Bob the Butler (2005)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Gary Sinyor

Writers:

Jane Walker Wood (story) &
Steven Manners (story) ...

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Tagline:

The family will never be the same.

Plot:

Tom Green stars as a bumbling buffoon, who lands at Butling after working his way through all other 'A' and 'B' jobs. |

Plot Keywords:

Job | Luau | Mantra | School | Mother Daughter Relationship

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tom Green	...	Bob Tree
Brooke Shields	...	Anne Jamieson
Genevieve Buechner	...	Tess Jamieson
Benjamin B. Smith	...	Bates Jamieson (as Benjamin Smith)
Rob LaBelle	...	Jacques
Valerie Tian	...	Sophie
Simon Callow	...	Mr. Butler
Iris Graham	...	Mama Clara
Dolores Drake	...	Maureen
Bill Chandler	...	Rabbi
Jonathan Ndukwe	...	Stuart
Kevin McNulty	...	Tardy Man
Julia Arkos	...	Judith
Kristina Copeland	...	Kate
Wendy Morrow Donaldson	...	Mrs. Withington

MPAA:

Rated PG for crude humor, innuendo and some language. (edited for re-rating; originally rated PG-13 for partial nudity and sex-related humor)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Canada | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (original rating) | Germany:o.Al. | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Ontario) | USA:PG (re-rating) | USA:PG (edited for re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Aldergrove, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Rampage Entertainment

Trivia:

Bob Speirs was the original director, but stepped down due to illness.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Anne "has a date with Bob", Jaques calls her. In the first shot the radio clock in the bedroom of Jaques shows "2:33". Then it shows "2:39". In the third shot it shows "2:34". The last possible look at the clock you can read "2:37".

Quotes:

Bates Jamieson: Why do you call me 'Master'?
Bob Tree: I'm studying to be a butler.
Bates Jamieson: Hmm. I don't like it. 'Master Bates' just feels... wrong.
Bob Tree: Indeed.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

Pachelbel's Canon

Not Nearly as Obnoxious as You Might Fear

You're probably wondering the same thing I was: What is Tom Green doing on the Disney Channel? I haven't seen very much of Green, but I know his reputation as one of the most shocking and vulgar comics in the business. What's he doing in a kid's movie? Nothing to worry about. In "Bob the Butler," Tom Green manages to clean up his act. Or at least the censors do for him.

Green plays Bob Tree, a man who is rapidly fired from every job he takes. This is displayed through an inspired animated montage during the opening credits. Finally, he latches on to a crash course for butlers, taught by Simon Callow as the perfect English manservant. Callow's character promises Bob that in only five days, he can make him into a butler that can work anywhere in America. (The course to work in England, he informs him, is an additional 17 years.) Bob gets a job "butling" for Anne Jamieson (Brooke Shields), who rivals USA's "Monk" as the most obsessive compulsive character on TV, and her two children, Tess (Genevieve Buechner) and the oddly named Bates (Benjamin B. Smith).

The girl becomes an antagonist for Green, while the boy looks up to him as a father figure. Normally, we'd be worried to see Tom Green as a father figure, but it turns out his character is great with kids. Also, through his serial careers, he's made useful connections all over the city. The obnoxious character is actually Anne's smarmy French boyfriend, played by Rob LaBelle.

This isn't the most hilarious movie you'll see this summer, but I chuckled all the way through it. Unfortunately, as a consequence of censoring Green's antics, or of too short of a time slot to fit the movie into, the plot seems to take some sporadic leaps and bounds. In the end, it's actually Simon Callow who steals the show, delivering some of the movie's funniest lines.

There's an innuendo or two that pushes the envelope for the Disney Channel, but it will fly right over the heads of small children. Don't be afraid to watch this with your kids, parents, or little siblings.