Who Hated Dr. Leo Marvin? - What About Bob? (1991) Discussion

[–] GhostFaceKiller 20 years ago

I wouldn't say I hated him. His anger was understandable. That place was his only escape from his day to day life. It was a peaceful place where he could get some rest every once in a while and Bob was invading that.

He could have reacted a lot better. As a doctor, he should have realized that Bob was just literally crying out for help. It really seems Dr. Marvin created his own Hell. He could have let Bob stay, give Bob some help, and still enjoyed his time off. Once he was calmed down, Bob was obviously not THAT much of a nuisance unless you let him be. In other words, Dr. Marvin's problem was more so himself. He could have taken his family's example and just not let Bob bother him.

Of course, I'm glad he did let Bob bother him or the movie wouldn't have been funny. Ha ha ha! Have a nice day!

That's right, boys....IT'S DOCTOR VENKMAN!!!

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[–] THElebowski101 20 years ago

I didnt hate him at all. I completely understood his situation, but at certian points you cant help but favor Bob.

"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he didnt exist."

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[–] 20 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bratwurstbob 20 years ago

i think i would have sent him to a mental hospital too. that would have really bugged me to have him follow me everywhere. but as a doctor he could have reacted better than that.

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[–] leachsongs 20 years ago

i really do believe Richard Dreyfuss has a knack for acting, and in this paticular film,he is the star. In films like these, you really do learn to hate the bad guys, like "Domestic Disturbance" with Vince Vaughn. I hated him in that movie...anyway, What About Bob is bill murray's genious work, and i just love him as an actor.

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[–] marlowe_is_dead 20 years ago

I think the point is that he IS pretty unlikeable. He is self-consumed and a bad husband and father... Bob is there to show that there are more things to life than money and a career -- real friendship, for one. That Dr. Marvin got his comeuppance is directly related to his own behaviour and narrow thinking. IMO.

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[–] planetfifi 20 years ago

I doubt they were all deserving of a comeuppance. I loved this film, but to me its just fantasy, except for the part about arrogance in psychiatry--that's true. In real life, Leo would have called the police and reported Bob for stalking and the police would have tossed Bob's beanie in jail or the mental ward.

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[–] Lonewolf77 20 years ago

I don't think he is a character to really hate. But I think he definetly
needed to chill out.

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[–] BigFatPileOfCheeseCake 20 years ago

I had empathy for him, and could understand. But sometimes I had to side with Bob.

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[–] TheJewishMonkey 19 years ago

I have a friend (more like someone who never leaves me alone) they make me very angry, but I learn to live with it. I understand Dr. Marvin. But Bob's lovable. This person is not lovable at all.

"You tried and you failed. The lesson is never try." Homer Simpson

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[–] roxypink_77 19 years ago

All Bob wanted was help, and was willing to go through almost anything to get it. Without realizing all the annoyance he's causing Dr. Marvin. He's not purposely being annoying he just wants a better life and knows that Dr. Marin can help him get that. But you see in the movie that it wasn’t really Dr. Marvin that helped him it was being in a new place with new ppl and friends and just slowly adjusting. And with all the love form other ppl he feels he’s finally reached that point where he can handle is problems, along with making a quite a few friends... and a wife lol. I can’t really explain it, but the point of the matter is. Bob is nice but annoying. Dr. Marvin has very, very little patience. Mix, stur, and heat in the oven at about 350. You have one recipe for disaster.

Gertrude was the best Duckie a friend could ask for!

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[–] zurichpoet 16 years ago

Jung wrote about “the shadow”. Bob lived in his shadow, didn’t fight it, and wanted to leave it, organically.
And was trying to evolve with true emotion.
Like an actual human.

Dr. Leo ignored his shadow, why he was so uptight.
And why he wanted Bob to go away as he saw his shadow in Bob.
This is seen in the movie after Leo drops Bob off at the asylum with malice and he’s driving alone and arguing with “Bob” who isn’t there.
Thus, really, Leo is fighting his shadow.
Leo's anger was never about "Bob".
It was about Leo's failure to ever try to see or confront his true emotional self.

