Tiffani-Amber Thiessen is proposed for a clearly high-school-aged Anna, then an all-Black remake develops around Sterling K. Brown, Sanaa Lathan, J.B. Smoove, and Tracy Morgan, with Kevin Hart rejected.

In the discussion (12)

Approx. transcript time · 00:08:50Read transcript

Will Ferrell is proposed as Bob because he could balance an annoying character with likability.
Phil Hartman is proposed as Leo because the role needs rage that remains comic.
The existing cast is first declared perfect before the discussion pivots to an all-Black version.
Tiffani-Amber Thiessen is proposed if Anna is meant to read as an unmistakable high-school student.
The panel worries that a more conspicuous teen-star casting would disrupt the family’s intentionally ordinary quality.
Sterling K. Brown is proposed for Leo in the all-Black version.
Sanaa Lathan is proposed for Leo’s wife.
Kevin Hart is identified as the obvious commercial Bob choice but rejected because the panel doubts he would disappear into the character.
J.B. Smoove becomes the preferred Bob because he can charm the family while aggravating Sterling K. Brown’s Leo.
Kenan Thompson is considered for Leo as an undervalued performer.
Tracy Morgan is also proposed as Bob and receives strong support.
The remake discussion pivots to an all-Black cast for What About Bob.

Roger Ebert's review

The episode states that Roger Ebert gave What About Bob? three stars and called it Bill Murray’s best movie since Ghostbusters; Gene Siskel’s opposing criticism of Dreyfuss’s anger is also discussed.

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 00:26:33Read transcript

The movie is reported to have cost thirty-nine million dollars and earned sixty-four million.
Roger Ebert is reported to have given the movie three stars.
Ebert is reported to have called it Bill Murray’s best movie since Ghostbusters.
Gene Siskel is reported to have disliked the movie because Dreyfuss’s anger felt excessive.
The panel understands Siskel’s objection but disagrees because Dreyfuss’s anger powers the comedy and trailer.

Most Rewatchable Scene

The therapy meeting, diner call, sailing, puppets, diving, dinner, television interview, Leo’s expulsion of Bob, attempted explosion, and several Bob-Siggy exchanges are nominated; dinner and Leo’s “never gone” breakdown are final favorites.

In the discussion (15)

Approx. transcript time · 00:27:55Read transcript

The opening credits are praised for quickly establishing Bob’s instability but explicitly withheld as the final choice.
The opening therapy session quickly establishes Bob’s fears and the Neil Diamond marriage joke.
Leo’s face on the Baby Steps book cover makes his narcissism part of the therapy scene.
Bob waiting for Leo’s call at the diner introduces the Gutmans’ anger toward Leo.
Bob sailing is an early favorite despite questions about how readily Anna includes him.
Leo using puppets to order Anna away from Bob exposes his own instability.
Bob teaching Siggy to dive turns into a successful moment of encouragement.
Bob’s delighted groans over dinner and question about hand-shucked corn make the family meal a favorite.
The family gravitates toward Bob after he helps during Leo’s choking episode.
Bob interrupting the television interview and the Gutmans celebrating deepen Leo’s public humiliation.
Leo’s attempt to expel Bob culminates in the “never gone” breakdown.
Leo trying to blow up Bob only to destroy his own house is included in the final run of scenes.
Bob finding Leo by shouting his name in town is praised for its absurd efficiency.
Bob and Siggy’s bedtime conversation and Tourette’s exchange gain force on adult rewatch.
Dreyfuss’s “never gone” explosion and the dinner scene are the final personal favorites.

Picking Nits

The panel questions Bob’s shifting symptoms, the Gutmans’ constant availability, Leo’s murder plan, and the length of Leo’s vacation; Bob’s apparent inconsistency is answered as gradual improvement through Baby Steps.

