Amy Petter- What about Bob?(1991)

What about Bob?

Director: Frank Oz

Year: 1991

            What about Bob? is a well made comedy. The beginning of the movie really gets you interested as the first few scenes are moving shots of Bob Wiley leaving his apartment and going into the city. Bob’s problems are introduced to the viewers within 5 minutes of the film. The beginning focuses of his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as he is nervous about leaving his apartment, touching doorknobs, and using public transportation. The zoom shot of his hand opening the door with a Kleenex really adds to the humor of OCD.

            One thing that was very different from the other films I watched was the split screen that was used when Dr. Marvin’s assistant Betty answered the phone. Bob Wiley was shown on the left side while Betty was on the right. I thought that this was a very good technique because we got to see both characters facial expressions while they were on the phone. One technique during the same scene that I did not like was the transition that they used from one slide to another. They used a basic transition that you would find in a very unprofessional movie.

            For a movie that was made in 1991, I was very impressed with the special effects that were used during the scene where Bob accidently blows up Dr. Marvin’s house. The special effects were much better quality than I have seen in other 1991 movies.

            Overall, I was very impressed with the film. It was much better than a few of the other ones I watched for class. Bill Murray did a great job playing Bob Wiley’s part in the movie. I would definitely watch this movie on my own time.