Post by StevePulaski on Jun 7, 2016 11:25:54 GMT -5
What About Bob? (1991)
Directed by: Frank Oz
Directed by: Frank Oz
Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray.
Rating: ★★★
Frank Oz's What About Bob? is a bold black comedy that asks the very real question - could a mentally unstable patient effectively make his own psychiatrist insane, as well? The film takes notes from the Jack Lemmon/Walter Mathau film The Odd Couple and even predates Clifford, a similar story of a character's escalating madness by a loose-cannon, by three years. If you feel yourself slowly going mad during the film, that means the film, its writer, and most importantly, the respective actors, are doing their jobs.
What About Bob?'s success comes in large part due to the comic strengths of both Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss, who work off of one another's most incorrigible quirks with true comedic precision and skill. Bill Murray takes on a performance of an insane patient that feels like a reincarnation of the kind of uncontrollable zaniness of Robin Williams in a film like Patch Adams, whereas Richard Dreyfuss assumes the characteristics of a straight-shooting psychiatrist, whose life is predicated upon precision and tidiness that soon falls victim to the idiocy caused by his patient.
We open by getting introduced to Bob Wiley (Bill Murray), who despite being well-meaning and hard-working, is paranoid and obsessive compulsive to the point where he can hardly operate normally anymore, using a handkerchief to substitute actually physically touching something. He begins to see a local, renowned therapist named Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss), who has recently written a best seller that encourages patients to take "baby steps" to achieve the life they want to. One meeting with Dr. Marvin, where he gives Bob a copy of his book, and Bob feels reborn and re-energized, so much so that he wants to have more visits with his psychiatrist.
The problem is that Dr. Marvin has gone on vacation to Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire for the month and has refused to take any calls. That doesn't stop Bob from pestering his office, calling numerous frequently and impersonating new people each time in order to obtain the whereabouts of Dr. Marvin. Finally, a fake suicide attempt and disgruntled locals who were going to purchase Dr. Marvin's current vacation home, Bob discovers where his psychiatrist is staying and stops by for a visit. Dr. Marvin, appalled after having his privacy breached, tells Bob that he needs to take a better vacation for himself in order to try and get away from everything and everyone and learn to function on his own. Bob finally comes to the conclusion that there's no better place to take a vacation than with his own psychiatrist and his own family, despite an important interview with Good Morning America coming up while he is staying on the lake.
Bob is damn-near one of the most insufferable movie characters I've seen in quite sometime, meaning Murray has done nothing but further prove his ability to act and carry himself in another comedy. He functions well as he teeters over the line of being a flaming, inconsiderate narcissist and someone victim to many phobias and uncontrollable impulses in his daily life. Placed alongside Dreyfuss, who's descent into madness isn't as gradual or as mannered as it could be, manages to be a delightful dichotomy and a strong showcase for the comedic talent of both men under wacky conditions.
What About Bob?'s real success comes from how nicely structured it is. It has physical comedy, but it's not slapstick. It has verbal wit and banter, but it's not a very high-brow or subtle comedy. Its strengths come from the way screenwriter Tom Schulman (writer of Dead Poets Society) and director Frank Oz (popular Muppets puppeteer) handle the craziness throughout the film, and rather than capitalizing on all the setups and zaniness early on, they leave it extend out through the course of the film to make it an experience worth watching until the end, rather than just in certain, memorable chunks.
Starring: Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Directed by: Frank Oz.