In the discussion (11)

Approx. transcript time · 00:30:24Read transcript

Bob’s OCD behavior seems to come and go: he cannot leave home or touch a doorknob, then suddenly socializes with the answering-service workers.
Anna’s immediate invitation of Bob is called a borderline nitpick and prompts debate about the character’s age and possible attraction.
The response is that pursuing Leo forces Bob into increasingly difficult interactions and therefore functions as treatment.
Bob touching the family car without a napkin becomes evidence that his trust is growing.
Bob’s impersonation and detective work show him re-entering the world rather than remaining static.
The Gutmans appear across the lake whenever the story needs them despite supposedly running a diner.
Leo’s plan to blow Bob up offers no credible explanation for the death or evidence.
The panel accepts that Leo has lost his mind but still finds the attempted-murder mechanics excessive.
A participant’s only nitpick is that committed therapists would treat possible patient self-harm as a 911 emergency.
The producer questions whether a psychiatrist would leave patients from July 31 through Labor Day.
A roughly thirty-five-day vacation is judged unusually long for an active practice.

What’s Aged the Best?

Leo’s reaction to Bob’s reported suicide, the spoken title, the Wagoneer, Julie Haggerty, Leo’s clothes, the local shirt, family conferences, the psychiatry satire, Bob’s humanity, and compact movie-star comedy receive praise.

In the discussion (14)

Approx. transcript time · 00:37:05Read transcript

After hearing that his patient committed suicide, he calls it horrible and then says not to let it spoil the vacation.
The movie’s spoken “What about Bob?” title line remains a crowd-pleasing device.
Leo’s Wagoneer is praised as an important 1980s comedy vehicle.
Julie Haggerty is praised as a durable comic performer from Airplane! and Lost in America through Marriage Story.
The wife character is the family member who can tolerate and understand Leo.
Albert Brooks and Gary Marshall’s casino negotiation in Lost in America is recalled as a favorite scene.
Dreyfuss’s vacation clothes are praised as perfectly chosen for the character.
Bob’s local shirt remains memorable.
The family conference and puppets efficiently reveal that Leo’s home life is less controlled than he believes.
The movie satirizes a period of branded celebrity psychiatry built around slogans and gimmicks.
Bob connects with Leo’s children by listening and encouraging them, while Leo repeatedly fails to connect.
The discussion argues that the film targets Leo’s fame-hungry narcissism more specifically than all therapy.
Dreyfuss’s thighs and trimmed beard are nearly included as an Aged Best answer.
The panel misses compact high-concept American comedies built around major movie stars.

What’s Aged the Worst?

The panel tests the movie’s sympathy for Bob, Leo’s attempted murder, older comedy’s indifference to extreme violence, and its period skepticism toward psychiatry, while disagreeing over whether the target is therapists generally or celebrity hucksters.

In the discussion (7)

Approx. transcript time · 00:45:20Read transcript

A modern reading can see Bob as a sociopath who invades Leo’s family and helps drive him into a yearlong collapse.
The movie goes off the rails when Leo tries to murder Bob.
The attempted murder is compared with older comedies that used kidnapping, threats, or mass violence as jokes.
Bob is described as trying to reach the next day, while Leo is more interested in figuring people out than helping them.
One reading says the movie treats psychiatrists as hucksters and punishes Leo for caring more about television fame than patients.
The counterargument is that the script respects therapy but mocks a specific fame-hungry practitioner.
The movie is placed in the period’s “from hell” lineage, where an unwanted person enters a transactional relationship and will not leave.

Casting What-Ifs

Woody Allen was approached for Leo and possibly directing or rewriting; Patrick Stewart was also considered for Leo, and Robin Williams was the first choice for Bob.

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 00:49:03Read transcript

Woody Allen is reported to have been approached to play Leo and possibly direct or co-write.
The panel rejects Allen because his screen neurosis would unbalance the premise.
Patrick Stewart is reported as another Leo possibility, which the panel also doubts.
Robin Williams is reported as the first choice for Bob before the production reached Bill Murray.
The panel says Williams was likely the bigger star in the late-1980s to early-1990s window.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

The observed “Catherine Irb” is disqualified for later television fame; the phone operators, the actor who played Tommy Carcetti, Tom Aldredge, and Charlie Korsmo are considered, with the unnamed Tommy Carcetti actor receiving the clearest win.

