Serial killers and stalkers can be quite friendly too
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adouthit-1 — 11 years ago(September 13, 2014 07:36 PM)
I'm going to agree with you. Maybe it's because I'm watching this movie in 2014 instead of in 1991, but I just didn't think it was funny at all. Two of the main problems were how all his problems just seem to disappear like you were saying and the fact that they just accept him being there 24/7. He could have been dangerous, they don't know. Maybe it's because the world is different than it was 20 years ago that I just couldn't watch it the same way someone else would have back then.
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Geeky Randy — 11 years ago(December 28, 2014 05:03 PM)
I've never been a big fan of this genre, the film where everyone sh!ts on one person for no reason, blindly ignores their horrible behavior and how much they're hurting someone.
Please list other films that do this to the same or similar extent as
What About Bob?
. This is to establish your argument of it actually being a "genre".
What drives me mad about these kinds of films, and this one in particular is that while we can objectively see that Bob is a stalker driving Leo insane, and that Leo is purely a victim, among maybe a dozen previous victims whose lives were ruined by Bob
This was never established in the film. Carswell (the doctor Leo talks to on the phone) may have left the practice because of a hatred for therapy in general, not because of Bob. The only other mention of previous doctors Bob had was when he was listing them off
as Leo was tying him up to kill him
(the same Leo you're claiming is a victim)and this doesn't establish whether or not Bob left them or they left Bob. So this criticism has no concrete support.
magically no one near Leo sees that Bob is destructive and obsessive and takes physical, psychological, and emotional liberties that would be disturbing to anyone.
That's because Leo is the only one taking it the wrong way. Leo's character is supposed to be egotistical, and the fact that Bob's unintentional narcissism can break him shows what little his success of
Baby Steps
actually got himselfhe wasn't doing it for other people, he was doing it to further his career; and the comical irony is that it did just the opposite.
stalker mentality.
"Stalker" is a bit subjective. Sure, Bob might be a stalker in the sense that he is giving Leo unwanted attention. On the other hand, Bob is not sneaking around and hiding from Leo, nor does he intend to do him harm (unlike Leo to Bob).
The entire film is about a man with mental problems and a man who solves them and yet 1/4 in 100% of this guy's problems vanish just so Leo's family never bears witness to the serious psychological issues he supposedly possessed.
Exactly. As stated before, it was comical irony, and I (and others) think it's brilliant.
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Promontorium — 9 years ago(April 20, 2016 03:39 PM)
I'm going to have to assume your post is performance art, wherein you are playing the part of one of the hapless morons in one of these films, and I'm the ragdoll who can't be believed.
In case you really are this stupid, reference almost every Ben Stiller film. That's the genre, like Meet the Parents or Envy.
Other films of this genre you're too stupid to acknowledge:
Drop Dead Fred
Folks!
Walk of Shame
Clerks, though this one isn't as sadistic, except for the original ending where the main character is murdered, that's EXACTLY this genre of "comedy".
There's a sub-genre where it's more than one person as the punching bag. Those films I find more tolerable because at least there's ONE OTHER person in the film acknowledging things are f-ed up.
Examples:
The Money Pit
Duplex (Ben Still AGAIN, but at least someone joins the misery)
Fun With Dick and Jane -
franzkabuki — 11 years ago(January 27, 2015 01:56 PM)
Oh but BOB's so LIKEABLE! He bonds with the fam'ly, discusses death and other phobias with them kids, he jumps up and down on the bed and talks dirty without really talking dirty!
And the OP is absolutely spot on. Maybe the family would have gotten the message better had this BOB been played by Frank Silva just as Twin Peaks's BOB (after all, Bill Murray and Silva are just about equally funny).
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan -
regahsof — 10 years ago(June 16, 2015 08:54 AM)
Bob isn't a stalker, he simply wanted to meet with Dr. Marvin, and so thus to link him up to a serial killer is absolutely ridiculous. The fact that Dr. Marvin goes on vacation for a month, when he has patients in need is, while entirely within his right, may be not the best decision in the larger scheme of things.
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Delmoreb — 9 years ago(May 30, 2016 12:14 PM)
Yes, Bob's behavior was that of a stalker and the family's reaction wasn't normal. That's the punchline OP. It's called a black comedy for a reason.
Some responses to this thread are almost as dumb as the OP. Anyone who thinks it is OK to follow someone to their home via subterfuge is sadly mistaken.
That being said, Bob was portrayed as a harmless person despite his illegal and unethical behavior. -
franzkabuki — 9 years ago(September 30, 2016 10:36 AM)
"Bob isn't a stalker, he simply wanted to meet with Dr Marvin".
Yes, but Dr Marvin didn't want to meet with him and that's where it stops. Also, Bob followed the doc around and was trespassing repeatedly - that's textbook stalking right there.
"May not be the best decision in the larger scheme of things".
What larger scheme of things? Bob was a leech who basically thought Leo should devote his entire life to him, so if it were up to Bob and his "needs", the doc would never have a vacation again - unless he spends it with Bob.
"facts are stupid things" Ronald Reagan -
rndgurl-971-654277 — 9 years ago(August 11, 2016 06:08 PM)
You have some points.. If you think this film is bad in this regard, you should check out Mr Wrong with Ellen DeGeneres.. at least her character in that film you have empathy for because she is nice and likable, not an arrogant person like dr marvin
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sunnydaze_8 — 9 years ago(September 03, 2016 09:54 AM)
@rndgurl I agree. I believe people could understand Ellen's character's point of view because the character was likable whereas Richard's character turned people off more than Bob's behavior. I felt bad for Richard's character and completely irritated by Bob's.