As with my review of the recent Downton Abbey film, I feel that I must start this one with a caveat. I have never seen a full episode of Bob’s Burgers. A lot of people I know rave about it, I aware that it is something of a cultural phenomenon, but for whatever reason the series passed me by.

So (and again, as with my review of Downton) my review may differ from those from fans of the show.

My knowledge of the show doesn’t go much further than there being a character called Bob, who has a burger restaurant, but this never presented much of a problem. The opening song does an excellent job of setting up the basic premise of the film, and introducing newbies to the central characters.

I’m aware that musical numbers are a feature of the series, but opening the movie with one also allows the writes to hide exposition amongst the catchy tunes and amusing lyrics, in a way that catches outsiders up, without it ever feeling forced.

The songs themselves are generally the films strongest moments - Lucky Ducks being a particular highlight - and I would have welcomed a lot more of them. Unfortunately the moments between the songs seemed flat in comparison, and while there were some laugh out loud moments, there weren’t quite enough to bridge the gap. Perhaps fans of the series will see this as less of an issue, as they will be more invested in the characters and their story arcs, but for me there were times when The Bob’s Burgers Movie began to overstay it’s welcome.

The central mystery at the heart of The Bob’s Burgers Movie was engaging, however, and I did find myself being pulled into it. I enjoyed the Belcher kids detective work, and these moments generally provided some of the films strongest jokes.

Less engaging though, were the sequences of Bob worrying about money. Again, perhaps this is because I was not previously invested in the character, but every time the murder mystery storyline pulled me in, the money woes storyline would yank me back out again.

So, overall, I guess my review can be summed up with two questions.

Did I enjoy my time with The Bob’s Burgers Movie? Yes, I did. Did I enjoy it enough to go back and seek out the TV Series? I’m afraid not.

It’s fun, but baggy, and perhaps would have worked better if cut down and made into a series two-parter, rather than a feature length film.