Now in its 12th season, Bob's Burgers is a show with loveable, heartfelt characters and quirky, unique situations. As is common in many animated series, some of these situations are parodies of popular films. What's impressive about Bob's Burgers is its ability to take well-worn stories and flip them on their heads in a way that makes them unique and fun again.
It stands to reason that the modern-classic sitcom will be referencing more movies throughout its run, but for now, audiences have over 220 episodes to view in order to pick up on subtle (or not-so-subtle) callbacks and references.
Tin Cup (1996) / Reservoir Dogs (1992) – "Moody Foodie" (Season 2, Episode 7)
Bob always coming up with new names for his restaurant's burgers may be one of Bob's Burgers' funniest running gags, but the restaurant critic known as the Moody Foodie was not impressed.
He ends up trying Bob's burger, but it takes a kidnapping to get him to do so. During this kidnapping, with the Moody Foodie tied up in his kitchen, the film Tin Cup is mentioned. The underrated Kevin Costner romantic comedy is disparaged by Bob, despite him never having seen it. The point is made (in front of the Moody Foodie) that something should not be judged before it's witnessed in full. Also during the kidnapping is a shoutout to Reservoir Dogs' infamous torture scene. As an in-depth Easter egg, Reservoir Dogs star Michael Madsen appears in "The Moody Foodie" as Costner in Tin Cup.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) – "Bob Day Afternoon" (Season 2, Episode 2)
Dog Day Afternoon takes a look at a bank robbery from two distinct perspectives. In the film, the first perspective is that of the robbers themselves (portrayed by Al Pacino and John Cazale) while the second is from the police.
"Bob Day Afternoon" follows this same pattern, but with Pacino and Cazale swapped out for Bill Hader's hilariously eccentric Mickey (in his debut) and Gary Cole's perfectly deadpan Sergeant Bosco. The deepest parallel between the film and the episode, however, is that neither Mickey nor Al Pacino's Sonny is the type to kill. It's a subtle detail that also strengthens Mickey's characterization, making him one Bob's Burgers' side character that should be part of the Belcher family.
Easy Rider (1969) – "Ear-sy Rider" (Season 3, Episode 1)
The episode responsible for one of Bob's Burgers most heartbreaking separations is also a direct reference to Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider. That classic film featured a couple of hippies on a cross-country motorcycle ride. "Ear-sy Rider" is the first episode to feature Critter, Mudflap and the One-Eyed Snakes (a motorcycle gang).
Louise's humorous and manipulative attempts to regain her bunny ears from Logan (her rival in his debut episode) don't have much to do with the late '60s film, but its funniest scene does. Instead of a tragic ending in which the bikers die, Louise enlists the help of the One-Eyed Snakes to get her precious headwear returned. Mudflap begins to give birth, revealing that Critter is the father as opposed to the recently deceased leader. It takes several different phrasings of the same simplistic piece of information for Critter to realize that he's the father.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – "O.T. The Outside Toilet" (Season 3, Episode 15)
"O.T. the Outside Toilet" gets only his titular episode to shine, but the character is a perfect companion for Gene Belcher. Furthermore, a line of dialogue early on in the episode serves as an Easter egg for viewers paying close attention.
As a parody of Steven Spielberg's classic film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Gene's affection for O.T. is reminiscent of Elliott's for E.T. Furthermore, just as E.T. was hunted by shadowy government figures, O.T. is hunted by a shadowy criminal. In terms of Easter eggs, there's a sly one when the Belcher kids are making cracks about the suit Bob is wearing en route to contest a parking ticket. Louise says, "Don Draper is kind of fat this season." Jon Hamm played Don Draper on Mad Men and also voices the titular toilet in this episode of Bob's Burgers.
A Few Good Men (1992) – "A Few 'Gurt Men" (Season 7, Episode 11)
A Few Good Men has been parodied before, but Bob's Burgers makes its intense scenes seem like something quite sweet. "A Few 'Gurt Men" even adds something new to the mix with a twist ending.
