What About Bob? (1991) ****1/2

 

Bill Murray's films have generally aged really well, and “What About Bob?” is a great example. I was lukewarm on this movie the first time around, but over the years it has become one of my faves.

Murray plays Bob, a guy with multiple phobias, whose crippling anxiety makes it almost impossible to leave his apartment. His new psychiatrist, Dr Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss), however, is famous, with a best-selling book, and Bob has great hopes for their therapeutic relationship. No sooner do they meet, however, than Leo leaves on an extended vacation. Bob's separation anxiety is so great that it overcomes his other anxieties, driving him to leave the city and follow Leo to the coast, where Bob insidiously and maddeningly insinuates himself into Leo's vacation and his family.

Bob is the classic interloper character, someone who shows up and insinuates himself bit by bit into another character's life, like a cuckoo laying its egg in another bird's nest. The first time I watched the film, I hated Bob. Despite Leo's conceitedness, I felt sorry for him as Bob screws everything up for him and drives him to madness. Over the years and multiple viewings, however, I came to see that the person primarily responsible for Leo's problems, is – you guessed it- Leo. (Don't you think this is probably something Leo would tell his patients?) Yes, Bob is completely inappropriate, but Leo's inability to enforce boundaries, and the fragility of his success are the result of his own greed and inflated ego. We see that even in his family life, Leo insists on maintaining his self-image as a wise, kindly counselor, making his interactions superficial, even with those closest to him. Bob appeals to people because, even as nuts as he is, he is vulnerable and honest, which makes him accessible in a way Leo cannot be.

We also see a difference in these 2 characters in how they manage change. Bob is terrified of everything, but he finds in himself a willingness to be terrified, to be uncomfortable, and thus, to invite change into his life. Leo, the supposed sane one, is completely rigid, so change, when it inevitably comes, drives him over the edge.

“What About Bob” is directed by Frank Oz, who also gave us the delightful "Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels." He gets a lot of help here from a terrific cast. Murray and Dreyfuss are in top form, even if, as rumor has it, they hated each other on set. The supporting cast is great, as well, especially Charlie Korsmo, who plays Leo's son, Siggy. (Korsmo was a talented child actor who gave up acting to get a degree in physics and become a lawyer.)

Within the Bill Murray oeuvre, “What About Bob?” is not quite as perfect as "Groundhog Day"“ or "Lost in Translation"“, but it's still a classic about a couple of men facing their fears. Don't be afraid to watch it.

4.5 stars out of 5