Chronicles in film

Long-time running animated series, which is shown here in the UK on ITV 2 and Disney+, like many great shows, gets its feature film spin-off. Originally, it was meant to be seen as the big goodbye to fans of the series; however, Disney Fox has signed on for a 14th season. I’ve heard of the series and watched little snippets. I’ll admit I’ve never watched a full episode, so this franchise is new to me. Originally, I was going to review this at the cinema, but something happened that prevented it from happening. Now it’s on Disney+.

For anyone like me, Bob’s Burgers is created by Loren Bouchard and centers around the Belcher family: Bob and Linda. They run a hamburger joint and regularly find themselves in adventures with their children Tina, Gene, and Louise, the youngest who wears a hat that looks like rabbit ears (you find out why she wears them).

The Bob’s Burgers Movie is a comedy musical that once again shows the Belchers struggling to keep their restaurant afloat. They are struggling to pay off bank loans, and things get worse when a water main ruptures, causing a massive sinkhole in front of the restaurant. It blocks anyone from entering the place and ruins their plans for a great summer. Their landlord, Calvin Fischoeder (Kevin Kline), won’t help things as he has his own plans for the street. Of course, as anyone knows from this series, there are lots of mysteries and oddball, surreal moments.

Tina tries to muster the courage to ask Jimmy Jr to be her boyfriend, Gene thinks he can revolutionize American pop with his creation of a napkin holder with 2 spoons strapped to it, with his band, The Itty Bitty Ditty Committee. Louise, who is desperate to be liked by the popular girls and to show that she is no baby.

Very few TV shows, whether live-action or animated, that release a feature-length movie rarely work. Bob’s Burgers: The Movie does work. It doesn’t lose any of its traits that made it so special on the small screen and adapts really well to the big screen.

I wasn’t sure if this was for kids or if it was one that adults would love. The first few minutes answered that question. The humor is sometimes dry, witty, odd, and, most of all, silly, reaching extreme levels at times. Beyond that humor, your heartstrings are tested as you feel for the Belchers and the troubles many families are going through nowadays. The jokes themselves feel like they are given time to breathe, and some hit you unexpectedly, just like they do in the television episodes.

Musically, there is a slight Monty Python feel to the songs, with the characters dancing as if they have been choreographed by Dumbarton’s finest, David Byrne of Talking Heads fame.

In The Bob’s Burgers Movie, there are digs at workers’ rights, exploitation, and class divides, but no character actually feels at odds with anyone. Overall, this film doesn’t lose any of its episodic traits and charms with an entertaining, grounded film that fans, both old and new, will adore.

★★★★