Instead of finding out who asphyxiated a U.S. Marine as seen in A Few Good Men, Louise has to (at first) begrudgingly represent Mr. Frond, the defendant. Billy Eichner's Mr. Ambrose, arguably one of the best Bob's Burgers characters introduced after season 1, has accused him of stealing a yogurt. As it turns out, the true culprit was the judge. It was just a misunderstanding, but he also saw it as a chance to educate Louise on responsibility and compassion. The main connective thread between Good and "'Gurt" is that both Louise and Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) are initially reluctant in their defensive duties. Then, both characters have a change of heart and give the case their all.
The Hunger Games (2012) – "The Oeder Games" (Season 5, Episode 21)
"The Oeder Games" went in more of a funny direction than The Hunger Games' violent one. In the episode, there's a similar game of elimination, but this one is for the Belchers to come out on top in a water balloon fight.
Bob organizes his fellow tenants into a mob to protest Mr. Fischoeder's impending rent hike. It doesn't go Bob's way, naturally, and their bizarre landlord suggests a challenge. Just as The Hunger Games separates its dystopian America into districts, Mr. Fischoeder separates all of his tenants into teams by family. Should just one member of the family be the last person standing, that family will see their rent reduced. It's a clever take on the game-of-survival angle and leads to one of Bob's better exasperated freakouts.
Dawn Of The Dead (1978) – "Dawn Of The Peck" (Season 5, Episode 4)
Perhaps one of Bob's Burgers' funniest episodes, "Dawn of the Peck" starts with a reference not to Dawn of the Dead but Jurassic Park. A Wonder Wharf employee tries to jam a soft pretzel through a cage only to get violently yanked forward.
The episodes then moves into referencing Dawn of the Dead. Due to Felix Fischoeder's typical negligence, the Belchers and everyone else on the wharf are terrorized by starving, angry turkeys. Instead of the zombie classic's shopping mall setting, "Dawn of the Peck" sets its action at the Fischoeders' terrible amusement park, which, fortunately, means a return appearance by Mickey.
The Goonies (1985) – "The Belchies" (Season 2, Episode 1)
In The Goonies, a group of children tries to save their homes from foreclosure. The Bob's Burgers episode "The Belchies" not only has a reference to the Richard Donner film in its title, but it also starts by establishing that a piece of property (in this case a factory) will soon be demolished.
The references to The Goonies don't stop there, considering the episode's narrative follows a similar trajectory to the movie's plot. Teddy crafts a map that the children take seriously, even if it is just a "butt with three turds." Taff (a man-shaped clump of the factory's taffy) is a play on Sloth. Furthermore, just as Cyndi Lauper contributed "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" to the film, here she contributes an equally fun tune titled "Taffy Butt." Even a line from the episode's closing song has a reference to The Goonies' treasure hunt.
Jaws (1975) / The Exorcist (1973) – "The Deepening" (Season 3, Episode 6)
"The Deepening" is a clear parody of Jaws to the point it reenacts famous scenes. This includes small details down to the characters' clothing. However, there's also a reference to another major horror film.
While in the restaurant, Bob, his family and Teddy discuss The Deepening 3, a 3D shark movie that just so happened to have been filmed in their area. According to Bob, the cheesy movie also featured Linda Blair, star of The Exorcist. It's a throwaway line that those unfamiliar with Blair would be sure to miss.
Working Girl (1988) / Die Hard (1988) – "Work Hard Or Die Trying, Girl" (Season 5, Episode 1)
Bob's Burgers merged two very different movie classics from 1988 into a perfect cocktail. Starting out as competing plays based on Die Hard and Working Girl before ultimately merging into one performance, the episode is chock full of inventive and funny songs.
The fact that the songs work and feel like they'd be from an actual musical adaptation of either film is impressive enough, but there's also an extra Easter egg. At the end of the episode, a woman who appears to be Carly Simon sits next to Bob. Simon contributed this episode's closing song just as she contributed "Let the River Run" to the soundtrack of Working Girl.