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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

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.

8:50

Recasting Couch

Tiffani-Amber Thiessen is proposed for a clearly high-school-aged Anna, then an all-Black remake develops around Ster...

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. — Van Lathan
  • The existing cast is first declared perfect before the discussion pivots to an all-Black version. — Bill Simmons
  • Tiffani-Amber Thiessen is proposed if Anna is meant to read as an unmistakable high-school student. — Bill Simmons
  • 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. — Bill Simmons
  • Sanaa Lathan is proposed for Leo’s wife. — Van Lathan
  • Kevin Hart is identified as the obvious commercial Bob choice but rejected because the panel doubts he would disappear into the character. — Van Lathan
  • J.B. Smoove becomes the preferred Bob because he can charm the family while aggravating Sterling K. Brown’s Leo. — Van Lathan
  • Kenan Thompson is considered for Leo as an undervalued performer. — Van Lathan
  • Tracy Morgan is also proposed as Bob and receives strong support.
  • The remake discussion pivots to an all-Black cast for What About Bob. — Bill Simmons
26:33

Roger Ebert's review

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. — Bill Simmons
  • Roger Ebert is reported to have given the movie three stars. — Bill Simmons
  • Ebert is reported to have called it Bill Murray’s best movie since Ghostbusters. — Bill Simmons
  • 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.
30:24

Picking Nits

Bob’s shifting symptoms, the Gutmans’ constant availability, Leo’s murder plan, and the length of Leo’s vacation; Bob...

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. — Bill Simmons
  • Anna’s immediate invitation of Bob is called a borderline nitpick and prompts debate about the character’s age and possible attraction. — Bill Simmons
  • The response is that pursuing Leo forces Bob into increasingly difficult interactions and therefore functions as treatment. — Van Lathan
  • Bob touching the family car without a napkin becomes evidence that his trust is growing. — Van Lathan
  • Bob’s impersonation and detective work show him re-entering the world rather than remaining static. — Van Lathan
  • The Gutmans appear across the lake whenever the story needs them despite supposedly running a diner. — Bill Simmons
  • 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. — Van Lathan
  • 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.
49:03

Casting What-Ifs

Woody Allen was approached for Leo and possibly directing or rewriting; Patrick Stewart was also considered for Leo, ...

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. — Bill Simmons
  • Patrick Stewart is reported as another Leo possibility, which the panel also doubts. — Sean Fennessey
  • 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. — Bill Simmons
1:00:10

Half-Assed Internet Research

The miniature house explosion, a reported Spielberg Oscar campaign, Murray’s awards history, the Murray-Dreyfuss feud...

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. — Bill Simmons
  • Steven Spielberg is reported to have spent his own money campaigning for a Bill Murray Oscar nomination. — Bill Simmons
  • 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. — Bill Simmons
  • Murray is reported to have acknowledged that aggravating Dreyfuss helped the movie. — Bill Simmons
  • Dreyfuss is reported to have called the experience unpleasant while still admitting Murray made him laugh. — Bill Simmons
  • A Dreyfuss account says Murray aggressively confronted him and threw a heavy glass ashtray. — Bill Simmons
  • The panel condemns physical harm but treats Murray’s verbal insult as darkly funny. — Bill Simmons
  • The vacation house was filmed at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. — Bill Simmons
  • Charlie Korsmo is reported to have chosen What About Bob? instead of the Terminator 2 child role. — Bill Simmons
  • 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. — Van Lathan
1:14:05

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Is Leo an attempted murderer? Was Bob foisted on him? Why no sequel? What could a sequel without Leo be?

Is Leo an attempted murderer? Was Bob foisted on him? Why no sequel? What could a sequel without Leo 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. — Bill Simmons
  • Bob’s previous doctor transferring him to Leo is proposed as an all-time foist. — Bill Simmons
  • 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.” — Van Lathan
  • One 2021 sequel pitch makes Bob a successful television self-help figure whose progress collapses after Leo dies. — Bill Simmons
  • A reported royalties dispute with Disney is raised as a practical reason Dreyfuss might not return. — Bill Simmons
  • Possible sequel titles include But Seriously…What About Bob? and What About Me? — Bill Simmons
  • The all-Black sequel is later given the title What About Van? — Bill Simmons
1:19:03

Producer review

Leo’s July 31-through-Labor-Day vacation seems too long for a psychiatrist with patients

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. — Bill Simmons
  • 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.