I’ve watched What About Bob? many times, and it’s always a joy to revisit. However, I find that I only tend to watch it from Bob Wiley’s perspective. It’s probably because he’s the one who seems to change the most over the course of the story.

What about Dr. Leo Marvin? Doesn’t his perspective count for something? I mean, he’s the one who kicks off the story by writing a brilliant book on psychology, accepting Bob as a patient, going on vacation, and failing to get rid of Bob.

I propose that Dr. Marvin (or Leo as he likes to be called in his office) is right about everything in What About Bob? Let’s see why.

No Other Doctor Could Help Bob Wiley

During their first session, Leo helps Bob in a way that no one else has been able to. His book Baby Steps is so successful that it inspires Bob for the rest of the movie to make small improvements that generate big results. Bob goes from being a total neurotic unable to leave his apartment without extreme duress to going out on a boat, appearing calm and collected on television, attending a party full of strangers, getting married, and becoming a doctor and bestselling author in his own right. All because of Leo’s Baby Steps.

And this isn’t just pure fiction either. Dave Ramsey famously took the concept of the fictional Baby Steps and used it as an inspiration for his own 7 Baby Steps in his book The Total Money Makeover. And that has helped tens of thousands of people improve their finances in real life. As Bob would say, the point is that it works.

He’s Legally Right

Once Dr. Marvin gets to his vacation home on Lake Winnipesaukee, he thinks he wants peace and quiet, but he is actually under a lot of stress. And he’s right to worry. He’s surrounded by neighbors who hate him for buying their dream home. And yet he rightfully points out that he had every right to buy that house. Maybe it wasn’t the nicest thing to do, but he’s not legally in the wrong.

As soon as Bob starts hounding Dr. Marvin to find out where he’s vacationing, the doctor points out where he can go for immediate medical help while he’s away. Bob isn’t really in a life-threatening situation, so Dr. Marvin is right to maintain a professional distance. And when Bob resorts to more extreme means of contacting him, he keeps his composure and points out how wrong Bob is to do what he’s doing.

When Dr. Marvin does something wrong like accidentally dropping his son Sigmund in the water or pushing Bob into the water, he quickly apologizes. He also recognizes his own disastrous performance on Good Morning, America and that he was totally outclassed by Bob. Shortly after he checks Bob into a mental hospital, Dr. Marvin has to go back in and pick Bob up. He’s not happy to be called out on his mistake, but he does begin to drive him home. No one is perfect, and it’s good to see him admit his failures. It takes a big man to do that.

His Extreme Solutions Yield Results

Even when Dr. Marvin does something morally objectionable, it leads to positive results. His pushing Bob into the lake leads to Bob saving his life when he begins choking after dinner. Bob also helps his son overcome his fear of death and produces many other positive developments for his family that night and the following day.

Dr. Marvin throws Bob out of his car on their drive home from the mental hospital. But that leads to Bob getting a ride from a kind stranger, proving how much Bob has grown because he’s now able to ride in a vehicle he’s unfamiliar with. Thanks to Dr. Marvin’s Baby Steps book!

At his birthday party that evening, Dr. Marvin sees Bob hugging his beloved sister Lily. This throws him into a rage, and he lunges at Bob. This inspires Dr. Marvin to develop a radical new therapy called Death Therapy. It’s a guaranteed cure for Bob’s ailments. And the amazing thing is that it actually works! Sure, Bob has to infer a lot of things to learn to untie his knots. And Bob accidentally blows up Dr. Marvin’s vacation home. But it’s a true breakthrough. Mirroring the real world, Bob writes his own book based on Dr. Marvin’s Death Therapy idea, and it becomes a bestseller.

What About Leo?

Dr. Leo Marvin’s actions may seem increasingly unhinged, but they always lead to good results. Every small decision he makes is proven to be the right decision. When he forces his daughter to leave the family car at the dock, it leads to Bob Wiley having to stay the night with his family. What a disaster that night and the next morning would have been without Bob’s presence.

No one else knew what to do when Dr. Marvin started choking both literally and figuratively, but Bob knew exactly how to save the day.

By the end of What About Bob?, it’s easy to pity Dr. Marvin. He looks like a broken man. But then a miracle happens. He’s able to break out of his comatose state and regain his faculties. He may not have imagined becoming a brother-in-law to Bob at the start of the film, but he shows that he’s able to come to terms with it by the end.

And his family couldn’t be happier to have him back. Leo made Bob’s healing possible. He deserves a lot of credit for that. He’s right about everything in What About Bob? That doesn’t mean he’s perfect or that every event goes according to his plan. But that’s all right.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

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