User reviews

Whether one likes a movie or not is totally dependent upon what one is looking for. If you're looking for superb production or a totally realistic story line this wouldn't be the one for you. (Aren't movies supposed to take us away from reality for a time?) If you liked "Hook" "Jumanji" or "Lemony Snicket's A series of Unfortunate Events" you will definitely like this one. Though I missed the very beginning it was an easy plot to pick up on, moves along well enough and has redeeming value. I immediately recognized Simon Callow from "Room With a View", and "The Woman in White" among others, so I figured it was worth staying and seeing what it was about and it was on the Disney channel so it was safe for my child to watch. I found the movie entertaining, funny, not overly cheesy, and felt good when it was over. What more could we ask for?

This is Tom Green at his best! The only thing wrong with this film is there wasn't enough of it! I loved this movie, and frankly, I am amazed at Tom Green's ability to render such pathos. I loved his manic humor in earlier films, but this was simply superb work on his part as an actor. Brooke Shields has never been so charming, and I just loved her in this movie. She was perfectly cast for this film. Unfortunately, Tom Green spends far too much time behind the camera instead of in front of it these days, and we are losing a national treasure because of that. He now has a special place on my list of favorite actors - that I will go to the movies to see anything he is in. Tom, please star in some more movies! I will throw down ten bucks to see any movie you are in, just because you are in it!

For only one time, Tom Green doesn't make an utter and complete jackass out of himself. This film is actually a nice family flick and I was surprised that it lacks any elements of the typical Tom Green routine.

While not terribly inventive (or, more exactly, predictable to boot) it's watchable. A guy, getting kicked out of each and every job, becomes a butler for a lonely mom with two kids, typical family movie cliché ensues. The guy himself isn't even a bit disgusting - maybe naive and a little lost, but nice and kind nonetheless. Who would suspect that Tom Green can actually be nice and act?

Good for a family afternoon with your kids.

Before you read the review, I have a confession. I am not a die hard fan of Tom Green despite I liked some moments of his show since they are all available on Youtube. However, since April 13 Green follows me on Instagram (the only actor that does it) and since I liked this movie, I felt I had the need of reviewing it finally. Now I finally took this off my chest.

Bob Tree (Green) is a 30 year old guy who can't simply keep a job. After making the kitchen in the fast food inherited by his uncle explode, he tries all the jobs in alphabetical order from the yellow pages, and after failing in all the jobs with the A arrives to Butler and this time, he goes to a butlers' school. After passing the tests (without some clumsy error on the way) he is assigned to a family with a mom (Brooke Shields) that has trouble in keeping her kids in line. And just like in MARY POPPINS, Bob will have a friendship-like bond with the kids and will help the mom in choosing what is best for her.

I really didn't expected to like this movie as it has 5,5 and mostly negative reviews, and also because of the fear that it would have been disgusting like FREDDY GOT FINGERED. Instead, it was a family movie just like it is supposed to be. Tom Green gives a more restrained performance and most of his gags here are in the right context, and I am daring to say, he actually surprised me. Brooke Shields has some very funny moments too and the kids are actually likeable after they meet with Green. The humour here is safe.

Overall, an adequate family film that is safe for kids and likeable for the adults forced to watch it with them. Not a must see but just one of those movies that you could watch if you are bored at home and don't want to think too much.

This movie has no plot or comedy and the basic premise makes no sense. He finds jobs in the yellow pages. Not the want ads or any place people are looking for employees. While he plays the same character he always has, he's wildly unfunny this time. There's unfunny montages, a butler carrying groceries in through the front door of a mansion and 12 year old girls making Addams Family references. Ugh

A co-worker and I were surprised that it was a good movie (I work at Blockbuster)!!!! You can find this movie (at Blockbuster) in the kids section! I would let children watch this. There are no obscenities and such....but a part where "Bob" is baby-sitting the two kids and calls "Bates" Master Bates, but just calls him Bates. That's the only thing in there, but I didn't see any reason not to let kids watch this movie! The ending is positive. I hope Tom Green can do more appropriate movies such as this! His others (that I've seen: "Freddie Got Fingered" & "Road Trip") were disgusting! Brooke Shields is a good actress as well. I recommend that you see this movie because you'll enjoy the storyline and content.

The acting was ok, 'bob' was about the only funny thing. The 'mom' banging guys while the kids were around and then pushing role model stuff at everyone--hmmm, i guess maybe thats how young single moms roll??

The mom lives in a upper class mansion and has her own business, at the age of about 30 (along with two kids around 10 and 11), yea this kind of thing has gotten pretty old in Hollywood style movies.

