Plot: What’s it about?
Bob (Tom Green) has a lot of employment issues, as he can never seem to hold down a job for any length of time. He is quirky, but wants to find his niche in life, he just gets into mischief a little too often. After countless failures, Bob enrolls in a school to become a butler. The school is tough, run by a strict man named Mr. Butler (Simon Callow), but Bob tries to make it. He does indeed graduate and soon enough, he even has a job offer, but the position isn’t a simple one. Anne (Brooke Shields) is a single mother who spends a lot of time at the office, so she needs someone to watch her children and maintain the household. At first, the kids just want to run Bob off, but over time, he wins some points with them here and there. Has Bob finally found a job he can keep, or he is trying too hard to make things work?
The world of entertainment is always on the move, as you can tell from Bob the Butler, in which Tom Green takes a run at family entertainment. I never would have expected to see Green in a family film period, let alone one that is a romantic comedy and features Brooke Shields as his potential love interest. I guess Green’s chances to make cash from his over the top gross out humor have dried up, so he tries to reinvent himself here, but is the transition a success? Not even close. Bob the Butler is lame even on the family friendly comedy scale, a complete waste of time that no one should have to suffer through. The key word here is awful, as in Green’s performance, the writing, and every second this film is on the screen, all of these elements are awful. This is easily one of the longest ninety minutes of my life. I not only recommend you stay away from Bob the Butler, but I recommend that all copies be burned as soon as possible.
Video: How does it look?
Bob the Butler is presented in full frame, which I assume is not the proper presentation, as the movie was screened in a limited theatrical run. I also assume that because shots are so off balance, as in sometimes people speaking off screen are not visible. I could still talk about the technical merits, but I won’t, because I hate these kind of visual botches.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is standard comedy fare, as the Dolby Digital 5.1 option carries dialogue well, but has little to no surround presence. There are some scenes that spin a little more than others, but the focus is not on power, so don’t expect a memorable soundtrack. The sound effects come through well, but some of the surround use is a tad forced and doesn’t sound natural. Even so, the vocals have a clean, clear sound and in this case, that is the main issue at hand. So while this isn’t remarkable, it is solid and that’s good enough. This disc also includes Spanish subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some deleted scenes, as well as a reel of outtakes.
