Bob or Leo: Who did you have more empathy for?
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gpapa1998-24-961204 — 12 years ago(August 13, 2013 10:58 AM)
I empathized more with Bob. Let me tell you why. Dr. Leo Marvin's help was too cold. He just gave him a book to read instead of really helping him get over the problem or to transfer him to another doctor. He left Bob out in the cold and that's why Bob was acting so strangely. I think that Bob deserved more a psychologist rather than a psychiatrist. You can trust me that I never had a good experience with psychiatrists. I prefer psychologists.
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maximusveritas — 12 years ago(October 21, 2013 09:43 AM)
Did you miss that Leo was going on vacation and didn't even know Bob was coming until the last minute? He didn't have time to really help him or transfer him. He did tell him about the covering doctor, but Bob didn't listen. This was a guy who had bounced around many different doctors and had serious boundary issues (to put it lightly), so a cold approach was the right one. Psychologists are good for certain people, but psychiatrists are good for others. To make generalizations about one being better than the other is a big ignorant.
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renatom1 — 12 years ago(January 10, 2014 08:22 PM)
I've seen this movie several times over the years. The first few times I saw it, I was totally on Dr. Marvin's side. I couldn't understand why no one else found Bob odd or why they didn't think it was weird that a total stranger just showed up at their vacation home and was spending all his time with them. But in recent years, after having been acquainted with several therapists who acted as if they could care less about their patients' problems, I began realizing what a jerk Dr. Marvin was being. Why couldn't he simply just loosen up and realize that his patient spending time with his family was helping him get better?
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Hanz-Willhelm — 11 years ago(February 23, 2015 10:49 AM)
I evolved through the film. At first I was on the doctor's side and agreed with him. About halfway through when Bob became so likeable and he was the family's best friend, helps Siggy dive, praises Marvin's book on air and Marvin got so angry and psycho I started to side with Bob.
Deutschland hat die Weltmeisterschaft zum vierten Mal gewonnen! -
ShannonTriumphant — 10 years ago(February 29, 2016 08:59 AM)
Bob was annoying much of the time, but his actions were not that odd, given his mental problems. A good shrink should be prepared for how to deal with someone who "latches on" too much. Leo was not; he pushed Bob away too roughly and didn't really explain to his family why the separation between therapist and client was so importantrather, he just kept calling Bob crazy. That simply caused the Fam to empathize more with Bob, especially as Leo got more and more angry and distant.
So, though Leo deserves some sympathy, I have more empathy and liking for Bob. He's a much nicer person, and a LOT more fun, despite his various neuroses. Also, he's never been trained to deal with these as Leo has, so the fault lies with the shrink for not practicing what he was taught.
Don't get me wrong
It might be unbelievable,
But let's not say so long -
GreenGoblinsOckVenom86 — 9 years ago(May 09, 2016 08:28 PM)
I have to say Bob. Leo was a jerk even from the start. Like another poster said he just gave Bob a book and told him to do what it said. When Bob shows up at the store Leo tells Bob he never gets upset or angry. That in itself is not a good thing. He basically kept his emotions inside until he exploded and that to me is the point of the movie. Bob maybe crazy somewhat but Leo is responsible for everything that happened. He admits at the beginning of the movie he would've rather seen Bob after his vacation was over. Plus there is also the scene where they call Leo and tell him that Bob died and his only response is, "Oh well. Let's not let it ruin our vacation." I watched this with a friend who hadn't seen it and when he watched that scene where he says that he decalred, "Oh my gosh! What a bastard!"
Green Goblin is great! -
werecow2003 — 9 years ago(December 01, 2016 01:19 PM)
Well, Leo is set up from his first scene all the way up to the last written line as an arrogant, narcissistic, unlikable prig, and Bob is basically a harmless, friendly, big child, so it's easy to sympathize with him. Within the confines of the movie, I'd much prefer Bob. He's friendly, easy going, and cheerful in spite of his problems.
However, if this were a realistic situation, Leo would be
totally
within his right to treat Bob the way he does (right up to the point where he becomes violent, of course). In fact, he's much more patient than he needs to be. Bob breaches the doctor-patient relationship several times over, invades his privacy, disrupts his time away from his work, jeopardizes his career, interferes in his family life He's basically a stalker in need of a restraining order. And instead of siding with him, his family picks the side of the stalker. That would be tremendously frustrating. I know people who work with troubled individuals, and it's hard enough to have to do that without taking their issues home with you, especially when you're actually trying to relax, during a particularly stressful time.
I kind of wonder if the way Leo was written has anything to do with the prevalence of scientology in Hollywood, since it's a cult with an anti-psychiatry slant. But maybe that's just my paranoia talking.