The kids are never really held accountable for their behavior, everything from theft to vandalism.

all in all a 'great family' movie to expose kids to. well, at least the kids are not addicted to anything

i can sheepishly admit, i am a fan of Tom Green. Whether it's Organized Rhyme, his own "The Tom Green Show" both pre and post MTV, or his first forays into film, "Freddy Got Fingered", "Road Trip", and 'The Chad' in "Charlie's Angels", I look forward to watching what he will do next.

With this in mind, I can honestly say, "Bob the Butler" is a horrible film, whether you like Green or not, whether you like movies or not, or whether you have a pulse or not.

What i enjoy about Green is his ability to find humour in such simple things as a cheese sandwich. i love watching him interact with others, altering the everyday altercation with either a minute change of pace, or a major social faux pas, both played with deadpan mock seriousness.

What i don't particularly like about Green is when the joke runs too long, or the joke isn't funny to begin with. The nice thing about all the aforementioned resume bits of Green was quick editing in mind, or jokes that, if they weren't funny, they were bizarre enough to shock you or make you think. Bob the Butler is devoid of any of these things.

The film takes the premise that Green's character cannot hold a job, until he finds himself as a butler for an oddly cast, anal retentive, control freak Brooke Shields. What ensues is a bland, run of the mill, stereotypical movie about a babysitter who is not liked by the kids until they eventually warm up and want the babysitter to be their parent, who is missing out on the kids until they realize too late that the fired babysitter was actually better for the kids than their own parenting.

What's so disappointing is not just the rehash family film formula. It's that Green is as far removed from this type of thing than any comedian, that any hope for him messing within the parameters of this formula is never realized. The opening cartoon credits, if filmed as a live action weekly series staring Green, would be so much better than this boring, uneventful snooze fest. Three things Green has never been accused of, until now. Perhaps that's why he did it.

Grade: D-

For all of the Tom Green fans, I doubt the comeback they wanted from him would be him headlining a film like Bob the Butler, but with actors like him, Pauly Shore, and Hulk Hogan, all of their films achieving some sort of cult status, I suppose you take what you can get. This is very basic children's romantic entertainment starring Tom Green as the title character, who decides to because a butler because he has successfully tried and failed at all of the "A" jobs in the phone book and has moved on to the B's. After burger assistant fails him, he goes to butler school, where he will learn to be a diligent, capable servant through meticulous training and craft.

He becomes acquainted with a wealthy but broken family of three, run by Anne (Brooke Shields) and her two children Tess (Genevieve Buechner) and Bates (Benjamin B. Smith) who can be devils or angels depending on their current mood. Because Anne is either working a lot, her kids see more of faceless babysitters than they do of their mother, which likely brews this sort of aggression in them. When Anne hires Bob to watch her kids (she still has a "Bob the babysitter" file) urgently, she finds that he immediately connects with the kids because he isn't dictative but very easy-going and relax. Okay, he himself is a man-child, but one who can hold his ground most of the time, especially in the company of Tess and Bates.

The story calls for a charismatic relationship between the title character and the supporting characters in the film, and that is precisely what we get. Bob's relationship with the family grows closer and closer, as he often crosses the lines of being a faceless butler to, gasp, a member of the family. Now let's just hope his crush on the beautiful Anne doesn't materialize into more than just recognizing she is indeed attractive.

Moreover, it's at least nice to see Tom Green tone it down several notches to make a character we can at least watch for longer than the length of a viral Youtube clip. His character here may not be the most human soul, but he's at least tolerable and able to evoke some decent moments, particularly when he's watching the children and trying to interact with them on a level they understand. I'd rather watch this - as corny as it could be - then watch Green play the piano obnoxiously with strings tied around his finger holding sausages suspended in the air on the opposite end. Green's chemistry with Brooke Shields is rather tame and expected for a PG movie. They share maybe an innocent kiss and that's about it.

Bob the Butler is one of those films I wish would've gone for more of a heavy PG-13 rating, or even an R, than the cop out rating of PG. The film may be innocuous enough for children, but that doesn't mean it will keep them interested. In a shortage of Tom Green performances, which, yes, upset me to a degree, seeing him play in a redundant albeit slightly-passable kiddie flick is like drinking a lukewarm cup of coffee on a day I awoke expected a fresh one.

Starring: Tom Green, Brooke Shields, Genevieve Buechner, and Benjamin B. Smith. Directed by: Gary Sinyor.

This is by far the worst movie I have seen from Disney Channel. The story was weak and so was the chemistry between all the actors. Most appalling was the sexual innuendos. This is the Disney Channel! Please! My kids didn't even like it. Completely inappropriate and not even fun to watch. Another comment was posted comparing it to "Hook", "A Series of Unfortunate Events", etc. I have yet to figure out the comparison. We enjoyed the other movies. This one left a negative impact on us toward Disney. If it was on any other channel I would understand. Although, it still wouldn't have been good. It was choppy and the reaction from some of the characters at times made absolutely no sense.

