What About Bob?

Synopsis: Doctor Leo Marvin, an egotistical psychotherapist in New York City, is looking forward to his forthcoming appearance on a "Good Morning America" telecast, during which he plans to brag about "Baby Steps," his new book about emotional disorder theories in which he details his philosophy of treating patients and their phobias. Meanwhile, Bob Wiley is a recluse who is so afraid to leave his own apartment that he has to talk himself out the door. When Bob is pawned off on Leo by a psychotherapist colleague, Bob becomes attached to Leo. Leo finds Bob extremely annoying. When Leo accompanies his wife Fay, his daughter Anna, and his son Siggy to a peaceful New Hampshire lakeside cottage for a month-long vacation, Leo thinks he's been freed from Bob. Leo expects to mesmerize his family with his prowess as a brilliant husband and remarkable father who knows all there is to know about instructing his wife and raising his kids. But Bob isn't going to let Leo enjoy a quiet summer by the lake. By c
Genre: Comedy
Director(s): Frank Oz
Production: Touchstone Home Entertainment
  2 wins & 1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
7.0
Metacritic:
60
Rotten Tomatoes:
83%
PG
Year:
1991
99 min
2,536 Views


I feel good, I feel

great, I feel wonderful

I feel good, I feel

great, I feel wonderful

I feel good, I feel

great, I feel wonderful

I feel good, I feel

great, I feel wonderful

Good Morning Gil.

I said... Good Morning Gil.

I gotta go to work

See Ya.

Wish Me Luck, Gil.

Doctor, it's your wife on the phone

Thank you Claire.

Fay, are we sitting down?

My publisher thinks it's gonna happen.

Ya, he thinks Good Morning America

is coming up to

Lake Winnipesaukee next week to interview me.

It's a tremendous shot in the arm for my book.

Ye... No! It's very unusual..

Well, I think they did visit doctor

Ruth's house once but, other than that...

Hold on a second honey.

Yes.

Excuse me doctor, but there is a

Dr. Carswell Fensterwald on the phone.

Thank You.

Fay, I have to go, just

another colleague on the phone.

Boy they sure do come out of the

wood work when you're famous.

Good bye dear.

Carswell!

Leo! Long time no see, huh?

You've got a big book out!

Things are really clickin', huh?

That's the way I planned it!

Listen Leo, I'm quitting my practice

for a while, I'm leaving town.

And I have one patient

I'd like to refer to you.

Exactly what kind of case is it

Carswell? He's not psychotic is he?

No! No... nothing like that!

Listen, his name is Bob Wiley

He pays early, he comes on time.

He just needs someone brilliant, Leo.

I know you don't like flattery but,

If there's anyone I know who

could win the Nobel Prize, it's you.

Well... I suppose I could find an

hour for him sometime after Labor Day.

Okay! I'll work him in for an interview.

Say Carswell, how come you're quitting the business?

We're a dying breed Leo, Good Luck!

Free!

Claire, if a Bob Wiley calls,

schedule him for a short interview

right after I get back from my vacation.

He's already called Dr Marvin,

twice, he's your next appointment.

That's persistence.

I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful

I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful

I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful

I feel good.

Can I Help you Sir?

Yes, Dr Marvin, Dr Leo Marvin?

Second Elevator, 44th Floor.

Thank You.

Elevator?

Bob... Wiley...

Why don't you sit down,

it'll be a few minutes.

Dr Marvin, Bob Wiley.

Thank You.

- Thank you for working me in.

- Hello.

Should I call you Dr Marvin or Leo?

Which ever you like.

Call me Bob.

Is that your family?

Yes.

Oh wait, let me guess,

I'm very good at this.

That's Harriet...

and then Ronny,

Gretchen,

and Rita.

Ah wait, wait a second,

Cecilia,

Dorothy,

and this is Kenneth?

and Bamby.

This is my son Sigmund,

and my wife Fay,

and my daughter, Anna,

and that's my sister, Lily.

Lily? I was close.

It's a beautiful family.

Thank you.

Have a seat.

Why don't I start?

The simplest way to put it,

I have problems.

I worry about diseases, so,

I have trouble touching things.

In public places it's almost impossible.

I have a real big problem moving.

Talk about moving.

As long as I'm in my apartment, I'm OK.

But when I go out, I get... weird!

Talk about weird.

Talk about weird.

Well, I get dizzy spells,

nausea...

cold sweats,

hot sweats,

fever blisters,

difficulty breathing,

difficulty swallowing,

blurred vision, involuntary trembling,

dead hands, numb lips,

fingernail sensitivity,

pelvis discomfort.

So the real question is,

what is the crisis, Bob?

What is that you're truly afraid of?

What if my heart stops beating?

What if... I'm looking for

a bathroom, I can't find it...

and... my bladder explodes...

Do you ever heard of turrets syndrome?

Involuntary shouting profanity?

It's exceptionably rare...

Sh*t eating son of a b*tch!

Bastard dooshbag, twat,

numbnuts, d*ckhead, b*tch!

Why, exactly, are you doing this?

If I fake it, then I don't have it!

You know it's the same

with the cardiac arrest.

Are you married?

I'm divorced.

Would you like to talk about that?

There are two types of

people in this world.

Those who like Neil Diamond...

and those who don't.

My ex-wife loves him.

I see.

So, what you're saying is that

even though you are an almost paralyzed,

multi-phobic personality that

is in a constant state of panic,

your wife did not leave you,

you left her because

she liked Neil Diamond.

Now, you're saying that maybe,

maybe I didn't leave her

because she likes Neil Diamond,

but maybe, she left me?

Yes.

Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!

Dr Marvin,

You can help me.

For the first time in my life,

I feel like there's hope.

I feel like I can be somebody.

Bob, there's an old saying,

that's the best psychiatrist in the world,

is the one right inside of you.

Yeah...

I can help you, yes.

Thank you.

Bob, there is a ground-breaking

new book, that has just come out.

Now, not everything in this book,

of course, applies to you, but,

I'm sure that you can see

when you see the title,

exactly how it could help.

Baby Steps?

It means setting small

reasonable goals for yourself

one day at a time.

One tiny step at a time.

Baby steps.

For instance, um...

when you leave this office,

don't think about

everything you have to do

in order to get out of the building,

just think to what you must do to

get out of this room,

and when you get to the hall,

deal with that hall,

and so forth...

you see?

Baby steps!

Baby steps.

Oh boy!

Baby steps, baby steps,

baby steps through the office,

baby steps out the door,

Rate this script:4.0 / 3 votes

Tom Schulman

Thomas H. Schulman (born October 20, 1951 in Nashville) is an American screenwriter best known for his semi-autobiographical screenplay for Dead Poets Society. The film won the Best Screenplay Academy Award for 1989, and was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director (Peter Weir). more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "What About Bob?" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/what_about_bob_23261>.

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