What About Bob?
1991 · 100 min · Director: Frank Oz
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Dr. Leo Marvin, an egotistical psychotherapist in New York City, is looking forward to his upcoming appearance on a "Good Morning America" telecast, during which he plans to brag about "Baby Steps," his new book about emotional disorder theories in which he details his philosophy of treating patients and their phobias. Meanwhile, Bob Wiley is a recluse who is so afraid to leave his own apartment that he has to talk himself out the door. When he is pawned off on Leo by a psychotherapist colleague, he becomes attached to him. Leo finds Bob extremely annoying. When Leo accompanies his wife, Faye, his daughter, Anna, and his son, Sigmund, to a peaceful New Hampshire lakeside cottage for a month-long vacation, he thinks he's been freed from Bob. Leo expects to mesmerize his family with his prowess as a brilliant husband and remarkable father who knows all there is to know about instructing Faye and raising Anna and Sigmund. But Bob isn't going to let him enjoy a quiet summer by the lake. By cleverly tricking the telephone operator at Leo's exchange, Bob discovers the whereabouts of him and his family. Despite his phobia about traveling alone, Bob somehow manages to talk himself onto a bus, and he arrives in New Hampshire. Leo's vacation comes to a screeching halt the moment he sees him. With his witty personality, his ability to manipulate people, and his good sense of humor, he quickly becomes an annoyance to Leo, but not to Faye, Anna, and Sigmund, because they think he is fun while Leo is dull. Fearing that he's losing his family to him, Leo frantically tries to find a way to make him go back to New York City, and it's not as easy as he had hoped. He finds himself stepping outside the law to try to get Bob to stay away from Faye, Anna, and Sigmund--he slowly goes berserk, and makes plans to kill Bob.
Emotional fingerprint
What About Bob? (1991) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Humor 45%, Smile 20%, Empathy 15%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Humor45%
- Smile20%
- Empathy15%
- Surprise10%
- Satisfaction10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Humor, Smile, Empathy. Genres: Comedy. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Humor, Smile and Empathy. Its IMDb rating of 7.0/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 72/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Humor
- Tension
- Relief
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Relief
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Humor | Tension | Relief |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Humor | 32 % | 30 % | 11 % | 0 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 8′ | Humor | 41 % | 39 % | 14 % | 7 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 13′ | Humor | 48 % | 46 % | 18 % | 17 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 18′ | Humor | 49 % | 47 % | 24 % | 16 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 23′ | Humor | 48 % | 47 % | 27 % | 12 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 28′ | Humor | 47 % | 45 % | 27 % | 15 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 33′ | Humor | 45 % | 42 % | 24 % | 18 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 38′ | Humor | 46 % | 43 % | 25 % | 16 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 43′ | Humor | 53 % | 47 % | 31 % | 23 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 48′ | Relief | 57 % | 50 % | 36 % | 38 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 53′ | Relief | 59 % | 53 % | 37 % | 38 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 58′ | Humor | 54 % | 52 % | 34 % | 20 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 63′ | Humor | 53 % | 51 % | 33 % | 11 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 68′ | Humor | 56 % | 53 % | 37 % | 10 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 73′ | Humor | 57 % | 54 % | 39 % | 9 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Humor | 56 % | 54 % | 39 % | 10 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 83′ | Humor | 58 % | 47 % | 45 % | 9 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 88′ | Tension | 65 % | 43 % | 57 % | 15 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 93′ | Humor | 70 % | 50 % | 60 % | 31 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 98′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Icarus
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about What About Bob?. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Mrs. Guttman
Phil
Marie Grady
Gwen, Switchboard Operator
Claire, Dr. Marvin's Secretary
TV Announcer
Motorcycle Cop
Lobby Doorman
Details
- Directed by
- Frank Oz
- Written by
- Alvin Sargent, Tom Schulman, Laura Ziskin, Alvin Sargent
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1991
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Country
- United States
- Genres
- Comedy
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Humor
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
Feels similar
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