The Bob’s Burgers Movie hits theatres May 27, guaranteed to entertain fans and endear newcomers to the series as well. Viewers’ favorite burger-flipping family, The Belchers, will as usual be saving their restaurant from the brink of bankruptcy, this time after a sinkhole forms at its front entrance.
The feature-length films promises the same magic from the series: comedy, adventure, a truly odd family made up of memorable characters, and a lot of musical interludes that are as funny as they are bizarre. A quick review of some of the show’s best tunes should put you in the mood for some extended Belcher fun.
Bad Girls from “Bad Tina”
Tina (Dan Mintz) gets assigned to welcome new girl Tammy (Jenny Slate) to the school, but Tammy’s bad influence is immediately apparent when she declares the tour is giving her a snoregasm. Soon Tina’s having a crap-attack for getting detention, but she’s so determined not to be a boob-punch, she follows Tammy down a bad girl rabbit hole.
The Bad Girls song is naturally paired with a bad girls’ montage. Good girl Tina has some ethical qualms when “bad girls don’t wanna pay for lip balm” and starts to wonder “are the boys and their cute butts really worth all this?”
I’ve Got A Yum Yum from “Carpe Museum”
For Bob’s (H. Jon Benjamin) first time as a parent volunteer, he takes the kids on a field trip to the local museum, where a docent strike leaves them woefully understaffed and fully unprepared for Louise’s (Kristen Schaal) particular brand of mischief. As Bob follows her and Regular-Sized Rudy into the unopened Amazon wing, Gene (Eugene Mirman) gets a reluctant tour of the museum’s best boobs, and Tina and fellow freak Henry (Jim Gaffigan) try to establish which one of them is the dork.
Linda (John Roberts) starts to feel left out, so she attempts to join her family at the museum but unable to resist a good chant, ends up joining the picket line instead. Linda confidently leads the striking museum workers in several chants, including the infamous and inexplicable “Boys are from Mars, girls are from Venus. I’ve got a yum-yum, you’ve got a penis.” Ludicrous Linda-isms never disappoint.
Electric Love from “Topsy”
When the new science teacher bans volcanoes from the science fair, librarian Mr. Ambrose (Billy Eichner) inspires Louise with a little-known Thomas Edison fact. She stages a reenactment of Edison’s public electrocution of an elephant named Topsy.
If the premise isn’t enticing enough, brother Gene steals the show, improbably turning it into a love story between a man and an elephant. He and Tina act it out while Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) and Aunt Gayle (Megan Mullally) provide the voices. It’s nothing short of brilliant.
Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl
Gene is delighted to finally put on Die Hard: The Musical for the fall festival, but Courtney’s musician father (John Michael Higgins) stomps all over his dreams by staging Working Girl: The Musical for his daughter to star in instead. Not to be deterred, Gene and Louise decide to put on their own guerilla production, but Gene’s artistic vision leads him to fire his cast and stage it as a one-Gene show.
The two musicals compete simultaneously in one epic musical battle. This episode has something for everyone, especially after the musicals get combined into an unforgettable mashup that finally gives Hans Gruber the happy ending he deserved.
Bad Stuff Happens In The Bathroom from “Glued, Where’s My Bob?”
Skip Marooch (Kumail Nanjiani) arranges for a Bob’s Burgers magazine profile about hidden gems that could be a really big deal for the restaurant. Unfortunately, Bob winds up glued to a toilet when his panic poops intersect with the kids’ goop prank war.
While Louise (the culprit) and Bob (the victim) duet about their toilet troubles, the journalist (Rob Huebel), the photographer (Keegan-Michael Key) and a butt-numbing doctor (Ken Jeong) all crowd into the customer bathroom to monitor Bob’s embarrassing situation while failing to find anything appetizing about it.
Burgers And Fries from “Itty Bitty Ditty Committee”
Gene sings Burgers And Fries outside the restaurant, allegedly to draw in customers, with his sisters playing backup on straws. He recruits Regular-Sized Rudy on cymbals, Peter on electric recorder, and Darryl as the lead singer of Gene’s new band, Itty Bitty Ditty Committee.
When Gene inevitably gets pushed out of his own band, he decides to quit music forever. First act of quitting music: to write a song called I Don’t Need Music. But Gene can no more quit music than music can quit him. He may not be a musician, but he’s musishy, and that’s been enough for Bob’s Burgers fans for 13 seasons and counting.
The Fart Song from “The Frond Files”
Genes writes a fictional essay in which he imagines himself a student of the Fart School For The Gifted. Fart Fantasy Gene of course sings a legendary Fart Song, but his creativity fails to impress his teacher, and his parents are called in to discuss things with the guidance counselor, Mr. Frond.
Linda and Bob don’t find their children’s essays as offensive as their teachers do. In fact, Linda cries, clearly moved by the lyrics of her son’s song: “All that air from your own derrière, come on and set it free. Cause farts are liberty.” This is exactly the kind of tender-hearted toilet humor audiences can expect from the best of Bob’s Burgers.
The Nice-Capades from “The Nice-Capades”
When the Belcher kids have an unfortunate incident involving a massage chair and a mall Santa, they worry about ending up on the naughty list and not getting presents for Christmas. Naturally they decide to stage an ice show to impress mall Santa, featuring a song they wrote about all their good deeds, and the Jewish ice hockey team, The Mighty Schmucks, dancing on ice.
By season six, fans of the show had certainly learned that though the Belcher kids are lovable, they’re not exactly altruistic. Gene’s good deed for the year is based on letting another kid grab the last taco (Gene secretly prefers nuggets anyway), and Tina’s involves a horseshoe crab who may or may not still have all its original legs. Good thing it’s the thought that counts. Holiday episodes are a great entry point to the series, showing the Belcher family at their best and worst.
Twinkly Lights from “The Bleakening”
In this two-part holiday episode from season eight, a Christmas party in the restaurant results in the theft of their mini-Christmas tree and its special ornaments. The Belcher kids think it must be the work of the Bleaken, an anti-Santa who steals presents. Linda, however, knows the culprit must have been among their guests, and she’s determined to work the case.
It leads the Belchers to a gay rave where a performance by drag queen Miss Triple X-mas (Todrick Hall) restores everyone’s holiday cheer. Gene says what the audience is thinking: “Finally, a song about light bulbs!” Remember to stay through the credits because fans will definitely want a second helping of this illuminating song.
I Do from “Something Old, Something New, Something Bob Caters For You”
Connor and Farrah had their first date at Bob’s Burgers, and just three months later, they’re back to ask him to cater their beach wedding. Linda thinks it’s much too soon for anyone to get married, but Bob is swept up in their romance.
At the wedding, Bob’s soft side emerges as he wondrously sings about how his meat and buns contribute to someone’s special day. It’s clearly an honour to him, even as his wife continues to be skeptical, and the wedding suffers a number of ominous setbacks.
I Love U So Much (It’s Scary) from “The Hauntening”
In a classic Bob’s Burgers episode, the Belcher family sets their hearts on scaring the bejesus out of little Louise. With a little help from their friends, mission accomplished. The episode ends with a full Halloween-inspired music video by resident boy band, Boyz 4 Now.
Almost any musical number by Boyz 4 Now makes a Bob’s Burgers episode even better. Boo Boo (Max Greenfield) is the cute one and everyone’s favorite, but boys (and their butts) in general are Tina’s special weakness. Call her boy crazy, but this girl’s never felt so boy sane. Her monster crushes are a hallmark of the series.
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