What about Bob? (1991)
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A neurotic patient follows his egotistical psychotherapist on a vacation, leading to a series of comedic mishaps and unexpected bonds.
The story
In New York City, neurotic and multiphobic Bob Wiley lives in a state of constant distress. His therapist refers him to the egotistical Dr. Leo Marvin, who believes his new self-help book, Baby Steps, will bring him fame. After Leo gives Bob a copy of the book and makes an appointment following the Marvin family's vacation, Bob tracks them down to Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. Bob travels there by bus and eventually arrives at the lake house. While Leo hopes to be rid of him, Bob's eccentric personality charms Leo's wife, daughter, and son, creating a tense dynamic as Bob begins to bond with the family.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Bob Wiley, a neurotic man with many phobias, is referred to Dr. Leo Marvin by his previous therapist. Bob tracks Leo to a vacation home at Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. Although Leo wants to be left alone, Bob's eccentricities charm Leo's family: Fay, Anna, and Siggy. Bob bonds with the family, facing his fears of sailing and diving while Leo remains hostile. After a television interview features Bob as a success story for Leo's book, Leo tries to have Bob institutionalized but fails. Leo eventually abandons Bob in the woods as part of 'death therapy,' but Bob returns to the lake house. During a birthday celebration, Leo snaps and tackles Bob, leading the family to ask Bob to leave. A manic Leo later straps explosives to Bob and leaves him in the woods. Bob frees himself of his fears and reunites with the Marvins, praising Leo. However, the house explodes because Bob stored the explosives under it. Leo is rendered catatonic and institutionalized. Later, Bob marries Leo's sister Lily, and Leo recovers just in time to scream 'No!' at the wedding. The film ends with Bob becoming a psychologist and writing a best-selling book titled Death Therapy, for which Leo sues him.
- First release year
- 1991
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Frank Oz
- Writers
- Tom Schulman · screenplay; Alvin Sargent · story; Laura Ziskin · story
- Cast and characters
- Bill Murray · Bob Wiley; Richard Dreyfuss · Dr. Leo Marvin; Julie Hagerty · Fay Marvin; Charlie Korsmo · Sigmund "Siggy" Marvin; Kathryn Erbe · Anna Marvin; Fran Brill · Lily Marvin; Tom Aldredge · Mr. Guttman; Susan Willis · Mrs. Guttman
- Genres
- comedy; black comedy
- Themes
- codependency; dysfunctional families; psychiatry; overcoming phobias
- Tone and mood
- humane comedy; neurotic; affable
- Premise and plot tags
- road trip; comedy; psychology; family dynamics
- Content notes
- black comedy
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, with a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 60 on Metacritic. It was a commercial success, grossing $63.7 million in the US against a $39 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 71% · review count: 124 critics; Metacritic · score: 60 · scale: 100 · review count: 17 critics
- Production trivia
- Garry Marshall was considered to direct, and Woody Allen was approached to play Dr. Marvin.; Early in development, Robin Williams was attached to the project.; The scenes of Bob arriving in town on the bus with his goldfish were filmed in downtown Moneta, which was repainted for the movie.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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