What About Bob?

Director: Frank Oz Frank Oz

Overview

"Frank Oz's comedy about a needy psychiatric patient comes to DVD with a widescreen transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. There are no subtitles, but the English soundtrack is closed-captioned. The only extra feature is the original theatrical trailer. This release is sure to please fans of this film -- there is a small cult following around it -- but those that were immune to its charms during its theatrical release are not likely to be won over by this average DVD."

Product Details

Release Date:	07/11/2000
UPC:	0717951005205
Original Release:	1991
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	1,232

Special Features

Closed Caption;Original theatrical trailer; French-language track; 2.0 Dolby Surround; Widescreen [1.85:1]

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bill Murray	Bob Wiley
Richard Dreyfuss	Dr. Leo Marvin
Julie Hagerty	Fay Marvin
Charlie Korsmo	Siggy Marvin
Kathryn Erbe	Anna Marvin
Tom Aldredge	Mr. Guttman
Susan Willis	Mrs. Guttman
Roger Bowen	Phil
Fran Brill	Lily
Brian Reddy	Carswell Fensterwald
Doris Belack	Dr. Tomsky
Melinda Mullins	Marie Grady
Marcella Lowery	Betty
Margot Welch	Gwen
Barbara Andres	Claire
Aida Turturro	Prostitute
Stuart Rudin	Crazy Man in New York Street
Cortez Nance Jr.	Lobby Doorman
Lori Tan Chinn	Bus Driver
Dennis R. Scott	Motorcycle Cop
Charles Thomas Baxter	Nursing Home Guard
Donald J. Lee Jr.	Nursing Home Attendant
Donald Lee	Nursing Home Attendant
Reg E. Cathey	Howie--Director
Tom Stechschulte	Lennie--Producer
Russell Bobbitt	TV Crew Member
Richard Fancy	Minister
Joan Lunden	Herself

Technical Credits

Tom Schulman

Frank Oz	Director
Tom Schulman	Screenwriter
Laura Ziskin	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Consternation is Richard Dreyfuss' best comic emotion, and he gets to act out quite a bit of it courtesy of Bill Murray in the Frank Oz comedy What About Bob? Dreyfuss' Dr. Leo Marvin is a callous, self-absorbed S.O.B. -- when his wife (Julie Hagerty) asks why he's so hostile towards Bob, it's telling that he responds "Because he's a patient." Even so, his character is in the right, because Bob is intensely annoying as played by Murray, who chews much scenery in channeling his Carl Spackler role from Caddyshack, lazy-lipped slurring and all. The fact that the audience is supposed to relish Marvin's frustrations, and join the chorus of hurrahs for Bob, is a little disorienting, because it puts them in the wrong shoes. Nonetheless, it's possible to sympathize with the shrink's dilemma while still laughing at the ways a clueless patient can unwittingly invade his life. That the doctor achieves unprecedented success with the patient is all the more ironic, because it would massage his massive ego if it weren't such an intolerable disruption to his vacation. Screenwriters Alvin Sargent, Tom Schulman, and Laura Ziskin do take things a bit far out of the realm of belief by the end, which is just one of the factors -- another being not enough belly laughs -- that keep this from becoming one of Murray's undisputed classics. Dreyfuss' performance is the more positively memorable; when he mangles the command "Get out of the car!" into rushed gibberish, boiling over as only Dreyfuss can, it's priceless.