I saw this film at Cannes... a week of serious meetings and rubbish dinners and I laughed and laughed at this light hearted break from the reality(?) of the festival.

The little bit of anti-French humour was hilarious.. Especially as I watched this film in Cannes.

While the movie is reminiscent of Doubtfire, it is much less sappy and way more slapstick. Tom Green is decidedly more normal – while being as strange and funny as ever – than we have seen in his teen flicks.

Shields is, as always, stunning and beautiful and, also as usual, combines her graceful beauty with physical comedy and well delivered (punch) lines.

The children in this movie were very well cast, they make the movie in a number of ways that can't be discussed without a spoiler warning! Go out, rent this movie, order a pizza and enjoy.

Bob (Tom Green) just got fired from another job. Although he works hard and shows up on time, something always goes wrong. Back in his small apartment with his pet hamster, Rascal, Bob looks through the phone book for career inspiration. There he spies an ad for "butler school". According to the description, one can complete the training in five days. Without hesitation, Bob signs up. But, the school is run by a semi-weirdo, Mr. Butler (Simon Callow) who puts the students through drills, like standing on rooftops to learn balance and posture. When Mr. Butler strips down to his skivvies to teach the art of "how to dress one's master", everyone runs away, except Bob. Meanwhile, workaholic Anne (Brooke Shields) is about to go out on a date with her French beau. But, her two children, Tess and Bates, behave so badly that the gray-haired babysitter bolts from the house. Rifling through cards, Anne finds one for "Bob the Babysitter". Of course, its the same Bob, who tried that some time ago. Nevertheless, he agrees to come right over when she calls and, curiously, the kids like his low-key approach. Making it through the first night, Bob becomes the permanent sitter/butler. But, the two young ones are still vying for their mother's attentions in bad ways. Tess is devious and rebellious and Bates follows her lead while still hoping his mother will notice his interest in basketball. Bob does his best, even when high-strung Anne rants and raves. Is it possible that Anne may realize Bob would make a better boyfriend than the Frog? This is certainly one of the more unusual family films-romantic comedies ever made. With the offbeat Green as the star, it was probably to be expected. Yet, he does a nice job in a role that has its moments and Shields high-energy turn is a good foil for his more understated delivery. As for Callow, he is great but, how did the producers ever persuade the distinguished Brit, of A Room with a View and Four Weddings and a Funeral, to take this role? What a score! The productions values, camera work, costumes, and sets are all very nice. Still, its hard to overwhelming recommend the film for families, due to a few objectionable scenes. The strip by Mr. Butler is one such while others where Bob catches Anne in the shower and Tess shoplifts and backtalks will not please some viewers. This is unfortunate, for there really are some nicely comedic scenes. Therefore, if you are one of those families who can watch films as a group and discuss tricky situations, this one will entertain most everyone. Fans of romcoms, Green, or very offbeat flicks will enjoy it, also.

I was hoping for this was going to be like some of his masterpiece "Freddy got fingered" or "Subway Monkey hour". Instead it reminded me more of Ms.Doubtfire.

Its so Hollywood, mainstream, and predictable. Contains all the things in a lame romantic movie. Such a waste of time to look at. If you like Tom Green and want to Keep your further respect to this guy. Do yourself a favor and dont watch this.

The best part of the movie to me was the no give up attitude of Bob. However the movie ripped off National Lampoons vacation with the dinner scenes. The character relationship building was weak, did have a feel good ending, worth a watch but not one you would want to revisit and Green just isn't funny in this movie.

I immediately raced to my local video storeto hire this as i have always been a staunch Brooke fan.I was so pleased that she carried a lot of this movie.It was great to see her diversity in acting once again.She is definitely getting older but just seems so naturally beautiful still thst her looks must get in the way of being offered grittier roles. Her surprise shower scene here is hilarious.Not forgetting how amazing her body still is being a 40 year old mother. I'm not o Tom Green fan,but at least his depature from grosse out comedy works in this film.How a guy like that could end up with Brooke though is a bit hard to swollow...only in the movies.

While searching at Amazon for a movie to watch on my TV, I came across this one. I didn't notice who was in it, however, and fast-forwarded through the opening credits. Shortly after starting the film, I wondered if the actress playing the mom was Brooke Shields, so I did a quick search on it here at IMDB on my cell phone. Yes, it was Brooke Shields, and Bob the butler was Tom Green. Tom Green? Wasn't he a notorious dirty comic who was once married to Drew Barrymore for only a few months? Oh no!

