Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Bob’s Burgers Movie.
After nearly two years of pandemic-related delays, Bob, Linda, Gene, Tina, and Louise Belcher have finally made the leap to the big screen in The Bob’s Burgers Movie. Not only is the movie a fun, cinematic, laugh-out-loud adventure; it also packs in a few emotionally resonant moments for each of the characters. The 22-minute episodes of Bob’s Burgers usually only have time to focus on one of the Belchers, but the 102-minute movie has time for all five of them to get their own character arc.
Some of the movie’s character arcs are more developed and emotionally engaging than others. The origin story of Louise’s bunny-eared hat is a tearjerker and there’s a great lesson in Linda inspiring Bob to have more optimism, but Gene’s rehashed quest to become a more confident musician feels tacked-on.
Gene Becomes A More Confident Musician
Of all the movie’s character arcs, Gene’s feels the most like an afterthought. It seems to have been tacked on just so Gene has something to do. At the beginning of the movie, he creates his own instrument with a napkin dispenser and starts to doubt his musical abilities when people say the sound it makes hurts their teeth. There’s a fun callback to the “Itty Bitty Ditty Committee” episode as Gene gets the band back together for a gig at the Wharf. But the movie ends up rehashing that episode’s storyline as Gene is forced to figure out, in the words of the alien robot in his dream, “if music is, like, your thing.”
Gene’s funniest moments in the movie, like trying to hide by standing against the wall, have nothing to do with this story arc. Still, the rehashed Itty Bitty Ditty Committee storyline gives the movie its perfect closing musical number, and it ties in with Bob’s arc as he passes on Linda’s wisdom. Gene’s story carries a great lesson about artistic endeavors: if artists just have fun, be themselves, and follow their own compass, the audience will follow (even if that audience consists entirely of their parents and their parents’ best customer).
Tina Wants To Ask Jimmy, Jr. To Be Her “Summer Boyfriend”
At the beginning of The Bob’s Burgers Movie, the Belchers have one week left of school, concurrent with the week that their parents have to pay off their loan from the bank. Tina keeps walking over to ask Jimmy, Jr. to be her “summer boyfriend,” but always gets cold feet and decides it’s the wrong time. Tina attempting to woo Jimmy, Jr. is a storyline that Bob’s Burgers has explored over and over again.
This version of the familiar narrative makes up for it with a great final monologue about whether or not there’s any romance left in the world. Tina realizes it’s silly to use a specific label like “summer boyfriend” and instead just leans in for a kiss. Tina’s storyline in the movie exemplifies her defining character trait: she’s a hopeless romantic.
Linda Teaches Bob To Be More Optimistic
Bob has always stressed about keeping the business afloat and Linda has always countered that stress with unwavering optimism. The movie brings this running thread from the series to a head as the Belchers are denied an extension on their loan and given seven days to pay it off. The restaurant is a week away from going under and if that wasn’t bad enough, a giant sinkhole opens up in front of the door, a skeleton emerges from the dirt, and the sidewalk in front of Bob’s Burgers promptly becomes a crime scene.
Bob has absolutely no hope that the family will make it out of this one, but Linda – as always – remains optimistic, and tries to inspire Bob to do the same. When Bob tells the kids to stay optimistic as they’re buried alive in a clam-shaped car, he realizes how exhausting it must be for Linda to keep his spirits up all the time. At the end of the movie, Bob tries to impart Linda’s positive outlook onto Gene when he has stage fright.
Louise Doubts Whether She’s Brave
All five Belchers have plenty of screen time in The Bob’s Burgers Movie, but if the movie has a star, it’s Louise. Louise has always put up defenses like sarcasm and biting insults and blind rage because, deep down, she’s scared and insecure (as is every kid growing up). The best Louise storylines are about the vulnerabilities hidden underneath these defenses. In the movie, her confidence is shaken when another girl at school calls her a “baby.” From that moment on, Louise is desperate to prove she’s brave – only to learn that she’s been brave all along.
Louise’s iconic bunny-eared hat gets a heartwarming origin story. She believes she was given the hat to calm her nerves on her first day of kindergarten, but Bob tells Louise that she was fine on her first day of kindergarten – and that she’s one of the bravest people he knows. As it turns out, she didn’t get the hat on her first day. Linda sewed bunny ears onto Bob’s mom’s old hat so that Louise could feel close to the grandmother she never got to meet.