The Bob’s Burgers Movie (2022)

Was lucky enough to see this at a preview screening. The film does a great job of welcoming newcomers into the world of Bob’s Burgers while also delighting fans with an endless cavalcade of one-liners. It’s joyous to see the same world that we’ve watched for twelve seasons but told with a film budget, with some absolutely lovely shots that are only possible with more money for the animation.Hardcore fans expecting this to be 90 minutes of material for us may well be disappointed. Several notable recurring characters don’t appear, or are reduced to cameos, and a couple of members of the family don’t get strong plots in themselves, being largely comic relief. But I’m rather okay with this. (Of course it was a little disappointing in the moment, but I’ve made my peace with it.) The movie will hopefully bring newcomers to our little show, and I would much rather a strong story than a continuity festival. We have twelve seasons of that already, people! (And the film is strong; I was in a theatre with only a small number of audience members and it still flew by.)What makes the movie work so well is that the writers have not fallen prey to the great temptation for “movies based on the popular TV series”. This isn’t “the gang wins a trip to Japan!” or “the gang teleport back to Ancient Egypt!” or “Linda becomes world famous as a shampoo commercial spokeswoman!” This is a story that could very easily have been told in a Bob’s Burgers episode, but given the room to breathe. By centering almost entirely around existing characters, and taking place entirely within recognisable landmarks, we’re given the gift of a truly Bob’s Burgers experience. Never once does this film try to be anything other than the show we know and love.