Bill Murray, in a not-too-showy turn as the titular neurotic, and Richard Dreyfuss, in a sometimes delightfully over-the-top turn as his annoyed psychiatrist, trade off great performances in “What About Bob?” (1991). This is one of those one-joke-premise films. You know from the poster, the trailer and the opening few minutes that it’s about Bob pestering Dr. Leo Marvin.
We sympathize with both
But with skillful direction from Frank Oz and measured performances from the two leads, “What About Bob?” is likable from start to finish. It’s never particularly surprising, but each ratcheting-up of the scenario is delightful as Bob invades the immaculately bearded doctor’s vacation with his family in beautiful New Hampshire lake country (filmed in Virginia). We’re along for the ride with this movie.
Written by Tom Schulman (working from a story by Alvin Sargent and Laura Ziskin), “What About Bob?” has no villains. We view Bob much as Marvin’s wife, daughter and son do – as a slightly troubled but actually rather fun and sweet person.
“What About Bob?” (1991)
Director: Frank Oz
Writers: Tom Schulman (screenplay); Alvin Sargent, Laura Ziskin (story)
Stars: Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss, Julie Hagerty
But we also sympathize with Leo. He wants a break from work, and everyone can relate to that. Plus, the separation of doctor and patient is a long-established tradition rooted in logic.
Part of why Leo isn’t a villain is because his family loves him even though they disagree with him about Bob. Even when daughter Anna (Kathryn Erbe, later of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”) says “I thought you were born grown-up, Dad” and when son Siggy (Charlie Korsmo, later of “Can’t Hardly Wait”) complains about his lost childhood, we know they are a loving family with different points of view, rather than a dysfunctional family.
Also, there’s something about Julie Hagerty (as wife Fay) that signals “light comedy,” maybe owing to her “Airplane!” performance (I mean that as a compliment).
Dreyfuss shows comic skills
My biggest laughs generally come from Dreyfuss, like when the doctor pulls over in his vehicle, walks to the other side and demands that Bob get out, with such rage that his words are barely decipherable (although the meaning is clear). I also found my eye going to Leo’s facial reactions whenever Bob does something annoying.
But Murray does something subtly great here; he’s Murray being Murray, yet Bob is distinct from his other classic roles, and he’s also not a stereotype of a psychologically troubled person. Bob is a real person with real troubles that can be overcome. Perhaps ironically, the doctor’s perhaps cynical “Baby Steps” program is truly effective for him.
That said, I laughed loudest at the sequence where Bob wins over the entire staff with an impromptu comedy routine at a psych ward, where the doc has tried to dump him off to get rid of him once and for all. Schulman has crafted a funny movie.
If I were to ding “What About Bob?,” it’s in the fact that Fay and Anna don’t get arcs. (On the other hand, Siggy’s bonding with Bob over their fear of death – and Tourette’s – is endearing.) There’s not a lot of deep emotion or insightful revelations about psychiatric troubles or how to treat them. And we never learn what Bob’s job is, or how he is able to handle it.
Those elements might’ve made for a richer film, yet I didn’t feel like “What About Bob?” was shortchanging me. The laughs come swiftly and steadily from two great actors working with solid material.