The Bob’s Burgers Movie Parent Guide

As always, things at the titular Belcher family restaurant have taken a turn for the weird. Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) and his wife, Linda (John Roberts), are panicking over the denial of a loan extension application and the seemingly inevitable repossession of most of their kitchen equipment. Kids Tina (Dan Mintz), Louise (Kristen Schaal), and Gene (Eugene Mirman) have their own concerns, but those are quickly put on the back burner when a huge section of the street in front of the restaurant collapses. Exploring the sinkhole in the middle of the night, Louise finds a human skeleton poking out of the dirt, a discovery which prompts a massive police investigation. While the kids enjoy the excitement, Bob and Linda are stuck trying to sell burgers from a restaurant which can only be accessed from their shady side alley. Once Tina, Louise, and Gene realize that the family ‘s income is on the line, they set out to solve the murder so the sinkhole will no longer be a crime scene and will get filled sooner. However, kids don’t necessarily make the best homicide detectives…

Fans of the show will be familiar with the Belcher family’s antics – Tina’s hopeless obsession with Jimmy Jr. (H. Jon Benjamin), Louise’s short temper and sharp tongue, and Gene’s general strangeness – which form the basis for most of the storylines. They will also be prepared for the film’s series of musical numbers, which were also a common feature of the show. None of these are particularly complicated, so if you’re trying to pick up the show from the movie, you’re not going to get lost, but you’re going to miss out on a whole lot of references to past episodes.

My biggest problem here has more to do with the entire franchise than just the film. I can’t usually watch more than two episodes of Bob’s Burgers at a time, because that’s about how long it takes for the charm to fade. While the film doesn’t exactly wear out its welcome, you definitely start noticing the hit/miss ratio of the jokes more towards the end of the film. The movie compensates by having more dynamic animation and a stronger emphasis on plot than some of the TV episodes, but it still struggles to remain exciting until credits roll.

Parents familiar with the show know what to expect from the film, with the biggest issues being the more “adult” jokes that sneak in. The film has definitely toned them down a bit, to a sub-Shrek level of general crudity, and the jokes are usually subtler and come by faster, meaning kids are less likely to notice or understand them. Other than that, parents just have to contend with a murder-focused plot and some infrequent mild cursing. It isn’t at all groundbreaking; just a longer adventure with the strange, but ultimately loving and supportive, Belcher family.