The Bob’s Burgers Movie Review: a great first burger or 200

The great thing about the Fox animated TV sitcom Bob’s burger is that the appeal is right in the title: Do you like burgers? Wonderful. Here’s a show that will give you the same feeling. For those unfamiliar with the delights that come with it, here’s one person’s take: A burger is humble and simple, to the point where just about every fast-food restaurant in America will offer one, even if the Rest of the menu is geared towards something radically different. As with pizza, there are countless ways to make a burger, but the basics are the same everywhere — and no matter how many burgers you’ve eaten, those basics can still surprise you.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie is such a surprise. The feature-length incarnation of the long-running series doesn’t deviate very far from the familiar. Just like every other episode of the show – which just wrapped up its 12th season with its 238th episode at the end of May – The Bob’s Burgers Movie follows Bob Belcher (H. Jon Benjamin) and his wife Linda (John Roberts), the owners of the eponymous burger joint, as a new crisis threatens to bankrupt their family business. Meanwhile, their children Tina (Dan Mintz), Gene (Eugene Mirman) and Louise (Kristen Schaal) become overly committed to proving something to themselves and others, leading them on a nonsensical adventure that may also help their parents.

That’s how most of the episodes run Bob’s burger can be summarized, and the film is no exception. This time, the problem threatening the burger shop is a giant hole right outside its front door, preventing the Belchers from doing business during an annual festival vital to their lives. Meanwhile, the Belcher kids finish their school year and each wants to make their own little mark. Demure, horny eldest child Tina wants to kiss the boy she has a crush on. Gene invented an instrument that is best described as a vibra slap made of spoons and a napkin holder, with which he can hopefully finally realize his dream of starting a band. And youngest child Louise, never seen without her pink bunny ear hat, wants to prove she’s brave enough to take the risk of her hat falling off, even though the hat makes her brave.

But because this is The Bob’s Burgers Movie, all of these conflicts are grafted into a plot slightly larger than the mundane affairs of a typical episode. This time it’s about a murder. And finally, all of the Belchers’ stories intersect with the story of who was murdered and why.

Insertion of an assassination plot in a Bob’s burger The story feels a little out of place with what makes the show so fun. In a way, it’s just an excuse to make sure the story is big enough to wrap a movie around – during The Bob’s Burgers Movie interested in thrills more than Bob’s burger The actual murder plot means the film can be filled with recurring characters like the Belchers’ landlord Calvin Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) and his insane brother Felix (Zach Galifianakis). In another way, it’s something of a farce: a one-off film based on a long-running and still-running TV show can’t change its status quo all that drastically. And that’s okay! Bob’s burgeras well as the delicious and everyday food it revolves around, does an incredible job of turning mild variations into spectacular delights.

The larger scale of The Bob’s Burgers Movie is not always an uncomfortable fit. A feature-length film sometimes turns into a proper musical, as little ditties in the show expand into full-fledged musical numbers with ambitious staging and more jokes. (There are unfortunately fewer songs than expected; the film has more music, but it isn’t Musical.) The animation is beautiful and crisp, and the script keeps its referential nature understated. This could easily be someone’s first Bob’s burger experience, and it remains likable enough throughout that it probably wouldn’t be her last.

It’s hard to make any serious complaints about it The Bob’s Burgers Movie, just like it’s hard to find a really bad burger. While every burger fan will always have their favorite, it’s rare to find one worth avoiding. Most often the problem is with The Bob’s Burgers Movie it comes down to the only aspect of a quality burger that has nothing to do with taste: the price. A really great burger is affordable. Bob’s burger being broadcast on TV for free, one hell of a deal. Is it good enough to warrant a movie ticket? Yes, of couse. But there’s no reason to splurge if you don’t want to.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie Theatrical release on May 27th.