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Parents' Guide to

The Bob's Burgers Movie

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Charming, quirky TV spin-off celebrates family, community.

Movie PG-13 2022 102 minutes
The Bob's Burgers Movie Poster

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 6 parent reviews

NateJoe
NateJoe Adult
May 29, 2022
age 11+

Almost PG

Most intense scene is probably when Louise has bones of a dead body fall into her mouth. Second place goes to a prolonged moment where the family gets buried alive inside a small space and must come to terms with how little oxygen they have left. As for language, if you don't find the term "kick-ass" all that bad, then you'll be fine. Multiple instances of 'SON OF A B-- iscuit' almost swears are present Sexually speaking, there are several moments where characters mention their body parts such as their boobs or penis, some of them being children.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
2 people found this helpful.
Lushcoal90
Lushcoal90 Parent of 18+-year-old
August 21, 2022
age 14+

This show is for kids like 14 and up like high school and up.

This is good for 14 and up like high and up.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Too much consumerism
1 person found this helpful.
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE BOB'S BURGERS MOVIE starts off with Bob (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) and Linda Belcher (John Roberts) hoping they can convince their bank-loan officer to give them an extension while they conjure up more customers during the summer. The Belcher kids have their own summer goals: Tina (Dave Mintz) hopes to finally acknowledge her crush on Jimmy Jr., Gene (Eugene Mirman) wants to start a band, and Louise (Kristen Schaal) hopes to prove that she's brave to the girls who called her a baby for wearing bunny ears every day. But summer optimism fades quickly when the bank calls in the Belchers' loan and a sinkhole mysteriously opens up directly in front of the restaurant. When the kids discover a skeleton in the hole, they embark on a secret mission to figure out the mystery of who killed the man, in hopes that solving the mystery will help the family (and Louise's cred). Meanwhile, Bob, Linda, and their best friend, Teddy (Larry Murphy), try to come up with ways to save the burger joint -- including begging landlord Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) for rent relief.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (21 ):

This adaptation of the popular animated TV comedy is fittingly funny and sweet and full of charming family togetherness and silly shenanigans. While viewers don't need to know much about the Belchers or the show to enjoy the movie, devoted fans will be rewarded with running jokes, Easter eggs, and deeper laughs. The filmmakers focus on the immediate family members as they embark on two different but related journeys: the parents on their profit-based plan, and the three siblings on their mystery-solving mission journey. The movie's songs add to the humor, from upbeat opening number "Sunny Side Up Summer" to the show-stopping anthem "Lucky Ducks." The choreography and exuberance of those two numbers outweigh the fact that the movie's cast members aren't known as singers.

One of the highlights of Bob's Burgers -- both the show and the movie -- is that the siblings and their parents aren't always adversarial, like they are in many other popular animated shows. The Belcher kids obviously love and support one another; each gets the other two, which is why the older siblings follow clever Louise's lead. They're in this together and trust that their parents have their best interests at heart, even when the future looks temporarily grim. In the supporting cast, Kline and Zach Galifianakis stand out as the Fischoeder brothers, who own many properties along the boardwalk, including the one where Bob's Burgers is located, as well as the amusement park. The brothers are more clueless than outright villainous. Those who may have resisted watching the Bob's Burgers series, fearing that it was just another Simpsons copycat, are in for a pleasant surprise. The Belchers aren't imitative. The movie, like its protagonists, is memorably quirky, funny, and heartwarming.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the messages about teamwork and perseverance in The Bob's Burgers Movie. What character strengths do the characters demonstrate?

  • How do the Belchers differ from other animated families like those in The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park, and so forth? What makes the Belchers stand out?

  • Like Turning Red, the movie deals with the onset of romantic feelings in teens, specifically with Tina's ongoing crush on Jimmy Jr. Is Tina's crush realistically depicted? Why is (or isn't) it age-appropriate to portray aspects of puberty?

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