This was my first time dining at Bob’s Burgers. I missed the train on the TV show and took a super mega fan along with me for the experience. So if you’re looking for a review that is extremely knowledgeable about the TV show and all of the in-jokes and references, regrettably this probably is not the review for you.
Bob and his family need to find a way to save their burger restaurant after the bank recalls their loan and a giant sinkhole opens up right out the front which stops customers from being able to get into the store. When a skeleton is found in the hole, it turns into a crime scene and the family must try and solve the murder to save their restaurant. What follows are a bunch of Bob’s Burgeresque shenanigans that will satisfy fans of the TV show while also doing what it did for me, making me a fan of the movie and sending me straight back home to binge-watch previous seasons.
First of all, I want to touch on the animation style, we haven’t seen a lot of 2D animation in theatres for quite some time. Seeing a beautifully polished 2D animated film for the whole family brought me back to The Simpsons Movie. By using shadowing, unique camera angles and well money, the whole production element of this film looks incredibly beautiful. If you are a fan of traditional 2D animation like I am, this will be a tasty treat.
Each character here is allowed to have their time to shine and these were the moments that really made me fall in love with the Belcher family. Tina (Dan Mintz) is grappling with her decision to finally ask out Jimmy Junior in a series of hilarious and awkward school scenes, Louise (Kristen Schaal) has the whole school calling her names because of her pink ears, Gene (Eugene Mirman) is trying to write a song using an instrument he crafted himself and then there is Bob (H. John Benjamin) and Linda (John Roberts). There is something about this couple that really is the heart of this movie. The mum and dad attempt to be the rock for their family while struggling with everyday life and looking after their kids. Through all of their struggles, they find humour and a lot of love in the world and more importantly, each other. This clearly flows down into their kids as the family comes together for the final act of the movie which left me completely in love with this family.
The film drops in at 1 hour and 40 minutes which does start to drag out a little in the final 40 minutes, for die-hard fans it may be more relishing in the show they love, but for others who aren’t as on board with the movie, it may feel a little drawn out. The movie begins and ends without any major revelation or big changes for the show to have to deal with in its next season which depending on what kind of fan you are, can be a good or bad thing.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie successfully combines the ingredients of what makes the TV series work so well and successfully translates it to the big screen as the main course. The animation studios at Bento Box and Mercury Filmworks deliver stunning 2D animation which extra depth which helps it look perfect for big theatre consumption. The story and characters offer enough that you don’t need to know the history of these characters to understand the in-jokes and nods and winks you will discover like I did when you go home and binge the show. A lot of shows struggle to translate from TV to Movie, The Bob’s Burgers Movie is the happy exception that shines by going bigger and offering fans and newcomers a big-screen experience worth heading to the cinema for.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie is in cinemas now.
