I’ve never seen an episode of Bob's Burgers. Probably never will. But I liked The Bob's Burgers Movie even if it is one of the quaintest mainstream movies ever made.

Bob and his family all face hardship when the bank gives them just a week to pay an overdue loan. That’s before a water main breaks in front of their restaurant, making it inaccessible. Also, a murder victim is discovered in the sinkhole.

Sprinkled with awkward song and dance numbers and even more awkward dialogue, The Bob's Burgers Movie nails whatever comedic angle it was going for, even if the jokes elicit mere chuckles. This isn’t a comedy going for a broke, nor does its creators use a big screen budget to make the next The Simpsons Movie or South Park spectacle (i.e. there are no invasions of Canada here).

Nah, it’s about burgers and weird kids and weird murder suspects and carnies and financial problems.

It’s an endearing approach, though I can’t imagine I would have been very pleased about paying money to see it in theaters (my HBO subscription will do just fine). It’s clever but not that clever, amusing but not shockingly amusing.

You’ll get no deep analysis here (since when am I known for deep analysis of anything?). The movie is a delightful but only semi-sweet (semi-savory?) treat. I liked it, but probably will never watch another episode of this show--and this is, if anything, just a long episode.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.