Was Dr. Leo Marvin a good husband and father?
Was Dr. Leo Marvin a good husband and father?
shareNo.
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MovieChat Forums > What About Bob? (1991) Discussion > Was Dr. Leo Marvin a good husband and fa...
Well, he wasn't a loser father you see on the court shows. Maybe sometimes he didn't know how to have fun, but he was a good father.
shareWhat did he do that's so good? Who the hell talks to their 16 year old kid through a hand puppet?
shareLeo was right about trying to keep a stalker-type of patient away from himself and his family while they were on vacation (yes, Bob was a stalker). Leo had only known Bob for less than a week. Leo had the right to maintain a safe distance from his patients and to have some one-on-one quality time with his family.
As for the hand puppet, it's not unforgivable if Leo still saw his daughter as "his little girl" or if he was sentimental about using the puppet as a way to resolve issues. Parents have done much worse things than that to their kids.
And a guy whose profession it is to help people solve their problems to live normal lives should not be crazier than his patient to begin with.
shareI agree with what you said. I just felt that everybody is a little too critical with Leo here.
...a little fantastic, and fleeting, and out of reach.
I think he really tried to be both. It could be that even though he was able to see other people's problems and help them, he had trouble seeing his own.
I agree about Leo wanting to keep a patient away from his family. He only spoke with him a short time in his office. He really could not determine that Bob was "safe" during that time. And when it comes to safety, it is better to err on the side of caution.
Makes you also wonder what Dr. Fensterwald thought of Bob.
shareI think so. Not perfect but take several points of contention and Leo would have to grade out positively on most of them. Just like many fathers in real life. Not many in my experience can straddle financial success and be the cool dad all in one. Leo provided for his family and did not abuse them even if he was a tad cold and authoritive. Most real life dads can not be Mike Brady. Something has to give on some front. Even if a father can relate to his sons and not relate to his daughters which might seem minor to many.
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