THE BOB’S BURGERS MOVIE

US, 2022, 104 minutes, Colour.

Voices of: H.Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, David Wain, Zach Galifianakis, Kevin Kline, Larry Murphy, Gary Cole.

Directed by Loren Bouchard, Bernard Derriman.

Bob’s Burgers has been a very popular television show, 11 seasons to date beginning in 2011 and with the feature film in 2022. However, there are vast audiences who know nothing of the television series. This film is for the fans but with the hope that others might be attracted to follow Bob and his family.

Any animated television show with families will obviously be associated with The Simpsons, although this series comes 20 years after The Simpsons. There are also other television series like Family Guy, King of the Hill, Beavis and Butthead… The fans consider Bob and his family superior.

The film takes up Bob, rather laconic in his way, making the burgers and their shop, working with his wife Linda. The have three children, Tina the oldest, pondering questions of attractions two boys. There is also the son, and the little daughter, Louise, who covers her head with a wig. The characters remain much the same age throughout the series – and the voice of the wife and of Tina are by male actors.

There are some well-known actors in some of the roles, Zach Galifianakis, Kevin Kline, Jenny Slate.

After meeting the members of the family, we find a crisis where they owe money to the bank which is unwilling to extend the repayment of the loan. Suddenly, there is a huge sinkhole outside the front of their store. Discussions involve their landlord, his shady brother who has been in jail, and their lawyer. In the meantime, a character is murdered – with a little memorial set up on the pier. Bob and family then decide to go to the pier to sell burgers to try to repay the debt.

There are all kinds of zany happenings, imaginative use of all the attractions on the pier as well as going into basements, the old entertainments at the pier which had been built over.

There are suspicions as to who the murderers are especially with the two older brothers planning to escape to Cuba. However, the true murder is revealed. But, it is the three children who spend their time following the clues, getting into all kinds of scrapes and adventures, building up to a confrontation.

So, the material is familiar enough, an opportunity to see the family in action (and, surprisingly, their bursting into song now and again), a murder mystery and its solution, some action and comedy (and some more adult comedy lines).