Comment ça va Bob?

l wasn't sure if I wanted to give this movie 7 or 8 points till seeing the last 20 minutes. There Richard Dreyfuss has been in full cry. I needed to laugh so hard, that I am forced to give this movie 8 points. As a movie itself, if I use all criteria I use on other films, this movie would not deserve 8 points. The story is predictable (I knew exactly how it was going to end from the very beginning), camera work, music and characters are not actually special. All has been there before, and was copied again and again afterward. But as a comedy, this movie totally did what it was supposed to do. It was absolutely hilarious!

Sometimes the humor was a bit too silly, and Bill Murray has been overdoing it from time to time - and I still needed to laugh my butt off. Watching the way smaller Dreyfuss beside the tall, dumb looking Bill, screaming and shouting like an angry dwarf, was a way too funny image.

"What About Bob?" is a laugh-out riot with Bill Murray playing the title character of Bob Wiley, a somewhat neurotic nut ball who's in need of therapy in order to calm his nerves from all the fears he has from germs, elevators, and God knows what else. Richard Dreyfuss plays his psychiatrist Dr. Marvin, a pompous doctor who can't value time with his family until his book becomes a hit and has a chance to talk about it nationwide. It's when Bob and Dr. Marvin meet face-to-face where the barrel of laughs begin with the patient making his life upside down while winning the hearts of his family, enemies and everybody around him. I've been a fan of Bill Murray since his performances from Ghostbusters to Caddyshack and he never disappoints.

Frank Oz directed this comedy that stars Bill Murray as Bob Wiley, a neurotic, needy and lonely man who has seen many psychiatrists, but feels most comfortable with egotistical Leo Marvin(played by Richard Dreyfuss). However, after Dr. Marvin takes a month-long vacation with his family in rural New Hampshire(where he expects to be interviewed by a network morning show) he is stunned to find that Bob has somehow followed him there, and refuses to leave, even ingratiating himself with his wife and children, and that's just the beginning... Amusing comedy with terrific performances, and a most sly premise, which could easily have been turned into a suspense thriller involving stalking!

Gee,...considering this is probably Bill Murray's funniest comedy and it is rated so poorly, no wonder he's recently taken to making odd and very unfunny movies. After all, with WHAT ABOUT BOB?, GROUNDHOG DAY and THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE, he was responsible for probably three of the top comedies of the 1990s...yet all are rated relatively low on IMDb. I just don't get it.

Bob is one of the most annoying and compulsive patients any psychiatrist can have. He's needy, histrionic and sneaky, so when his brand-new therapist goes on vacation, Bob connives to find Dr. Monroe and vacation with him and the family! Now this stalking behavior isn't particularly funny, but what makes this such a great comedy is that Dr. Monroe is a sanctimonious and pompous jerk and it's fun to watch Bob make Monroe's life miserable!! Plus, unlike some comedies that let up, in this film every time you think things can't get worse for Dr. Monroe--they do!! This makes for a funny and deliciously black film--one that can't help much make you chuckle.

By the way, I was a psychotherapist and now teach psychology instead of work with patients. When the film came out, many of my colleagues were scared to death by the film because it did hit close to home, while others thought it hilarious. Having never had a patient like Bob, I guess it was pretty easy for me to laugh at the whole thing!

I have to go now--I'm about to teach my class about "death therapy".

Bob Wiley (Bill Murray) is a wacky oddball. Doctor Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss) is a confident NY psychotherapist who is looking forward to a "Good Morning America" appearance to push his book. A colleague pawns Bob off to Leo as a new patient. Bob is immediately attached to Leo and his book's advise of Baby Steps. When Leo tells Bob that he's going on vacation with his family, Bob can't take it and tracks him down. Leo thinks his life is great, but not everything is going as well as he supposes. His townie neighbors hate him. His son is afraid to dive. His daughter hates to be over-analyzed and has normal boy troubles. His wife could do with more consideration from Leo. And worst of all, everybody loves Bob.

Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss make for a great odd couple. They are both doing something within their skill sets. Bill Murray is especially wacky in this, and Dreyfuss plays annoyed very well without being completely unlikeable. One could certainly understand Leo's point of view, but it's also obvious how wrong he is.