Michael's Movie Grade: C
An okay feature film version of the hit TV show.
I confess I have never actually seen an episode of this show. However, I will take a guess and say this is about the quality of a middle of the road episode. There is nothing here that is spectacular or that will make a newbie like me an instant fan. Still it is an entertaining trip to movies and would have been a serviceable TV episode. What really worked here is the characters and the fact that the relationships between them worked so well. Underneath all of the quirky comedy, this is a rather sweet movie and the emotional parts work surprisingly well. Louise's character arc also works quite well in this film. For the most part the story is fine, but doesn't feel like it justifies being feature length. This feels like a long TV episode and would have worked much better with a shorter runtime. This movie feels very padded and would have worked better as a two part TV episode. This is not to say it is all bad. While very small scale the story line would have felt just right on TV and works well enough here. Still the pacing of the storyline can make it drag in a way that a quicker moving TV episode wouldn't. The humor can be hit and miss. The film wants to throw jokes at us constantly, which is something that is very difficult to pull off with a feature length. Admittedly some of it works very well here. The best humor was actually the most low key. I really enjoyed the little asides from the kids and many of them really made me laugh. However many of the quirky and more over the top jokes just simply fell flat for me. The worst part of the movie though was the musical numbers. They felt pointless, didn't really add anything to the film and are the type of songs you forget about not long after listening to.
All in all this gives you an enjoyable trip to the movies but little more.
I'd like to offer a rebuttal of sorts, if I may:
ReplyDeleteYes, this movie was meant for fans of the show, not for newbs. If you are unfamiliar with the series, I don't recommend you use the film as a starting-off point. Better to see a smattering of episodes, especially from the first three seasons, so as to be acquainted with characters and their quirks. They are readily available from a variety of sources.
I really appreciated how the filmmakers "opened up" the world of the characters, and felt they were much more successful at this than The Simpsons Movie was. Indeed, the sad little seaside tourist-trap town the cast dwells in is a character in its own right, and I was pleased that there was no road trip for the Belchers, and that throughout the film they never ventured from their neighborhood.
Also equally impressive was the full(er) animation, and the use of light and shadows. I never thought I'd say this about "Bob's Burgers", but some
of the outdoor scenes in particular were absolutely gorgeous! Fox and/or Disney threw some bucks into this, and it shows. Well done.
I will agree with Mike, that there are some pacing issues, especially during the Mole Hill sequence. Fortunately, afterwards things pick up quickly.
The musical numbers you detested so much are a hallmark of the show, and are frequently employed to express the character's emotions.. If they had been omitted, there would have been much outrage from regular viewers. I enjoyed them for the most part, and it even looked as if a choreographer was consulted for the carny number.
It is my hope that The Bob's Burgers Movie is a success, if for no other reason that we receive more 2-D animation on the big screen in the future. I hope that cartoon fans give it a chance.
Of course you may, I am always open to hearing others opinions on movies. Thanks very much for your thoughts (which are very well put) and perhaps if I watch this again after watching some episodes of the show I will enjoy it more.
Delete