Story
Bob (voice of H. Jon Benjamin) dreams of opening a burger restaurant where people will flock to try his incredible and unusual burger combinations. He and his wife, Linda (voice of John Roberts), make the dream a reality. But they have trouble making payments to the bank and are denied an extension on their loan. Bob must face the loss of his dreams and wonders how things could possibly get worse.
Bob doesn’t have to wait very long. A giant sinkhole appears in front of their shop. Customers can’t get in, and Bob and Linda can’t sell any burgers. They’re told that it won’t be long before the hole is filled in, but their youngest daughter, Louise (voice of Kristen Schaal), accidentally falls in and discovers a body. The sinkhole turns into a crime scene, and it looks like the bank will foreclose before customers can get back into their shop.
When their landlord, Calvin Fischoeder (voice of Kevin Kline), is charged with the murder, Louise, her sister Tina (voice of Dan Mintz) and brother Gene (voice of Eugene Mirman) set off to save their dad’s dream. This involves proving that Calvin is innocent and bringing the real murderer to justice.
Themes
Murder; bullying; family greed; oppressive debt and pending foreclosure
Violence
The Bob’s Burgers Movie has some violence. For example:
- We see the shadows of people struggling and hear a shot fired.
- Louise thinks of ways to get back at a bully. These include shooting the bully out of a cannon, karate-chopping her or letting her get attacked by a shark.
- Forensic investigators throw mud at a police officer.
- Linda punches Bob in the genitals twice.
- The children ask questions about who a group of people might be likely to ‘shiv’.
- Carnival workers wrestle on the ground.
- Carnival workers chase Bob and Linda in a threatening way as the pair tries to get off a pier without being seen.
- A lawyer points a spear gun at the children and later at their parents and Mr Fischoeder.
- Bob and his family escape in a car. They’re chased, shot at and crashed into numerous times before ultimately being buried alive.
- Bob repeatedly tries to smash his way out of the car.
- Mr Fischoeder and his brother are forced to enter a submarine at spear point and are trapped in the ocean.
Sexual references
The Bob’s Burgers Movie has some sexual references. For example:
- Tina has a crush on a boy at school. She says, ‘Walk away so I can see what’s shakin’ in the backside of his pants’.
- Two boys are wrestling and one tells the other ‘not to touch my penis area’.
- Tina notes some ‘sexy zombies’.
- Louise repeats the saying that ‘babies don’t go into holes; they come out of holes’.
- Linda fashions her pink bikini into a hamburger costume to make a ‘sexy burger’. This is to get more customers for Bob. She tells him that ‘sex sells’.
- A character is told to get her head out of her boobs.
- Tina has a fantasy of her crush shaking his butt at her.
- Mr Fischoeder twists the nipples on a bronze statue in order to open it. This is later referred to as a ‘nipple twisty’.
- When Bob says they’ll need to do some grinding to get out of the sinkhole, Tina asks whether it’s grinding ‘like sexy dancing’.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
The Bob’s Burgers Movie shows some use of substances. For example:
- Linda drinks wine at dinner with the family.
- A carnival worker asks the children if they are there to buy drugs.
- Carnival workers drink beer during a morning off.
- The children discover Mr Fischoeder’s secret room and bar under one of the amusement park rides. This is where the adults drink gin and other things.
Nudity and sexual activity
The Bob’s Burgers Movie has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- Tina has a fantasy about her crush taking off his pants and riding bareback in his underwear with her.
- Gene has a fantasy of performing bare chested on stage in a rock concert.
- Two characters wonder whether a giant squid is trying to mate with them.
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in The Bob’s Burgers Movie: one of the children refers to the TV show Law and Order.
Coarse language
The Bob’s Burgers Movie has some coarse language in this movie, including ‘crap’, ‘damn it’, ‘sucks’, ‘friggin’, ‘kiss ass’ and ‘son of a butt’. Coarse language is also implied but not stated in some song lyrics.
Ideas to discuss with your children
The Bob’s Burgers Movie is an animated adventure based on the TV series Bob’s Burgers. The movie has an action-packed plot, full of twists and turns, but it isn’t a family movie. It’s best suited to older tween, teenage and mature audiences.
The main messages from The Bob’s Burgers Movie are to believe in your dreams, be true to yourself and never give up.
Values in The Bob’s Burgers Movie that you could reinforce with your children include bravery, hopefulness, persistence, insightfulness and creativity.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of things like:
- skipping school and going off without telling anyone where you’re going
- trying to solve crimes on your own and not calling police for help
- using violence to resolve conflict
- framing someone for a crime that you committed.