What Parents Need To Know Before Seeing The Bob's Burgers Movie
"Bob's Burgers" has long stood as one of the pinnacles of TV's animated comedy slate. Centering upon the Belcher family as they run their family burger shop, the sitcom explores the humor embedded within a wide variety of experiences. Louise and Gene, the youngest of the Belcher family, often contend with school troubles, Bob and Linda navigate the struggles of being parents and managing a family business, while the hormonal teenager Tina spends most of her time fantasizing about her crush's butt and make-out sessions. Suffice it to say, the series has never been afraid to push the envelope with risqué humor, even outside of Tina's pubescent misadventures, and its straddling of the line between wholesome and racy has proven to be a winning formula with many fans.
Even after 12 seasons, "Bob's Burgers" broke new ground in 2022 with the debut of its first-ever theatrical film: "The Bob's Burgers Movie." After a sinkhole opens up in front of the restaurant, the Belchers uncover a sinister plot involving money, deception, and murder — in the style of a musical, of course. "The Bob's Burgers Movie" garnered positive reviews, especially from those who are fans of the TV series. It may certainly be a good movie candidate to plan a family night around, but some parents may be wondering how far the film goes in terms of mature content. Fortunately, a plethora of information is available to assist in making an informed viewing decision.
The movie's content parallels the show
Parents attempting to determine whether or not they can deem "The Bob's Burgers Movie" as an appropriate movie for their children to watch should take into account that the film closely reflects the tone, content, and subject matter of the original series. The MPAA has rated the film as PG-13 for "rude/suggestive material and language" (via IMDb). Such a rating is akin to that of the TV show, which has a rating of TV-14 and features some mild dirty jokes and slight profanity.
In their review of the film, Common Sense Media noted that the movie contains several suggestive references, mostly courtesy of the teenage character Tina Belcher (Dan Mintz), who at one point fantasizes about her crush riding a horse in his underwear. In the language department, the movie frequently employs lesser swear words such as "ass" and "damn." As for violence and intense scenes, the movie is slightly more adventurous than the show. Some notable elements include Louise discovering skeletal human remains with some of them falling into her mouth, the killer threatening the Belchers with a loaded harpoon gun and later attempting to bury them alive, and a high-speed chase in a go-kart.
Overall, the film is largely on par with other PG-13 movies in terms of its level of mature content. If the "Bob's Burgers" TV series is already a hit with the family, they can enter this feature-length adaptation expecting a similar experience.