Directors: Loren Bouchard and Bernard Derriman

Writers: Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith

Starring: H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, Zach Galifianakis, Kevin Kline

Rating: ★★★★

The animated TV show Bob’s Burgers has had twelve seasons so far and now its first full-length film, that was released in cinemas earlier this year, has made its way to Disney Plus (At least in the UK). It was originally scheduled to come out almost two years ago, before being pushed further and further back thanks to Covid, but it’s here now and will hopefully win over some new fans to the series.

The film follows the Belcher family as they try to keep their family restaurant open, while facing mounting pressure as a loan extension is denied and then a sinkhole outside the restaurant means the front door isn’t accessible. On top of that, Louise (Kristen Schaal) finds a dead body in the sink hole, while trying to prove she’s not a baby by climbing down into it. The murder investigation slows the filling of the hole even further, so the family must look for other ways to save their restaurant.

First things first, you don’t need to know anything about the TV series to watch this film. It’s completely stand alone, and while there’s call-backs, it’s nothing that will make a newcomer feel unwelcome. In fact, it’s a perfect introduction to the characters and humour and hopefully the show will find a whole new audience through the film now that it’s on Disney Plus.

There are several plot threads running throughout the story that all come together in the end. Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) and Linda (John Roberts) fail to get a loan extension and have to resort to taking the restaurant on the road, while the three children investigate the murder that is pinned on their landlord, believing that will save the restaurant as the landlord can allow the to skip a month’s rent. It’s very fast paced, rarely slowing down as moves from beat to beat.

There are so many great funny moments right from the opening scene as Bob makes a practice burger, in hoping to make a burger for the loan manager to convince him to extend the loan. Bob whispers ‘practice’ so the burger doesn’t hear, and then speaks to the burger directly. It’s a strange moment that pretty much tells you how the rest of the film is going to be with offbeat comedy.

The characters are charming, the story works, and the stakes feel real. Whether you’re a big fan or never heard of Bob’s Burgers before this is definitely worth checking out. There’s a lot to love about the film.

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