'The Bob's Burgers Movie' Review: The Belcher's Big Screen Debut is Delightfully Delish
PG-13: Rude/suggestive material and language
Runtime: 1 Hr and 42 Minutes
Production Companies: Bento Box Entertainment, Wilo Productions
Distributor: 20th Century Studios
Directors: Loren Bouchard, Bernard Derriman
Writers: Loren Bouchard, Nora Smith
Cast: H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, Zach Galifianakis, Kevin Kline
Release Date: May 27, 2022
In Theaters Only
A ruptured water line creates an enormous sinkhole right in front of Bob's Burgers, blocking the entrance indefinitely and ruining the Belchers' plans for a successful summer. While Bob and Linda struggle to keep the business afloat, the kids try to solve a mystery that could save their family's restaurant. As the dangers mount, these underdogs help each other find hope and fight to get back behind the counter, where they belong.
God forbid you were a new animated series set to debut on the Animation Domination block on Fox in the 2010s. Most shows during that rough era in adult animation hardly lasted half a season. Then, the Belchers entered the scene in 2011 and rightfully earned their place on the network alongside The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and Family Guy as one of the best-animated sitcoms on the channel.
Today, Bob’s Burgers is a beloved worldwide phenomenon. Hell, it was one of my comfort shows during quarantine that provided more serotonin than anything else. What better way to capitalize on Bob’s popularity than doing something every network did in the early 2000s: send it to theaters.
It’s fascinating to see a TV show get a cinematic upgrade when it hits the big screen. Plus, we’ve been deprived of theatrical 2D productions from western animation, specifically traditional ones from American studios, because we keep obsessing over CGI. If animation is the meat of a burger, then this is the juiciest patty I’ve tasted in a long time. The people at Bento Box Entertainment, Mercury Filmworks, and the other animation studios that contributed to this production poured their hearts and souls into this film, for the animation quality is gorgeous, if not breathtaking at times. Everyone brought their A-game across the board to make the Belcher family's world theater-worthy. Because this is a big-budget feature, they unlocked the power of shadows, detailed lighting, ambitious camera angles to add scope, and fluid 24-frames-per-second movement. This is just like that time Teddy got trapped by the fridge. The whole movie is on that wavelength for 102 minutes.
If you’re a fan of the series, you shouldn’t be surprised that the movie practically plays like an extended episode but on a larger scale. Summer is about to start and a series of unfortunate events plagues the Belchers: Bob and Linda have seven days to pay a bank loan, Tina is scared to ask her to crush Jimmy Jr. to be her boyfriend, Gene has trouble writing a new song with a homemade instrument, and Louise is frustrated that her peers perceive her as a baby. It’s familiar stuff but the movie-type conflicts erupt when a sinkhole appears in front of the restaurant. When Louise tries to boost her reputation by going into the sinkhole, she finds the skeleton of a deceased man. Now the kids must solve a murder mystery and save their parent’s store.
While many television-to-film adaptations attempt to push the limit of their MPA rating, The Bob’s Burgers Movie retains its entire identity. It may be PG13 but in the lightest way imaginable. If this came out in the 80s, this would be PG on the spot. The movie matches the spirit of the series in style and tone without sacrificing an iota of its integrity to show you a good time. It’s in the same vein as Beavis and Butt-head Do America, doubling down on the characters being themselves and providing a hilarious adventure for fans of the series. Maybe newcomers can have a good time because it’s so effortlessly charming and funny, but fans will be fulfilled.
Much like Smash Bros. Ultimate or The Simpsons Movie, EVERYONE IS HERE! Nearly every recurring fan-favorite character from the series makes an appearance. And yes, Jimmy Pesto, who was formerly voiced by insurrection attendee Jay Johnston, only has brief unvoiced cameos, which is the funniest running gag of the movie.
The Belchers are like the Paddington of animated families: they’re irresistibly charming without having to do much. Having them transition into a feature film format is a huge feat, especially when nobody in the writing or directing department has prior experience working on a film. So, The Bob’s Burgers Movie is undercooked in various areas.
There’s no reason this film needed to clock in at an hour and forty-two minutes in length. It’s too long by television-to-movie adaptation standards, animated or not. There are ample scenes, primarily during the second act of the film, that dragged for far too long. There were moments when I checked the time to see if the film was nearing its climax and we would be nowhere near the third act.
The story emphasizes giving every Belcher something to do in some capacity, enacting various subplots, and most of them either fall short or are given little to no attention. Tina and Gene’s subplots are enticing at first, but as the murder mystery becomes the main focus, their arcs become far too minimal, if not non-existent. If anything, Louise, Bob, and Linda are the ones who take center stage and deliver down-to-earth character arcs that get you in the feels.
We all love Bob’s Burgers for its music, right? The show shines bright when it goes full musical theater. The movie doesn’t commit to being a musical as much as it should. An episode of Central Park has more songs in an episode than this feature-length film. The musical sequences are beautifully animated and the first one, “Sunny Side Up Summer” comes out the gate strong as hell. Heck, I’d nominate it for an Oscar if I could. But after that, the musical aspect comes and goes like a late-‘90s Disney flick. Oh yeah, it goes full Mulan by saying, “We got three songs. You’re only gonna get three songs, and then I’m gone.” The concept of a murder-mystery musical is so cool and the movie hardly follows through with it. It could’ve had its cake and eaten it too.
The Bob's Burgers Movie is the definition of delightful. It’s an honest and loving film adaptation that knows their key demographic and gives them a theatrical buffet of a good time. The animation is stellar, and the story and tone retain the spirit of the show, keeping you laughing non-stop. Though it’s frustratingly long and lacks commitment to every idea it presents, it’s still a great time at the movies. A true family picture that’ll leave you full of glee.
