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The Rewatchables ·

What About Bob?

year 1991decade 90sdirector Frank Ozgenre Comedy
host Bill Simmonshost Sean Fennesseyhost Van Lathanproducer Craig Horlbeck
All 19 categories

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award · 1:07:27

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.

Sean Fennessey: A participant introduces this as one of his all-time hottest takes.

Bill Simmons: 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.

The film

What About Bob? (1991)

Directed by Frank Oz · Comedy

99 minutes

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Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Bill Murray Bob Wiley
Richard Dreyfuss Dr. Leo Marvin
Julie Hagerty Fay Marvin
Charlie Korsmo Sigmund "Siggy" Marvin
Kathryn Erbe Anna Marvin
Fran Brill Lily Marvin
Tom Aldredge Mr. Guttman
Susan Willis Mrs. Guttman
Doris Belack Dr. Catherine Tomsky

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

27:55

Most Rewatchable Scene

Split: the family dinner; Leo’s “never gone” breakdown

Split: the family dinner; Leo’s “never gone” breakdown

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. — Bill Simmons
  • The opening therapy session quickly establishes Bob’s fears and the Neil Diamond marriage joke. — Bill Simmons
  • Leo’s face on the Baby Steps book cover makes his narcissism part of the therapy scene. — Bill Simmons
  • Bob waiting for Leo’s call at the diner introduces the Gutmans’ anger toward Leo. — Bill Simmons
  • Bob sailing is an early favorite despite questions about how readily Anna includes him. — Bill Simmons
  • Leo using puppets to order Anna away from Bob exposes his own instability. — Bill Simmons
  • Bob teaching Siggy to dive turns into a successful moment of encouragement. — Bill Simmons
  • Bob’s delighted groans over dinner and question about hand-shucked corn make the family meal a favorite. — Bill Simmons
  • The family gravitates toward Bob after he helps during Leo’s choking episode. — Bill Simmons
  • Bob interrupting the television interview and the Gutmans celebrating deepen Leo’s public humiliation. — Bill Simmons
  • Leo’s attempt to expel Bob culminates in the “never gone” breakdown. — Bill Simmons
  • Leo trying to blow up Bob only to destroy his own house is included in the final run of scenes. — Bill Simmons
  • Bob finding Leo by shouting his name in town is praised for its absurd efficiency. — Van Lathan
  • Bob and Siggy’s bedtime conversation and Tourette’s exchange gain force on adult rewatch. — Sean Fennessey
  • Dreyfuss’s “never gone” explosion and the dinner scene are the final personal favorites. — Sean Fennessey
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37:05

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 sh...

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

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. — Bill Simmons
  • The movie’s spoken “What about Bob?” title line remains a crowd-pleasing device. — Bill Simmons
  • 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. — Sean Fennessey
  • 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. — Bill Simmons
  • Bob’s local shirt remains memorable. — Bill Simmons
  • 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. — Van Lathan
  • Bob connects with Leo’s children by listening and encouraging them, while Leo repeatedly fails to connect. — Van Lathan
  • The discussion argues that the film targets Leo’s fame-hungry narcissism more specifically than all therapy. — Van Lathan
  • 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. — Sean Fennessey
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45:20

What’s Aged the Worst?

Sympathy for Bob, Leo’s attempted murder, older comedy’s extreme violence, and period skepticism toward psychiatry (t...

Sympathy for Bob, Leo’s attempted murder, older comedy’s extreme violence, and period skepticism toward psychiatry (target disputed)

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. — Bill Simmons
  • The movie goes off the rails when Leo tries to murder Bob. — Van Lathan
  • The attempted murder is compared with older comedies that used kidnapping, threats, or mass violence as jokes. — Van Lathan
  • Bob is described as trying to reach the next day, while Leo is more interested in figuring people out than helping them. — Van Lathan
  • One reading says the movie treats psychiatrists as hucksters and punishes Leo for caring more about television fame than patients. — Sean Fennessey
  • The counterargument is that the script respects therapy but mocks a specific fame-hungry practitioner. — Sean Fennessey
  • The movie is placed in the period’s “from hell” lineage, where an unwanted person enters a transactional relationship and will not leave.
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50:31

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

The unnamed actor who played Tommy Carcetti

The unnamed actor who played Tommy Carcetti

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. — Bill Simmons
  • The telephone operators are considered but may be too brief to qualify. — Van Lathan
  • The performer known as Tony Soprano’s sister is recognized and rejected as too well known. — Van Lathan
  • The performer later known as Tommy Carcetti is the favored That Guy choice, but his name is not spoken in this transcript. — Van Lathan
  • 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. — Van Lathan
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53:13

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Richard Dreyfuss

Richard Dreyfuss

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. — Bill Simmons
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55:20

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

The two Gutman diner owners

The two Gutman diner owners

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. — Bill Simmons
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1:07:27

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 sce...

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. — Sean Fennessey
  • 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. — Bill Simmons
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1:08:21

Apex Mountain

Charlie Korsmo’s acting career and “death therapy”

Charlie Korsmo’s acting career and “death therapy”

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:21Read transcript
  • Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss receive explicit negative Apex verdicts. — Bill Simmons
  • Julie Haggerty also receives a negative Apex verdict. — Bill Simmons
  • Charlie Korsmo receives an acting-apex verdict even though his later academic career may be a larger achievement. — Bill Simmons
  • The movie’s “death therapy” concept is proposed as an apex. — Bill Simmons
  • Good Morning America receives a possible case based on the era’s cultural centrality of morning shows. — Van Lathan
  • Lake Winnipesaukee is proposed but left unresolved. — Sean Fennessey
  • Patient-therapist movies are compared, with Analyze This favored because it was a large hit and important to De Niro. — Bill Simmons
  • Bob being foisted onto Leo is proposed as a Foist Apex candidate. — Bill Simmons
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1:13:14

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

No ten-episode Netflix version; an all-Black movie remake preferred

No ten-episode Netflix version; an all-Black movie remake preferred

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. — Bill Simmons
  • The panel says the story is fundamentally a compact movie and would be difficult to sustain for ten episodes. — Bill Simmons
  • In Treatment is cited as a television structure that can track multiple patients rather than stretch one doctor-patient joke. — Sean Fennessey
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1:15:54

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

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

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

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:54Read transcript
  • The game-worn Bill Murray local shirt is one choice. — Bill Simmons
  • Leo’s therapy puppets are another choice. — Bill Simmons
  • The mentioned Waggonier is praised as a great car memorabilia choice. — Sean Fennessey
  • 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.
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1:18:51

Who Won the Movie?

Bill Murray

Bill Murray

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:51Read transcript
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Bill Murray
Speaker not identified
Bill Murray
Speaker not identified
Bill Murray
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