What About Bob? (1991)

A successful psychotherapist loses his mind after one of his most dependent patients, a manipulative, obsessively compulsive narcissist, tracks him down during his family vacation.

Director:

Frank Oz

Writers:

Alvin Sargent (story), Laura Ziskin (story),

Stars:

Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss, Julie Hagerty

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Murray	...	Bob Wiley
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Dr. Leo Marvin
Julie Hagerty	...	Fay Marvin
Charlie Korsmo	...	Sigmund 'Siggy' Marvin
Kathryn Erbe	...	Anna Marvin
Tom Aldredge	...	Mr. Guttman
Susan Willis	...	Mrs. Guttman
Roger Bowen	...	Phil
Fran Brill	...	Lily Marvin
Brian Reddy	...	Carswell Fensterwald, M.D.
Doris Belack	...	Dr. Catherine Tomsky
Melinda Mullins	...	Marie Grady
Marcella Lowery	...	Betty, Switchboard Operator
Margot Welch	...	Gwen, Switchboard Operator
Barbara Andres	...	Claire, Dr. Marvin's Secretary

Storyline

Doctor Leo Marvin, an egotistical psychotherapist in New York City, is looking forward to his forthcoming appearance on a "Good Morning America" telecast, during which he plans to brag about "Baby Steps," his new book about emotional disorder theories in which he details his philosophy of treating patients and their phobias. Meanwhile, Bob Wiley is a recluse who is so afraid to leave his own apartment that he has to talk himself out the door. When Bob is pawned off on Leo by a psychotherapist colleague, Bob becomes attached to Leo. Leo finds Bob extremely annoying. When Leo accompanies his wife Fay, his daughter Anna, and his son Siggy to a peaceful New Hampshire lakeside cottage for a month-long vacation, Leo thinks he's been freed from Bob. Leo expects to mesmerize his family with his prowess as a brilliant husband and remarkable father who knows all there is to know about instructing his wife and raising his kids. But Bob isn't going to let Leo enjoy a quiet summer by the lake. By ...

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Plot Keywords:

vacation | patient | psychotherapist | book | phobia | 

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Taglines:

Bob's a special kind of friend. The kind that drives you crazy!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Comment ça va Bob?

Filming Locations:

8254 Scruggs Road, Moneta, Virginia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$63,710,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Touchwood Pacific Partners 1

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Frank Oz wanted actor Patrick Stewart to play Dr. Leo Marvin which in the end was cast with star Richard Dreyfuss.

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Goofs

When the Good Morning America crew arrives for filming, the Sigmund Freud bust is on the mantle in the background. When the crew actually begins filming, the bust has been replaced by duck decoy for the full filming sequence.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bob Wiley: I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful... I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful... I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful...

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Connections

Referenced in Undeclared: The Assistant (2001)

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Soundtracks

Singin' in the Rain
Written by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown

User Reviews

Only a 6.7?!

Gee,...considering this is probably Bill Murray's funniest comedy and it is rated so poorly, no wonder he's recently taken to making odd and very unfunny movies. After all, with WHAT ABOUT BOB?, GROUNDHOG DAY and THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO LITTLE, he was responsible for probably three of the top comedies of the 1990s...yet all are rated relatively low on IMDb. I just don't get it.

Bob is one of the most annoying and compulsive patients any psychiatrist can have. He's needy, histrionic and sneaky, so when his brand-new therapist goes on vacation, Bob connives to find Dr. Monroe and vacation with him and the family! Now this stalking behavior isn't particularly funny, but what makes this such a great comedy is that Dr. Monroe is a sanctimonious and pompous jerk and it's fun to watch Bob make Monroe's life miserable!! Plus, unlike some comedies that let up, in this film every time you think things can't get worse for Dr. Monroe--they do!! This makes for a funny and deliciously black film--one that can't help much make you chuckle.

By the way, I was a psychotherapist and now teach psychology instead of work with patients. When the film came out, many of my colleagues were scared to death by the film because it did hit close to home, while others thought it hilarious. Having never had a patient like Bob, I guess it was pretty easy for me to laugh at the whole thing!

I have to go now--I'm about to teach my class about "death therapy".