What About Bob? (1991)
85%RT Audience Score: 79%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 2 nominations
Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss’ chemistry helps make the most of a familiar yet durable premise, elevating What About Bob? into the upper ranks of ’90s comedies
What About Bob? is a hilarious movie that will make you laugh out loud. Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss are a perfect duo, with Murray playing the lovable and annoying Bob who drives Dreyfuss’ character crazy. The movie is a classic comedy that will have you quoting lines for days. It’s no wonder that Murray’s performance is compared to his iconic roles in Ghostbusters and Caddyshack. Plus, the fact that Murray and Dreyfuss couldn’t stand each other in real life just adds to the fun. If you’re looking for a good laugh, What About Bob? is the perfect movie for you.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
8254 Scruggs Road, Moneta, Virginia, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1991
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jan 13, 2004
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss, Julie Hagerty, Charlie Korsmo, Kathryn Erbe, Tom Aldredge, directed by Frank Oz, written by Tom Schulman, Alvin Sargent, Laura Ziskin, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Duane Byrge, Richard Schickel, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Nell Minow, Janet Maslin, Desson Thomson, Sean Collier, David Nusair, Rob Gonsalves, Joyce Slaton, Rob Thomas, Chuck O’Leary, produced by Laura Ziskin, PG, psychiatrist, patient, vacation, family, country house, phobias, neediness, authority figures, black comedy, vulnerability, professional composure, loony bin
Worldwide gross: $63,707,829
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $140,628,095
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 865
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 15,335,670
US/Canada gross: $63,707,829
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $140,628,095
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 547
US/Canada opening weekend: $9,216,334
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $20,344,054
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 648
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $39,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $86,088,253
Production budget ranking: 484
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $46,358,524
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $8,181,318
ROI to date (est.): 6%
ROI ranking: 1,372
Richard Dreyfuss – Dr. Leo Marvin
Julie Hagerty – Fay Marvin
Charlie Korsmo – Sigmund “Siggy” Marvin
Kathryn Erbe – Anna Marvin
Tom Aldredge – Mr. Guttman
Director(s)
Frank Oz
Writer(s)
Tom Schulman, Alvin Sargent, Laura Ziskin
Producer(s)
Laura Ziskin
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (7)
Murray and Dreyfuss play off each other to their maximum advantage: Murray does what he does best, to shine-on and ultimately destroy authority figures, while Dreyfuss’ portrayal of the runty doctor is splendidly Napoleonic.
May 21, 2018
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
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.
October 5, 2008
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
This cruel but effective black comedy violates credibility at almost every turn, but the concept itself is so strong hat it winds up working pretty well anyway.
March 13, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Except for the last half hour, one of the best comedies of the 90’s.
September 4, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
Somehow, Mr. Dreyfuss maintains his sound comic timing even when Frank Oz’s antic direction calls for hand-waving hysteria.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 2.5/5
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
With his twisted lower lip, doleful eyes and trademark deadpan, [Murray] exudes an awkward — and funny — vulnerability.
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
What About Bob? is carried, almost single-handedly, by a peak performance by Murray, whose work here is the equal of his turns in Ghostbusters or Caddyshack.
July 8, 2019 | Rating: 7/10
Sean Collier
Box Office Prophets
…an affable endeavor that isn’t quite the comedy classic one might’ve anticipated.
November 4, 2017 | Rating: 2.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Essentially a two-man comedy riff, of the sort we see less and less at the movies.
December 29, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
Appealingly silly romp for kids and adults.
January 2, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Joyce Slaton
Common Sense Media
Murray nicely shelves his wise-guy persona in a winning comedy.
March 1, 2007 | Rating: 3/5
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
A delightful annoying-person comedy made even more amusing by the fact that Murray and Dreyfuss couldn’t stand one another in real life.
February 18, 2006 | Rating: 7/10
Chuck O’Leary
FulvueDrive-in.com…
Plot
Dr. Leo Marvin, an egotistical psychotherapist in New York City, is looking forward to his upcoming appearance on a “Good Morning America” telecast, during which he plans to brag about “Baby Steps,” his new book about emotional disorder theories in which he facts his philosophy of treating patients and their phobias. Meanwhile, Bob Wiley is a recluse who is so afraid to leave his own apartment that he has to talk himself out the door. When he is pawned off on Leo by a psychotherapist colleague, he becomes attached to him. Leo finds Bob extremely annoying. When Leo accompanies his wife, Faye, his daughter, Anna, and his son, Sigmund, to a peaceful New Hampshire lakeside cottage for a month-long vacation, he thinks he’s been freed from Bob. Leo expects to mesmerize his family with his prowess as a brilliant husband and remarkable father who knows all there is to know about instructing Faye and raising Anna and Sigmund. But Bob isn’t going to let him enjoy a quiet summer by the lake. By cleverly tricking the telephone operator at Leo’s exchange, Bob discovers the whereabouts of him and his family. Despite his phobia about traveling alone, Bob somehow manages to talk himself onto a bus, and he arrives in New Hampshire. Leo’s vacation comes to a screeching halt the moment he sees him. With his witty personality, his ability to manipulate people, and his good sense of humor, he quickly becomes an annoyance to Leo, but not to Faye, Anna, and Sigmund, because they think he is fun while Leo is dull. Fearing that he’s losing his family to him, Leo frantically tries to find a way to make him go back to New York City, and it’s not as easy as he had hoped. He finds himself stepping outside the law to try to get Bob to stay away from Faye, Anna, and Sigmund
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises the chemistry between Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss, saying it helps elevate the film into the upper ranks of ’90s comedies.
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