It’s not usually a good sign when a movie features a diarrhea joke in its first five minutes, but for The Bob’s Burgers Movie, it’s proof that the film has its heart is in the right place.
Longtime viewers of the Fox animated sitcom know that intestinal maladies are common for anxiety-prone restaurant owner Bob Belcher (H. Jon Benjamin), and are of constant interest to his upbeat wife Linda (John Roberts) and son Gene (Eugene Mirman). So when the film opens with a song about Bob being plagued by bowel issues because he’s about to ask for an extension on a business loan, it’s proof that the family’s transition to the big screen is in the right hands.
Debuting in 2011, Bob’s Burgers quickly found an audience due to its surreal humor, well-rounded characters and optimistic tone. Often very funny, its focus on the bond between the Belcher clan — Bob and Linda, awkward teenage daughter Tina (Dan Mintz), creative and fart-obsessed Gene, and mischievous Louise (Kristen Schaal) — gave it a heart and sweetness that even The Simpsons sometimes lacks in its advanced age. The show isn’t afraid to go weird (one early episode finds Bob trapped in the walls of their house and hallucinating a friend), but it also genuinely likes its characters and finds moments for sincerity without being saccharine.
Rather than embrace the ability to do things television censors would prohibit, à la South Park’s film debut (1999), or leave their usual settings to go bigger, like The Simpsons Movie (2007), the Belchers’ first cinematic adventure simply feels like a longer episode of Bob’s Burgers, with all the strangeness, warmth, and music that come with it. Directed by creator Loren Bouchard and the show’s producer Bernard Derriman from a script by Bouchard and Nora Smith, The Bob’s Burgers Movie understands what fans love about Bob’s Burgers and doesn’t change the recipe.
In typical Bob’s Burgers fashion, the plot involves the latest threat to the family business. When a loan officer denies Bob an extension and a giant sinkhole opens up right in front of the restaurant, Bob begins to despair (cue a lengthy montage featuring Benjamin’s very funny groans). Meanwhile, Louise’s latest attempt to prove she’s not scared of anything leads her down the sinkhole, where she discovers a skeleton. It’s not along before a murder mystery is underway, one that could hold the key to the restaurant’s futures and the safety of the town.
As with the show, The Bob’s Burgers Movie leaves the more mundane issues of paying bills and running a restaurant to the adults, while allowing the kids to traipse into the shadier corners of their shoreside town to solve the mystery. Both stories are classic Bob’s Burgers adventures, and both are very funny, whether it involves Bob and Linda — and happy-just-to-be-there best friend Teddy — selling burgers at a local amusement park, or the kids venturing into a carny-populated slum for a catchy song-and-dance number. The movie plays the hits, peppering in the musical numbers, witty banter and strange plot twists the show is known for, and making sure to include many of the show’s favorite characters, from reformed con man Mickey (Bill Hader) to eccentric landlord Mr. Fischoeder (a very funny Kevin Kline) and his even more eccentric brother Felix (Zach Galifianakis).
“The Bob’s Burgers Movie.” Photo Courtesy of 20th Century Studio – © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
The film keeps the series’ lovingly scatological and surreal humor intact, even if the TV show has sometimes gone weirder than the movie seems willing to (there’s nothing as bizarre or hilarious as Bob’s hallucination-fueled Thanksgiving from the third season). And the film wisely makes sure the focus is kept on the Belchers, and focused on their individual quirks and needs, particularly the kids. Butt-obsessed Tina is hoping for a summer boyfriend, Gene is hoping his latest musical invention will lead to a spotlight at an upcoming concert, and Louise wants only to prove that she’s brave (there’s also an origin for the bunny ears she constantly wears). Low stakes for a film, perhaps, but in line with what Bob’s Burgers has been doing consistently for more than a decade. And even when the plot picks up and involves danger at the wharf-side amusement park, the movie still makes sure to pause for a touching moment with the family.
Is there a reason this should be a 100-minute movie on the big screen instead of a three-part episode or a streaming special? Not especially, although the animation is much more polished and colorful and smooth in this cinematic adaptation. As happens with most TV-to-film comedy adaptations, the longer run time occasionally robs the humor of some of its momentum. But overall, it’s as enjoyable as any random episode of the show.
Bob’s Burgers didn’t need to be a movie. But after a decade on the air, and rightfully earning comparisons to The Simpsons and other long-running animated shows, it feels like a reward to fans, who will walk away satisfied. It might lack the scope of The Simpsons Movie or the crassness of South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, but as an adaptation, it’s among the most faithful to the experience of watching the show. Devotees will enjoy it, and curious newcomers may walk away with 12 seasons of a new favorite show to binge.
