd's bit part as an imaginary horse named Jericho. The movie is also like the
show in the sense that it is perfectly suitable for the whole family: There might
be an adult reference here or there, but certainly nothing that a kid would
understand or care about.
If you are a fan, you owe it to
yourself to see the Belchers on the big screen because while it may be more of
the same, it is still the show at its best. If you’ve never seen an episode but
are still in the mood for some breezy, pre-summer fun at the movies, The
Bob’s Burgers Movie is friendly enough to newcomers, although
pre-existing familiarity with the characters does undoubtedly enhance the
experience.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie is
now available exclusively in theaters.
This review was first published in The Keizertimes on June 3rd, 2022. Visit at http://keizertimes.com/
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