Movie Review : ' What About Bob '

Ah, The Sandlot. A movie full of fifth and sixth grade boys playing baseball in the Summer. If you think it sounds boring, you're wrong. This is an excellent movie. It starts with a boy, named Scotty (Tom Guiry) who needs friends. He needed friends so bad that his mom was even concerned about him being cooped up in the house for a quarter of the summer. One day, he wanders to a baseball field and his want to have friends and be a part of something comes true. He even got a nickname, "Smalls". The boys did everything together, even got into and out of trouble together. But the number one important thing all nine of the boys did, was meet at the baseball field every single day.

Unfortunately, if Dr. Leo Marvin could have been set up for failure as Bob’s previous therapist did not disclose the severity of Bob’s diagnosis and patterns of behavior.

During their first therapy session, Bob listed out his problems. These issues ranged from turrets to cardiac arrest and were summed up with Bob’s mindset that “If I fake it, then I don’t have it” (Bob, What About Bob?). Afterwards, Dr. Marvin diagnosis Bob with acute separation anxiety and a multiphobic personality. This diagnosis is accurate and Bob’s behaviors show it; he feels like he has to see his therapist every day, he is scared to leave his apartment, or to be in a crowded room.

Jacks ineffective ability to think of another person’s feelings reflects on the people that surround him. This all changes when Jacks diagnosis of a tumor on his larynx turns him into the patient. His long waits in the waiting room and endless paperwork cause him to be frustrated. He is now the person needing empathy. Although he is a doctor at the very hospital where he receives treatment, he begins to see first-hand how his lack of empathy towards people and patients can make a person feel.

Before seeing Dr. Marvin, Bob has been subject to a variety of therapies. The most noticeable therapy being drug therapy. Bob talks about having Valium, Halcyon, and Seconol, all anti-anxiety drugs and all indicative of biological therapy. Bob also seems familiar with psychodynamic therapy from his "free associations from childhood" he does for Dr. Marvin. The main therapy focus seems to be on "Baby Steps" therapy, which is similar to desensitization - take small steps in order to overcome big fears. Dr. Marvin also attempts some cognitive therapy by giving Bob a prescription to "take a vacation from his problems." This is supposed to allow Bob to change the way he thinks about his problems so that they are not a crisis any longer and he can just forget about them, because he is on vacation from those problems. Bob also attempts some of his own therapies. "I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful" repeated over and over again by Bob is his own attempt at cognitive therapy and changing the way he thinks about how he feels. Bob also uses behavioral therapy in exposing himself to water by sailing. Granted, he is chained to the boat and is wearing a life preserver, but he is learning to desensitize

What About Bob is a movie about a man who has many psychological problems. He is not the only one with problems though. The movie What About Bob? shows many psychological disorders in a comedic light. From Agoraphobia, or the fear of open spaces, to Paranoid Personality Disorder. This causes people to suffer paranoia or have a relentless mistrust and suspicion of anybody other than themselves, normally when there is no reason to fear or be suspicious of anyone at all. Most of the characters in the movie express at least one major psychological disorder, and some even express two or more.

A phobic disorder is marked by a persistent and irrational fear of an object or situation that presents no realistic danger. Agoraphobia is an intense, irrational fear or anxiety occasioned by the prospect of having to enter certain outdoor locations or open spaces. For example, busy streets, busy stores, tunnels, bridges, public transportation and cars. Traditionally agoraphobia was solely classified as a phobic disorder. However, due to recent studies it is now also viewed as a panic disorder. Panic disorders are characterised by recurrent attacks of overwhelming anxiety that usually occur suddenly and unexpectedly (Weiten, 1998).

In the film What about Bob, the movie starts off with Bob Willey sitting in bed telling himself “I feel great, I feel good, and I feel wonderful.” Without these words of encouragement he wouldn’t make it through day. Bob Wiley is quite the interesting character; he suffers from so many disorders. First he is faced with ongoing anxiety issues throughout the movie. Anxiety disorder is when a “person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal,” which describes Bob’s character perfectly.

In this scene where Jesse and his family are seen on their way to church, leaving Robert behind in his house. Robert then proceeds to go into Jesse’s room, puts on his hat, drinks from his glass of water, lies on his bed and runs his fingers over his ribs where Jesse has been shot and manufactures himself a hand where the top two knuckles of his index finger are missing. At the end of the scene, we see Charlie crying in his bed because he’s scared that Jesse is going to kill both him and his brother to which Bob tells him to stop worrying and that he’s imagining things. One of the key ideas that are portrayed in this scene is the want to be somebody of importance drives us to mould ourselves into a person we are not. From the rest of the film,

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a film that will surely make you want to fall out of your chair laughing, and make you want to get up and dance. This film is an absolute classic. It is hilarious, adventurous, and makes you feel good about yourself. The most unique thing about this film is the main characters break out of jail for the wrong reason, and then go on a wild chase trying to get home. Another unique part about this film is that the main character is currently divorced and wanting to remarry his ex-wife. The film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a classic comedy because it has well-rounded characters, adventure, and a little bit of love.

He does not feel anxious in crowded places as long as he is ignored by the people around him. Those panic attacks also would not occur if he is around familiar people such as close family members or if he feels confident about himself before a presentation. Sometimes, he is able to control those feelings and continue with whatever task at hand. Most of the time, however, he will simply try to avoid situations in which he thinks will trigger those panic attacks.

Annie makes it very clear in her interview, that she is afraid of having panic attack in public. She says she is not so much afraid of feeling overcome with anxiety, as she is embarrassed about how her body reacts when undergoing a panic attack. Annie states that most of her panic attacks occur as a result of her imagining how embarrassing it will be if she has a panic attack in public—she loses control of her bladder, she will run out of the situation, and most often hide in the bathroom.

The negative self- cencept created by accusations of lying and the physical altercations/ lack of realtionship with his brothers could lead to a dimished sense of self- worth, leading to Bob’s feelings of depression. Murdock wrote that “depression, for example, would be seen as probably involving a negative self concept that resulted from an excess of conditions of worth” (159). This indicates that Bob’s negative sense of worth could absolutely be the cause of his depressive tendancies, as well as his constant state of sadness. This sadness and anxiety (as mentioned above, where Bob sees where his problems are affecting his relationships) are the cause of his inability to hold down a job, have a stable relationship with his girlfriend, and avoid interactions with his father and brothers.

The movie I selected for this assignment is Forrest Gump, mostly because it is one of the most widely known movies of all time. Instantly quotable and memorizable, and one I have watched a million times over in every way possible. Forrest Gump, of Greenbow, AL, has one of the most historically and culturally significant lives possible, from playing football for the University of Alabama, to serving as an Infantry Sergeant in the Vietnam War. He also played ping-pong, fished for shrimp, and met presidents Kennedy and Johnson. He met other famous people to include a young Elvis, as well as John Lennon while on TV. He ran back and forth across the country for “3 years, 2 months, 14 days, 16 hours” as he put, and became a good father for his son when his lifelong romantic interest died. He does all of this without realizing what he is doing as he is doing it, simply because he is mildly retarded and just goes through life doing simply what he is told or what he feels like doing. This story also contains examples of the concepts of interpersonal communications, which consists of: the transactional nature of communications, self-image, self-esteem, self-concept, online disclosures, and self-fulfilling prophecies, perception, principles of nonverbal communication and personal presentation, and listening.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” Is a wonderful movie to watch. Although it isn’t something that happens in real life it is still incredibly relatable. It tells a story that hasn’t really been done, that’s a good thing because it makes the movie unpredictable. This movie is loosely based on the book F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story. It was directed by David Fincher.