THE
WASHINGTON
POST
.
FRIDAY,MAY
27, 2022
EZ
22
Movies
lovingly in “The Bob’s Burgers
Movie.”
The story begins with the delib-
erately dull — Bob’s efforts to get
an extension on a loan payment
from a humorless bank employee
— before quickly segueing to the
deliciously bizarre: a six-year-old,
unsolved murder case, which
comes to light only when a cavern-
ous sinkhole opens in the road in
front of Bob’s establishment, offer-
ing up not only the skeletal re-
mains of a boardwalk carny, but an
opportunity for Bob’s three school-
age children to investigate his de-
mise, at risk of their own lives.
The three amateur sleuths are
Louise Belcher (Kristen Schaal),
the prematurely pushy youngest
daughter; middle sibling Gene
(Eugene Mirman), an amiable,slightly dim and arguably gender-
fluid aspiring musician, whose
band is called the Itty Bitty Ditty
Committee; and Tina Belcher
(Dan Mintz), who dreams of dat-
ing the son of Bob’s across-the
street pizza-parlor rival. (Benja-
min voices the would-be boy-
friend, too, as well as several
other characters, without really
trying to make any of them sound
terribly distinct from one an-
other. It’s part of the low-rent
charm. Go with it.)
One of the show’s hallmarks
has been its regular celebrity
cameos, which have included co-
medic talent from Keegan-Mi-
chael Key to Sarah Silverman. But
those who were hoping for a
Simpsons-esque who’s who of
voice actors to pop up in themovie may be disappointed. The
most prominent players in the
cast are Kevin Kline and Zach
Galifianakis, who return to their
regular roles as Bob’s hardheart-
ed landlord, Calvin Fischoeder,
and his ne’er-do-well, possibly
psychopathic brother, Felix.
One of the best performances,
however, has always been that of
John Roberts, who was nominat-
ed for a 2015 Emmy for his por-
trayal of Bob’s wife, Linda. It’s a
characterization that Roberts has
said is based on his own mother,
and Linda’s indefatigable, chip-
per enthusiasm is a mainstay of
the film’s story. Despite all the
mayhem that ensues, including
the possibility of being buried
alive, Linda is “unstop-timistic,”
to use her own non-word.I would argue that Linda is the
character who is most emblemat-
ic of why “The Bob’s Burgers
Movie” (and the show) works. We
all know, and have probably been
annoyed by, someone like her.
That’s evidence not of the mun-
dane, but of recognizable human
behavior, albeit rendered in a
cartoonish style that is simulta-
neously crude and over the top.
Even when the film’s action takes
us to a slum called Carnyapolis,
home to the riffraff from the
Wonder Wharf amusement park
— now celebrating its 80th anni-
versary, or “octa-wharfiversary”
— or to a creepy hidden lair
beneath the pier, “The Bob’s Burg-
ers Movie” feels as real as it does
surreal.
Put in terms that Bob (and
perhaps only Bob fans) can un-
derstand: This movie may not be
the Meatsiah — beef tartare in-
side a medium-well burger inside
beef Wellington — but it’s pretty
well done.The Bob’s Burgers Movie
PHOTOS BY 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS
PG-13. At area theaters. Contains rude and suggestive material and language. 102 minutes.
Well done, with a side of the absurd
BY MICHAEL O’SULLIVAN
F
ox’s animated TV series
“Bob’s Burgers,” which
centers on restaurateur
Bob Belcher (voice of H.
Jon Benjamin) and his titular
beachside burger joint, may be
something of an acquired taste,
like the many bizarre, pun-titled
variants of the fast-food staple
that Bob has developed over 12
seasons. (Salvador Cauliflower
Burger, anyone?) The Post’s Hank
Stuever called the series, upon its
2011 debut, “pointlessly vulgar
and deliberately dull.”
Despite that, the show has
gone on to develop a cult follow-
ing, proof of which would seem to
be the new feature film based on
it, titled, simply enough, “The
Bob’s Burgers Movie.”
But in our dismissive 2011 de-
scription lies a kernel of truth.
The strange appeal of “Burgers,”
both the show and the film, is
precisely in its mix of the mun-
dane and the pointless (or, to be
kinder, the absurd). It is a blend of
proprietary seasoning, savory to
those who have developed an
appetite for it, perhaps sickening
to some others, that is preservedMovie based on the
animated series keeps
its signature blend of
mundane, ridiculous
TOP: From left, Linda Belcher
(voiced by John Roberts), Bob
Belcher (H. Jon Benjamin) and
Mr. Dowling (Craig Anton) in
“The Bob’s Burgers Movie.”
LEFT: From left, Gene (Eugene
Mirman), Louise (Kristen
Schaal) and Tina Belcher (Dan
Mintz). The three Belcher kids
become amateur sleuths in the
film, investigating the death of
a boardwalk carny.