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 00:50:31Read transcript

The observed “Catherine Irb” is initially proposed before her long Criminal Intent run disqualifies her.
The telephone operators are considered but may be too brief to qualify.
The performer known as Tony Soprano’s sister is recognized and rejected as too well known.
The performer later known as Tommy Carcetti is the favored That Guy choice, but his name is not spoken in this transcript.
Tom Aldredge as Mr. Gutman is recognized from The Sopranos.
Charlie Korsmo is debated because his child-star run made his name familiar to movie fans.

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Richard Dreyfuss wins for repeatedly dialing up Leo’s rage.

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 00:53:13Read transcript

Dreyfuss is the immediate choice because he really dials the performance up several times.

The Teddy KGB Award for the Actor in a Completely Different Movie

No actor is chosen; Leo’s sister is discussed as an underdeveloped role rather than a performance from another movie.

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 00:53:28Read transcript

The panel initially reports no performer who seems to be in a completely different movie.
Leo’s sister appears without enough setup before marrying Bob, suggesting missing character material rather than a different acting mode.
Fran Brill’s casting is linked to her friendship with Frank Oz and long work as a Muppets puppeteer.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

The two Gutman diner owners are co-winners.

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 00:55:20Read transcript

The diner owners are named co-winners and praised for bringing heat in their brief scenes.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Research covers the miniature house explosion, a reported Spielberg Oscar campaign, Murray’s awards history, the Murray-Dreyfuss feud, the Virginia filming location, and Charlie Korsmo’s academic and legal career.

In the discussion (12)

Approx. transcript time · 01:00:10Read transcript

The explosion used a three-quarter-scale replica rather than destroying the expensive real house.
Steven Spielberg is reported to have spent his own money campaigning for a Bill Murray Oscar nomination.
The panel notes Murray has only one Oscar nomination despite his long importance to movies.
Sean Penn’s win over Murray’s Lost in Translation performance is criticized; the winning film title is unclear in the machine transcript.
Murray is reported to have acknowledged that aggravating Dreyfuss helped the movie.
Dreyfuss is reported to have called the experience unpleasant while still admitting Murray made him laugh.
A Dreyfuss account says Murray aggressively confronted him and threw a heavy glass ashtray.
The panel condemns physical harm but treats Murray’s verbal insult as darkly funny.
The vacation house was filmed at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia.
Charlie Korsmo is reported to have chosen What About Bob? instead of the Terminator 2 child role.
Korsmo later earned physics and law degrees, practiced law, taught corporate law, and received a federal board nomination.
The group calls Korsmo a legend in both acting and his later academic career.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

The famous Fresh Prince of Bel-Air father-departure scene is accused of copying a basically similar Growing Pains scene in which young Leo reaches an emotional place.

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:07:27Read transcript

A participant introduces this as one of his all-time hottest takes.
The famous Fresh Prince scene with Will Smith, the observed Ben Vareen, and Uncle Phil is said to echo a basically similar Growing Pains episode in which young Leo reaches an emotional place.

Apex Mountain

Charlie Korsmo’s acting career and “death therapy” receive strong cases; Good Morning America, Lake Winnipesaukee, and patient-therapist movies are debated, with Analyze This favored for the last.

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 01:08:21Read transcript

Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss receive explicit negative Apex verdicts.
Julie Haggerty also receives a negative Apex verdict.
Charlie Korsmo receives an acting-apex verdict even though his later academic career may be a larger achievement.
The movie’s “death therapy” concept is proposed as an apex.
Good Morning America receives a possible case based on the era’s cultural centrality of morning shows.
Lake Winnipesaukee is proposed but left unresolved.
Patient-therapist movies are compared, with Analyze This favored because it was a large hit and important to De Niro.
Bob being foisted onto Leo is proposed as a Foist Apex candidate.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

A ten-episode Netflix version is rejected as too long for a one-joke engine; the earlier all-Black movie version remains the preferred remake path.

