Review of What About Bob? (1991) by Daina S — 24 Apr 2009

I had the idea going into this movie that it was a political satire. Where I got that idea from, I haven't the faintest idea, because it was a straightforward comedy. Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss are both hilarious in their respective roles - Bill Murray as Bob, a cheerful, friendly, but slightly unnerving patient who stalks his therapist. Richard Dreyfuss is the therapist, a self-centered egoist who is determined to keep his whole life within his power and is completely thrown when Bob invades his life and his home.

The movie descends into darker and darker humor, seeming at the end to pay tribute to old Looney Toons cartoons - you know, the ones where the person goes completely crazy trying to hunt the rabbit, or kill the cat who won't stop singing, or any of that. I didn't know how it was going to pull it off, but it managed to do it and leave me feeling extremely satisfied with the movie as a whole. Definitely one worth watching.