What About Bob? (1991)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Cast: Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss
Extras: Theatrical Trailer
Rating:

It’s nice to see Disney going into the vaults to release some older films. ’What About Bob?’ is one of my all-time favorite comedies and I’m very pleased to see it come to DVD. However, judging from this lackluster DVD, Disney doesn’t seem to care about the film as much as I do.

’What About Bob?’ is presented in a non-anamorphic widescreen and is letterboxed at 1.85:1, a marked improvement over the old laserdisc, which was presented full-frame. The framing of the image appears to be accurate and the image is crisp, but there are several problems with this transfer. For one thing, the source print shows many defects, including scratches and white ’blotches’. Also, the digital transfer reveals a great deal of grain on the image, making this transfer look only slightly better than a VHS copy.

The Dolby 2-channel surround audio mix is adequate, especially as it highlights the whimsical score by Miles Goodman. But, don’t expect any ’Independence Day’-like action from your surround-sound system. The only extra on the DVD is the theatrical trailer, which is presented full-frame.

Despite the inconsistencies of this DVD presentation, ’What About Bob?’ is still a classic comedy. Bill Murray gives one of his best performances as Bob Wiley, a confused man who is addicted to therapy. Bob follows Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss) on vacation and proceeds to invade Dr. Marvin’s life. While Dr. Marvin’s family embraces Bob, Dr. Marvin schemes of way to get rid of Bob, leading to many classic scenes. While many critics disliked this film, I loved it and it landed on my Top Ten list for 1991. If only Disney loved the film as much as I do.