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Movies / On DVD / What About Bob?
What About Bob?

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What About Bob? (1991)

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Reviews Counted:37

Fresh:30

Rotten:7

Average Rating:6.4/10

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: The day he leaves on a month's vacation, best-selling author and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss) acquires a new patient, the multiphobic Bob Wiley (Bill Murray). Consumed by... The day he leaves on a month's vacation, best-selling author and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss) acquires a new patient, the multiphobic Bob Wiley (Bill Murray). Consumed by his fears of germs, enclosed spaces, and other people, Bob tracks Dr. Marvin to his New Hampshire retreat and arrives on his doorstep for treatment. Dr. Marvin's professional but strained advice to "take a vacation from your phobias" is translated by Bob to mean "take a vacation in New Hampshire," and he starts to become a fixture in their home, to Marvin's growing incredulity and rage--especially when his wife and children, charmed by Bob's childlike enthusiasm, start to think Bob is more fun than Marvin. There seems to be only one way to get rid of Bob, and that's to do it permanently. Murray and Dreyfuss balance each other perfectly, one growing more sane as the other stumbles toward madness. A quirky family comedy, Frank Oz's WHAT ABOUT BOB? encourages viewers to stop being so straight-laced and start having fun. [More]

Starring: Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss, Julie Hagerty, Charlie Korsmo

Starring: Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss, Julie Hagerty, Charlie Korsmo, Kathryn Erbe, Tom Aldredge, Roger Bowen, Fran Brill, Aida Turturro

Director: Frank Oz

Director: Frank Oz
Screenwriter: Alvin Sargent, Laura Ziskin, Tom Schulman
Producer: Laura Ziskin
Composer: Miles Goodman

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jul 11, 2000

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • What About Bob?
  • Comic wizard Bill Murray (CRADLE WILL ROCK, RUSHMORE) teams up with Academy Award(R)-winner Richard Dreyfuss teams up with (Best Actor, 1978, THE GOODBYE GIRL; MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS) in an outrageously wild comedy that's sure to drive you off the deep end! Murray plays Bob Wiley, a troubled but lovable therapy patient who fears everything! After seeking help from noted psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss), Bob feels revived. But when the good doctor skips town to go on a quiet family vacation, Bob, afraid of being alone, follows -- showing up unexpectedly at the therapist's lakeside retreat. That's when the fun really begins! Bob innocently becomes the houseguest who just won't leave -- endearing himself to the other family members ... and, in the end, driving the stressed-out shrink absolutely crazy!
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
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    Reviews for What About Bob?

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    1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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    If you're a little discerning, you wont make the distance.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment 1 Comment
    01/01/00
    Oz
    Oz
    eFilmCritic.com

    With Dreyfuss and Murray on top form, not even the familiar plotline -- uptight rich person meets free-wheeling poor person and learns about life -- can prevent this lunatic comedy from being funny.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    01/26/06
    Time Out

    Bill Murray finds a real showcase for his oft-shackled talent in this manic comedy.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    03/13/07
    Variety

    A modern-day comedy in the grand tradition of the best screwball comedies of the late 1930s and early 40s.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    03/13/07
    TV Guide's Movie Guide

    Its less is more approach makes for a brilliantly constructed plot in which Murray becomes more and more obnoxious and Dreyfuss is gradually driven to distraction by his eccentric little ways.

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    10/05/08
    Channel 4 Film

    One of the most snicker-worthy movies ever made. Great, great fun for the demented.

    comment Comment
    07/26/02
    Audrey Rock-Richardson
    Audrey Rock-Richardson
    Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/26/02
    Bob Grimm
    Bob Grimm
    Las Vegas Mercury

    There's no question that the engaging performances of Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss manage to breathe a great deal of life into the proceedings, and before it starts to run out of steam toward the end, the film provides an awful lot of laughs.

    Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Chris Hicks
    Chris Hicks
    Deseret News, Salt Lake City

    A delightful annoying-person comedy made even more amusing by the fact that Murray and Dreyfuss couldn't stand one another in real life.

    comment Comment
    02/18/06
    Chuck O'Leary
    Chuck O'Leary
    FulvueDrive-in.com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/02/03
    Dan Fazio
    Dan Fazio
    Citysearch

    Pleasant comedy with droll Murray

    comment Comment
    09/20/04
    Daniel Eagan
    Daniel Eagan
    Film Journal International

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    02/08/04
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Worcester Telegram & Gazette

    With his twisted lower lip, doleful eyes and trademark deadpan, [Murray] exudes an awkward -- and funny -- vulnerability.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Desson Thomson
    Desson Thomson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    12/18/04
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    11/05/04
    Frank Swietek
    Frank Swietek
    One Guy's Opinion

    Boomers being really charming and funny.

    comment Comment
    10/01/04
    Gregory Weinkauf
    Gregory Weinkauf
    New Times

    Somehow, Mr. Dreyfuss maintains his sound comic timing even when Frank Oz's antic direction calls for hand-waving hysteria.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Janet Maslin
    Janet Maslin
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    11/23/04
    Jeffrey Westhoff
    Jeffrey Westhoff
    Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

    This cruel but effective black comedy violates credibility at almost every turn, but the concept itself is so strong hat it winds up working pretty well anyway.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    03/13/07
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/23/03
    Jules Brenner
    Jules Brenner
    Cinema Signals
     
     
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    Latest News for What About Bob?

    December 20, 2005: Willis to Climb Schulman's "Summit"
    From the writer of "Dead Poet's Society" and "What About Bob?" comes "Morgan's Summit," a drama/thriller that looks like it will star Bruce Willis... More...

    May 19, 2005: Universal Gets Into a "Worst Case" Scenario
    Veteran screenwriters Tom Schulman and Rafael Yglesias have sold their first collaborative effort, "Worst Case," to Universal Pictures following a rather heated... More...

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