Yes, it does seem odd that there’s such a thing as The Bob’s Burgers Movie, which is finally hitting theaters Memorial Day weekend. (Much like Top Gun: Maverick, also out this weekend, this movie went through several postponed release dates, brought on by you-know-what.) I recently told someone I’m writing a review of the movie and she said, “There’s a movie? Are they still on the air?”
Yes, Bob’s Burgers has officially joined The Simpsons and Family Guy in the pantheon of long-running Fox animated comedies. (It just completed its 12th season, with a 13th on the way.) Now the series is also following in The Simpsons’ footsteps by turning out a big-screen version of its 2-D nuttiness.
For those who’ve never dipped into the show’s 200-plus episodes, Bob’s Burgers focuses on Bob Belcher (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) and his daily dealings operating the titular neighborhood diner. Like nearly all of the noteworthy animated shows Fox has aired, Burgers is both a working-class satire and a dysfunctional-family sitcom. Despite being a versatile burger cook (the Belchers come up with clever names for the daily specials in one of the show’s running gags), Bob struggles to get by. Thankfully, he has his always supportive wife Linda (John Roberts) by his side, along with their precocious kids: awkward Tina (Dan Mintz), extroverted Gene (Eugene Mirman) and mischievous rabbit ears-adorned Louise (Kristen Schaal).
Together, the family works every day to keep the business afloat — a business whose sole regular customer is needy family friend Teddy (Larry Murphy). In the movie, they have to pay off a loan and their rent, even when a gigantic sinkhole in front of their operation — where the skeletal remains of a carny are soon discovered — prohibits the possibility of foot traffic.
The movie is basically a feature-length episode, another contained story wherein the Belchers go through some crazy trouble, eventually getting out of it by working as a wisecracking family unit. Thankfully, the story is still funny and entertaining. Creator and longtime showrunner Loren Bouchard works with co-director Bernard Derriman and co-writer Nora Smith to give both die-hards and newcomers a cinematic example of what this crazy-ass show offers on TV every week — complete with the quirky humor, rambling, mostly improvised dialogue and cute musical numbers that have made the show such an endearing fan favorite.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie also continues in the show’s tradition of roping in comedians and improv actors for the extended voice cast. Zach Galifianakis, Aziz Ansari, Jenny Slate, Sarah Silverman and Jordan Peele are a few of the funny people who return to voice supporting characters. (The show has always been a hangout for the alt-comedy crowd.) Kevin Kline also resumes his role as the Belchers’ eyepatch-wearing millionaire landlord, who may or not be responsible for burying that carny.
Much like the show, The Bob’s Burgers Movie is kooky, offbeat comfort food. This story of a middle-aged sad-sack restaurateur, his eccentric fam and the various oddball characters they deal with on a daily basis has always been appealingly zany. But it’s also folksy and relatable. Just like the Simpsons, the Griffins and all the other animated TV families the Fox network has brought to Sunday nights over the years, the Belchers are lower-middle-class avatars. No matter how weird and wild this cartoon clan gets, it’s still quite easy to sympathize with them and their everyday exploits.
As we continue to live in a society in which so many of us wonder how we’re gonna keep the lights on and put food on the table, it’s nice knowing the Belchers will be struggling right along with us.
