Riot’s Movie Reviews: The Bob’s Burgers Movie
Outside of the fact I am a major fan of the show, this is a particularly exciting review to write. It only seemed fitting to make my first trip back to the movie theater (since before the start of the pandemic sadly) an uplifting, comedic film. I happily forgot how horrendous the price of a regular ticket is, but it’s hard to deny that the experience of the theater setting really alters the way movies come across. Is it the same for cartoon movies? Not necessarily, but I was excited nonetheless. I’ll take the theater over my television any day.
Full-length films based on cherished cartoons have been a bit of a coin flip for me. Either you end up with enormous wins like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, or massive flops like Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie for Theaters (should’ve known from the title) and perhaps a lesser bomb like The Simpsons Movie. The trepidation over the past bad experiences helped to temper my expectations for The Bob’s Burgers Movie and any fears that I had over it being a bad film were quickly melted away at the commencement of the first musical number. Yes, any fan of the show won’t be surprised by the large musical numbers that were properly spaced throughout the film. The top billed cast (H. Jon Benjamin, Kristen Schaal, Dan Mintz, John Roberts, and Eugene Mirman) really stepped up their vocal performances, particularly during the musical numbers. But it needs to be said that the majority of kudos should be withheld for the writers and animators. Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith wrote a script that seamlessly blended an original story with an almost endless string of throwbacks to the show’s previous episodes. I’ve watched the show all the way through multiple times and there were still scenes or jokes that triggered memories of episodes I’d forgotten. One of the biggest pluses for The Simpsons Movie was watching how the show’s animators were able to adapt the familiar animation style and give it a new, streamlined look. The Bob’s Burgers Movie was able to accomplish something even better. The scenery had more depth, the characters had more movement, and even little, forgettable details were given more time to be fleshed out. (Pay attention to the Belcher’s sink nozzle in the kitchen) Animation-wise, it got no better than a particular car chase scene that I would argue raises the bar for any animated film or show in the future. Yet, I could make the same claim with any one of the numerous dance scenes. The choreography alone was enough to win some type of animation award.
In the effort of being fair, I had to search for something that I didn’t like. I will lead this point by saying that David Wain’s performance was plenty strong as the newest Fischoeder. But his musical number unfortunately was far outside of his vocal range and while men singing higher than they should be is not uncommon for the show, the song was poorly placed. It came during a crucial moment in the film and unfortunately made the monologue information difficult to hear. The plot is not at all ruined by this but it made what should have been an interesting climactic moment the slowest part of the film.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie very much felt like a love letter to its fan base. It was silly, delightfully musical, and visually stunning. There’s more than enough laughs to go around for the whole family and it’s the first movie I’ve seen in a while that I could make that argument for. I wouldn’t even give the same recommendation to many of the last few Disney films. At the end of the day, The Bob’s Burgers Movie is absolutely tailored for past/current fans. An in-depth knowledge of the series is the best way to get the most out of the film, but I would recommend it for anyone looking for some great laughs and a two-hour break from the summer heat.
Riot’s Rating 9.9/10
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