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What About Bob?
Buena Vista Pictures
FILM:
MPAA RATING: PG
Starring
Bill Murray,
Richard Dreyfuss,
Julie Hagerty,
Charlie Korsmo,
and
Kathryn Erbe
Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss) goes on vacation for the summer but soon discovers his new patient, Bob Wiley (Murray), has followed him and befriended his family.
| GENRE(S): |
Comedy
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Tom Schulman
Alvin Sargent (story)
Laura Ziskin (story)
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Frank Oz
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: July 11, 2000
Theatrical: May 17, 1991
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
99 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
80
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
The concept itself is so strong - particularly as a revenge fantasy for anyone who's ever resented hypocritical exploitative shrinks - that it winds up working pretty well anyway.
80
Variety
Staff (Not Credited)
Bill Murray finds a real showcase for his oft-shackled talent in this manic comedy.
80
Washington Post
Desson Howe
Bob rests entirely on Murray's shoulders. But he more than takes the weight.
80
Washington Post
Rita Kempley
Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss star in this hilarious brain-teaser about a patient who suffers acute separation anxiety when his psychiatrist goes on vacation.
80
Time
Richard Schickel
Murray, with his curious blend of pathos and aggressiveness, is terrific, and so is an acutely uptight Dreyfuss, never once copping a plea for our sympathy.
75
TV Guide
Staff (Not Credited)
Actors Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss provide the frenzied fun that highlights What About Bob? a wacky slapstick comedy.
67
Austin Chronicle
Steve Davis
What About Bob? is a one-joke movie, but what a funny joke!
67
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman
What About Bob? is just funny enough to make you wish it had been wilder and less predictable.
63
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
Bill Murray's manic performance is the main selling point of this mildly amusing farce about a psychiatrist with a patient who literally drives him crazy
60
Empire
Jo Berry
What makes the film work is the double act between the two actors, and some great one-liners that pepper the script and cover up the fact there isn’t a great deal of originality in the plot.
50
The New York Times
Janet Maslin
What About Bob? does work as comedy for a while, thanks to the fortuitous teaming of Mr. Dreyfuss and Mr. Murray.
50
Baltimore Sun
Stephen Hunter
Murray is very funny in the early going when his irritation-shtick is allowed full play; when he turns doughily benign in the late going, he's much less interesting. [17 May 1991]
50
Chicago Tribune
Clifford Terry
A broadly played, by-the-numbers comedy that pits your consummate classic nut case against your quintessential screwed-up shrink. [17 May 1991]
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Rick Groen
But there's still Murray, who drives the idea further than it has any right to go. He energizes the loony schtick of the opening scenes. [17 May 1991]
50
USA Today
Mike Clark
A sentimental comedy about mental illness (complete with a sitcom family), wobbly Bob offers further evidence that Disney itself may be afflicted with encroaching schizophrenia. [17 May 1991]
42
Portland Oregonian
Ted Mahar
It recalls a kind of French farce that assumes its audiences want to see the rich suffer. [18 May 1991]
25
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
It's a bomb - not the usual bomb, but a time bomb, despite a 20-minute stretch at the beginning that goes along nicely. [17 May 1991]
 The average user rating for this movie is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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