I then was about to go find another movie to watch, but first read a couple of reviews here, and saw it was not offensive in any way, shape or form. It's actually a somewhat sweet and unique story about a guy, with a pet hamster, who can't keep a job. He thus goes from one job to another as if he is a career job switcher. Having finished a 5-day class on butlering, he becomes a butler at Brooke Shield's house. She is a workaholic single mother with two kids who need more guidance. Bob provides that guidance, and Brooke provides him with a new future he never imagined.

Don't make the mistake of watching this movie for Tom Green, because he doesn't really get to have any fun whatsoever. I get that he can't do random disgusting things in a wholesome family film, but even his absurd sense of humor is pushed way into the background to make room for sappy romance scenes. This movie feels like a worn-out afterschool special more than anything else, it's chock full of moral lessons and jokes so disturbingly old that it would make "Full House"-writers blush. Green is clearly out of his element and looks incredibly bored throughout, but somehow he's still the best part because his co-stars are even worse. The kids, oh dear God the kids. The pain will never go away. Tom Green's overall weirdness and undeniable comic talent can definitely be translated into family entertainment, but this just doesn't seem like the way to do it. Gotta love the scene where he kisses Brooke Shields though, you'll have a major "Road Trip" flash-back.

This is not a bad movie... It's not a good one either. If you are a tom green fan ,check it out. If not, it's just another bargain bin Canadian movie. It's not terrible but I wouldn't pay more than $4 for a copy of it. Got a few laughs out of it.

I got a call from my Grandma who asked me to come down to her house and watch a Tom Green movie with her. After I hang up, I'm sitting there thinking, "Tom Green, as in 'Freddy Got Fingered?!'" And so me, my Dad and Brother go down to her house to investigate and we end up watching this hilarious little kid's movie with Tom Green, yeah, TOM GREEN.

The movie is about a guy who needs a job, badly, because he's going through the yellow pages of the phone book, starting with the 'A' section, then the 'B' section, finally when he gets to the end of the 'Bs' he comes to 'Butlering,' and decides, "Okay I'll try that." So he gets into butler training, then is hired by a family to be their butler, and hilarity ensues.

I usually don't watch newer kid's movies, I feel old (I'm 18) and like to stick to the old ones (Home Alone, The Nightmare Before Christmas, etc...), but this was a genuine classic on a stick. I laughed and the movie really teaches a lot of good morals, too. I felt Tom Green was not being himself yet still being very funny, which in the end, turned out to be a good thing. It was like when Arnold Schwartzennager did kid's movies, we all liked them, we just don't admit it.

There's really nothing offensive in the movie that won't go over children's head's e.g. Rocky & Bullwinkle or Pee Wee's Playhouse. I don't think that there's a single bad word in the whole movie and if my Grandma liked it, then it's definitely suitable for the whole fun filled family, trust me on that one.

All in all, the movie gets a 9/10. Tom Green should do more like this, it may not suit him, but it's good for him. Not saying that the dirty Tom Green isn't funny, he's hilarious, but this Tom Green just goes to show that there's more to comedy than poop jokes.

~ Art At War

Bob the Butler is not terrible. It has a certain charm, but the idea of Tom Green as a role model parent type is just very difficult to believe. Tom does tone down his usual expected performance and seems to be really trying here. He still comes off as a weirdo though and that is the problem.

As with other movies, I spent a lot of time getting around to this movie. I grew up watching Green doing outrageous stunts and turning up in a lot of mature content filled movies. I heard this premiered on Disney Channel, and thought... hmm... ok, let's see how this is.

Well, it's a sweet movie. Green plays a man who's struggling to find a job he's good at, and he's bumbling, but good natured. As someone that's struggled in finding a better job in my personal life, it probably helped me feel for Green's character. He's honestly quite likable in this. It's refreshing to see Green play someone that's not roaring in your ear, annoying the heck out of you, or doing something appalling.

I also liked that the plot didn't resort to the two children playing pranks on Green, it's not a "Home Alone" knockoff. The kids are realistic, not annoying, and they didn't get on my nerves. Brooke Shields I like in pretty much anything, so that helps, too. She's a harried single mom, who's a little "Richie Rich", so to speak. She definitely gets some laughs from her performance, as does Green, in a more subtle kind of way.

Now, if I had any complaints about the movie, they're not that bad. The movie felt like it could've wrapped up 20 minutes earlier, and the Frenchman was a little annoying, but he was supposed to be.

So, if you're kid picks this movie, at least the version I saw (there's a possibility that there may be a more PG-13 version out there on a different platform, btw), you're going to be fine, overall. It's not the ridiculous content Green normally puts out, it's pretty sweet, funny and cute. 7/10.