Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
Plot: The Belchers try to save the restaurant from closing as a sinkhole forms in front of it, while the kids try to solve a mystery that could save their family’s restaurant.
Reviews: Bob’s Burgers (2011-) is one of those animated series that seem to come out of nowhere and slowly but surely it grew into a mini juggernaut of a show that could stand head and shoulders with similar series. The main plot centers on Bob, a blue-collar family man who runs a struggling burger joint with the assistance of his ever-positive wife Linda and their three precocious kids Gene, Tina and Louise. I remember watching the first episode thinking to myself, “These has to be the ugliest looking characters I’ve ever seen.” Yet there was something there and as I kept watching I, like millions of other viewers, fell in love with these irksome but ultimately loveable people.
Like fellow Fox series The Simpsons before them, Bob’s Burgers has a large and dedicated fan base. But unlike The Simpsons which waited 18 seasons before finally taking their brand of humour to the big screen, Bob’s Burgers took the leap after just 12. Also, unlike The Simpsons whose movie made that world feel larger than life, The Bob’s Burgers movie comes across more like a very long television episode with better animation.
The story is a tad darker than the ones found in show with it opening on a murder. Bob, voiced by H. Jon Benjamin who’s also well known as the man behind Archer, and his wife Linda (John Roberts) are once again struggling to pay their mortgage and have to come up with the money in a week. Things only get worse when a sinkhole develops right in front of their little restaurant and a body is found inside. Meanwhile Louise (Kristen Schaal) wants to prove to her schoolmates she’s not a baby due to her always wearing her pink rabbit ears. She ropes her sister Tina (Dan Mintz) and her brother Gene (Eugene Mirman) into solving the mystery so she can not only show everyone she’s brave but also to save their parents’ restaurant.
The creators of the show know what the fans want and that’s lots of Louise. Arguably the most beloved character on the show, placing the focus of the story around the three siblings once again makes for some great comedic moments. The animation is top notch here and you can see it most in scenes where there’s a lot of movement like the musical numbers. I’m no fan of musicals but ask any fan of the show and they’ll tell you the original songs are some of the best parts of the episodes and the same goes here. Sadly, great animation and beloved characters alone are not enough and both plots — a whodunit and Bob and Linda trying to save their restaurant — don’t really deliver anything memorable the way The Simpsons Movie and South Park’s Bigger Longer and Uncut did.
I’m a big fan of the show and its huge cast of characters. Not only has the episodes gotten better and better but with every episode having musical numbers and characters large and small all leaving indelible humorously fun moments this animated series has earned its place alongside similar shows. Sadly, though the movie doesn’t have those larger-than-life themes needed to make it stand out. And in the end if you chose to watch it at home you probably won’t notice it was meant to be seen in cinemas instead of just being another episode.
Score: 6.5 out of 10
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Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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