Bill Murray has certainly provided audiences with plenty of laughs throughout his decades spanning career. From his early work in Stripes to his beloved roles in Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, and Scrooged, he is an actor who boasts a pretty impressive filmography. But one that deserves just that little bit of extra love and attention is Frank Oz’s 1991 comedic gem, What About Bob? Although the movie received positive reviews on its initial release in the ‘90s, it’s not often one that gets the mention when stringing Murray movie titles together. While the hardcore fans have probably been quoting it for years, others have never even heard of it. And frankly, that just doesn’t seem right.
In this movie, Murray plays troubled recluse, Bob Wiley. We are first introduced to him when we see him trying to work up the courage to leave his apartment. Chanting “I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful” just to get him to his appointment with his psychiatrist, we see this is a man in need of some serious help. Enter Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss), an egotistical psychiatrist, who has recently published the bestselling book, Baby Steps (and rather shamelessly has copies lining his bookcase). After an initial meeting with Bob, in which he learns his new patient’s fear of pretty much everything and about his failed marriage caused by differing opinions of Neil Diamond (or so Bob thinks), Marvin breaks the news that he will be going on vacation. But needy Bob simply can’t allow this and turns up to his psychiatrist’s family getaway.
This is when we’re first introduced to Marvin’s “fam”. Consisting of wife, Fay (Julie Hagerty), daughter, Anna (Kathryn Erbe), and son, Siggy (Charlie Korsmo), they seem the picture of perfect family life. But unwrap a few layers, and you’ll find this is a family that may benefit from a little therapy themselves. Fay has to constantly massage her husband’s ego, Anna is dealing with being the over-analyzing child of a psychiatrist, and Siggy, despite being just a young boy, seems to have a heavy fascination with death. When Bob takes Marvin’s advice to, “Take a vacation” from his problems a little too literally, we immediately see him donning a “Don’t Hassle Me I’m Local” t-shirt and befriending the family, much to Marvin’s horror. But this is simply the tip of the iceberg. What follows is Marvin’s desperate attempt to banish “psychotic” Bob from his life, only to be driven to his own psychiatric downfall in the process. This is a movie to make all psychiatrists nervous about their patients, praying they’ll never have a “Bob” on their hands.
One thing that this movie succeeds at doing is finding that delicate balance between deeper themes and comedy. It brings more complex, darker topics, like mental illness and death to the table while still managing to keep that comedic flavor. In a strange way, we almost don’t realize we’ve just watched the entire mental destruction of a once successful psychiatrist, due to how the material is handled. And the scenes between the young Siggy and Bob can be both innocently playful and incredibly dark. Having a little boy constantly dressed in black telling you “You’re going to die, we’re all going to die” is enough to freak anyone out, let alone phobia-plagued Bob. Without taking itself too seriously, it gives us a perfectly crafted plot with more to chew on than the general comedy.
Then there’s the cast. Murray brings his stellar comedy stylings to the role of Bob, providing moments of pure hilarity, from over the top displays of dinner appreciation to describing Marvin’s book as “Mashed Potatoes and gravy” live on national TV. Yet, while he nails the humor, he still has the ability to portray the complex layers of this unique character. However, it’s the cast as a whole and how they work off of each other that takes this movie up a notch. This is especially prominent in scenes between Bob and Marvin. Dreyfuss and Murray’s chemistry, supported by brilliant dialogue, is superb, and you can feel in equal measure Bob’s admiration for Marvin and Marvin’s sheer hatred of Bob. But after several attempts to get rid of Bob, such as admitting him to a mental institution and plotting to blow him up (both pretty extreme), Marvin must confront the fact that Bob is here to stay. Dreyfuss’ use of mannerisms and facial expressions perfectly depict this man being driven to insanity, a testament to his acting talent.
But while Bob and Marvin’s character arcs are most in the spotlight, each member of the Marvin family get a well-rounded arc too. Fay goes from being a soft-spoken woman who seems to need to consistently baby her husband to one who is able to assert herself while still keeping her caring nature. Anna sparks an unlikely friendship with Bob, which proves to be the catalyst for her learning to let go and be a little less uptight. And Siggy not only gains the attention he’s been craving but also finds joy in helping Bob, perhaps an early sign that he may want to follow in his father’s career footsteps. There’s no run-of-the-mill supporting characters here. And of course we can’t forget the Guttmans (Tom Aldredge and Susan Willis) that run the local coffee shop. Although only taking up a few moments of screen time, this bitter older couple have the makings of a great comedy duo. Having saved for a down payment for years to get their dream home, they hold a firm resentment towards Marvin, who “swooped down with his bag full of money” and bought the lakeside home instead. What About the Guttmans? Would certainly have made for an interesting sequel.
Although there has been a wide selection of movies that Bill Murray has delighted fans with in the 31 years sinceWhat About Bob?’s release, we should never forget Bob Wiley and everything he gave us. This movie is truly “mashed potatoes and gravy.”
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