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[–] mark-1589 16 years ago

I don't hate him, although I rather doubt I would befriend such a person - too high strung and self-centered. I totally sympathize with his need to get away from his work, so that Bob did, in fact, provoke him. On the other hand, I think his extreme reaction is due in part to the fact that he is a total control freak and can't handle when his environment is not ordered according to his dictate. That is probably also why his family, rather than protecting him in his need to have rest and relaxation, seem to be rebelling against his rule in the roost. Dr. Marvin wants Bob to go, and they insist he let Bob stay and be nice to him. My guess is that they are fed up with Daddy insisting that everything in their life be just such. So Bob is a breath of fresh air for them.

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[–] stevenackerman69 16 years ago

Well, Leo didn't want Bob around all the time because he felt it violated the Doctor-Patient relationship. He did have a point. But Bob wasn't a Max Cady or any kind of celebrity stalker-just a guy asking for help.

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[–] GreenGoblinsOckVenom86 15 years ago

He didn't even care about helping people. He just wrote Baby steps for the money and fame. So I do hate him.

"We are Venom, now!" Venom/Eddie Brock Spider-Man Tv Series 1994

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[–] Computer_Stud 15 years ago

When I was younger, I liked Bob better. I thought he was cool and funny and Leo seemed like an arrogant jerk. Now that I'm older, I like Leo better. Now, it doesn't seem like Bob really needed help but was more of a parasite trying to feed off of Leo's life.

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[–] Lucky_Man 15 years ago

Oh, man! I hated Leo Marvin. I'm 21 and I just saw this movie. Dr. Marvin is a complainer, I wanted to kill him.

_______
"There's nothing you can know that isn't known."
-John Lennon

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[–] blacknyellowsquid 13 years ago

I agree with Computer Stud...Bob seemed better and more 'aw cute and annoying' when I was a kid but watching it now, it's like WOW this would be terrible if it happened in real life. And I'd venture a guess that a lot of the people defending Bob have never worked in the mental health field. The stalking and manipulating he does to infiltrate into his doctor's life is pretty scary, and the police should have been called ASAP. And Bob wasn't in any imminent crisis...not suicidal, not homicidal. He just wasn't getting what he wanted and manipulated his way into his doctor's life.

Another thing ppl seem to be missing is he'd ONLY had a consultation with Dr. Marvin. He wasn't even a long-time patient who had developed some kind of patient-doctor relationship and may have really needed him. They only had an introductory interview for about 10 minutes. Bob would have been just fine seeing the other doctor while Marvin was on vacation.

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[–] Harmon30 12 years ago

blacknyellowsquid hit the nail right on the head. While Dr. Marvin certainly had his own issues, you have to remember that this was his sanctuary and it was completely interrupted by the nutball person he consulted with. People like to say he was mean but what would you do in that situation? How would you take it?

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[–] EightiesKid 12 years ago

^ I agree.

Yes, in a personal sense, Leo was an arrogant jerk more concerned with recognition and success than with actually helping people. He was pretty distant and out of touch from his own family. The guy might've been an uptight conceited a-hole, but that's besides the point. He still had every right to take a private vacation and be left alone for a few weeks without worrying about work.

On a personal level, Bob was much more of a free spirit and a nice guy, and I can see why Fay, Anna, and Siggy took to him... but his problem was that he didn't really listen or put himself in someone else's shoes. He seemed pretty innocent and meant no harm whatsoever, he was just very lonely and needed more social interaction and people in his life (even Dr. Marvin picked up on that in the initial interview), but he still came across as rude and inconsiderate. He latched onto his doctor (whom he's barely even met) and kept coming to his house and his family uninvited.

Just ethically speaking, the right thing for Leo to do would've been to realize Bob was crying out for help. He had no obligation to, but if he'd have sat and talk with Bob in the coffee shop (he could've asked Fay or Anna to drive the car back to the house, and one of them could pick Leo back up when he was finished) and explained it from his point of view, maybe called back to his office and arranged some help for Bob upon getting back to NYC. The first time he showed up at the house, he should've called the police to sort it out.

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[–] andie-redhead 15 years ago

he was a jerk! haha to his family and poor Bob but he was just....impatient.

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[–] novastar_6 15 years ago

Hate hate hate, hate hate hate, double hate...LOATHE ENTIRELY.

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[–] Corvallis40 15 years ago

I felt sorry for Dr. Leo Marvin....Bob was beyond a stalker. His character was annoying to me, and he was just a huge pest in general. If I were Marvin, I'd have gotten a restraining order!

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