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:13:14Read transcript

The proposed ten-episode version would use Sterling K. Brown and Tracy Morgan from the recasting discussion.
The panel says the story is fundamentally a compact movie and would be difficult to sustain for ten episodes.
In Treatment is cited as a television structure that can track multiple patients rather than stretch one doctor-patient joke.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Questions ask whether Leo is an attempted murderer, whether Bob was foisted on him, why no sequel happened, and what a sequel without Leo could be.

In the discussion (9)

Approx. transcript time · 01:14:05Read transcript

Leo’s effort to blow Bob up is judged attempted murder that should lead to jail.
Bob’s previous doctor transferring him to Leo is proposed as an all-time foist.
The absence of a sequel is attributed partly to the stars’ hostility.
The panel says a sequel still needs Dreyfuss because his performance is essential.
A conventional reversal sequel is compared with Analyze That and the observed “Meet the Fokkers.”
One 2021 sequel pitch makes Bob a successful television self-help figure whose progress collapses after Leo dies.
A reported royalties dispute with Disney is raised as a practical reason Dreyfuss might not return.
Possible sequel titles include But Seriously…What About Bob? and What About Me?
The all-Black sequel is later given the title What About Van?

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Bob’s local shirt, Leo’s puppets, the Wagoneer, and the Lake Winnipesaukee house are the choices.

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:15:54Read transcript

The game-worn Bill Murray local shirt is one choice.
Leo’s therapy puppets are another choice.
The mentioned Waggonier is praised as a great car memorabilia choice.
The lake house is the final aspiration and strongest lifestyle choice.
The panel imagines a shared timeshare and participation in the town’s local culture.

Who Won the Movie?

All three participants choose Bill Murray.

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:18:51Read transcript

Bill Murray receives the first immediate winner choice.
Two further participants agree without qualification.
The performance is compared with a unanimous MVP season.

Podcast choices

Speaker not identified: Bill Murray
Speaker not identified: Bill Murray
Speaker not identified: Bill Murray
Speaker not identified: Bill Murray
Speaker not identified: Bill Murray
Speaker not identified: Bill Murray

Producer review

Producer Craig’s sole added point is that Leo’s July 31-through-Labor-Day vacation seems too long for a psychiatrist with patients.

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:19:03Read transcript

The producer introduces the vacation length as an omitted Picking Nits answer.
The period from July 31 through Labor Day is estimated at about thirty-five days.
The hosts agree that a month away from active patients seems unusually long.

More from the conversation

Bill Murray’s career is divided into star-comedy phases before and after Ghostbusters and a later character-actor phase around Rushmore.

Approx. transcript time · 00:04:46Read transcript

The discussion treats 1991 as a remarkably varied movie year led by established stars immediately before the Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler era.

Approx. transcript time · 00:12:19Read transcript

Therapist movies are compared through Good Will Hunting, Analyze This, Ordinary People, Prime, and Antwone Fisher.

Approx. transcript time · 00:15:57Read transcript

The film’s craft is credited to an unusually accomplished director, cinematographer, and editor working inside a broad comedy premise.

Approx. transcript time · 00:18:02Read transcript

Dreyfuss’s career is reframed as a gradual heel turn from audience surrogate to openly abrasive characters.

Approx. transcript time · 00:20:17Read transcript

Bob’s vulnerability and Leo’s narcissism force the audience to choose the difficult patient over the controlling doctor.

Approx. transcript time · 00:21:33Read transcript

The movie’s psychiatry argument is placed between older suspicion of “shrinks” and later stories in which therapy enables growth.

Approx. transcript time · 00:40:57Read transcript

The comedy is linked to a late-1980s/early-1990s “from hell” cycle in which an unwanted person invades an ordinary relationship.

Approx. transcript time · 00:45:20Read transcript

Murray’s lack of Oscar recognition is contrasted with the long-term importance of his film career.

Approx. transcript time · 01:00:24Read transcript

Charlie Korsmo’s short child-actor career is contrasted with later work in physics, law, and teaching.

Approx. transcript time · 01:04:53Read transcript

The closing lake-house discussion turns an idealized small-town vacation culture into a shared aspiration.

Approx. transcript time · 01:16:27Read transcript