Margaret Fish is busy putting the finishing touches to a surprise 40th birthday party for her husband Bob. Meanwhile, still at work, dentist Bob is in the grips of a middle aged depression where he wonders where his life is going and if he should really be as bored and disaffected with his lot as he is. While the guests gather in his home, Bob takes his time coming home and, when he eventually does, Margaret finds that Bob is deep in the throws of a crisis and keeps the surprise a secret In what is now regarded a pilot for the animated series "Bob & Margaret", this short film is wonderfully amusing but with a real heart for the characters and emotions involved. It is a simple plot but it is consistently amusing, occasionally very funny and mostly quite moving. The script paints Bob and Margaret as convincing and real people whom the audience easily identify with and feel for; they are funny but never in a cruel or mocking way. The animation matches this, providing a fuzzy warm style that has plenty of amusing little touches around the edges particularly the pair of dogs in the house! I have never seen more than an episode of the series but consider it to be good and continues the themes and characters established in this film. Overall this is a touching and funny little short about middle age nothing of any great consequence but enjoyable and entertaining nonetheless.
