What About Bob
| What About Bob? | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Frank Oz |
| Produced by | Laura Ziskin |
| Screenplay by | Tom Schulman |
| Story by |
Alvin Sargent Laura Ziskin |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Miles Goodman |
| Cinematography | Michael Ballhaus |
| Edited by | Anne V. Coates |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
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Release date
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May 17, 1991 |
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Running time
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98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35 million |
| Box office | $63,707,829 |
What About Bob? is a 1991 American black comedy film directed by Frank Oz, and starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Murray plays Bob Wiley, a psychiatric patient who follows his egotistical psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss) on vacation. When the unstable Bob befriends the other members of Marvin's family, it pushes the doctor over the edge.
The film received positive reviews and was a box office success. This film is number 43 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".
Bob Wiley (Bill Murray) is a good-natured man with great work ethic, but he suffers from multiple phobias and is divorced simply because his ex-wife is a fan of Neil Diamond. He feels good about the results of an initial session with Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss), a New York psychoanalytical psychiatrist with a huge ego, but is immediately left on his own with a copy of Leo's new book, Baby Steps, when the doctor goes on vacation to Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire for a month. Unable to cope, Bob follows Leo to his vacation home. Leo is annoyed because he does not see patients on vacation but, seeing how desperate Bob is, he gives Bob a prescription telling him to "take a vacation from his problems." Bob seems to have made a breakthrough, but the next morning shows up at Leo's house again and says that he decided to take a vacation both in spirit and in fact. He is staying on at Lake Winnipesaukee as a guest of the Guttmans, a couple who own a coffee shop and are more than happy to have Bob as their guest and encourage him to be around Leo, as they hold a grudge against Dr. Marvin for purchasing the lakeside home they had been scrimping and saving for years to buy.
Bob suggests that they start a friendship, although Leo thinks being friends with a patient is beneath him and attempts to avoid any further contact. However, Bob swiftly ingratiates himself with Leo's family, who think Bob may have some foibles, but is otherwise a balanced and sociable man. Leo's children: Anna (Kathryn Erbe) and Sigmund (Charlie Korsmo) find that Bob relates well to their problems, in contrast with their father's clinical approach, while Bob begins to gain an enjoyment of life from his association with them. Bob goes sailing with Anna and helps Sigmund to dive into the lake, which Leo was unable to help him with. Leo then angrily pushes Bob into the lake and Leo’s wife, Fay, insists on inviting Bob to dinner to apologize, which Bob accepts (as he views Leo's slights against him as accidental and/or part of his therapy). At dinner, Bob's comment on Baby Steps causes Leo to choke, and Bob saves his life by repeatedly and violently landing his full weight on the doctor's prostrated form. A thunderstorm then forces Bob to spend the night. Leo wants Bob out of the house by 6:30, as Good Morning America is arriving at 7:00 to interview him about Baby Steps. The next morning, however, the television crew shows up early and, oblivious to Leo's discomfort, suggest having Bob on the show as well. Leo is tense and makes a fool out of himself during the interview while Bob is relaxed and speaks glowingly of Leo and the book, unintentionally stealing the spotlight.
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