Shannah Wasnt That Funny Fat Albert
A refreshing break from all the raunchy "kids" movies out there.
For the most part, when "family" and "movie" are right next to each other in the same sentence, my first instinct is to run as fast as I can the other way. But with a movie pass about to expire, and nothing else in the theater that piqued my interest (Christmas With the Kranks? NO THANK YOU!), I sat down in my seat with no expectations. I haven't seen the original TV series in years, but I've always been a big fan of Bill Cosby, and I was immediately put at ease when the credit "Written by Bill Cosby" came up. Bill's script keeps the spirit of the original characters intact, and incorporates them into the real world without an overkill of "Oh, wow! Things are so different now!" style of jokes. This movie is made for kids, not at kids. Things are kept simple without being condescending, and at no time will adults have to talk their way out of explaining something "adult" to the kiddies. In the end, while this movie won't win any technical or artistic awards, it's still a fun little movie that the whole family can enjoy, and for once, that's a good thing. B-plus.
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A Tremendous Kids Movie...Fun For Their Parents as Well
The reviews I've read for Fat Albert have been disheartening and for the most part, non-reflective of this movie.
Too many critics cannot put aside their pretentiousness and evaluate this and other movies of the genre for what they are...children's entertainment.
From this standpoint, Fat Albert stands above most of what I have seen with my kids in recent years. Beside a wonderful dose of nostalgia for boomers, this is a movie packed with humor, solid entertainment, decency, and important lessons about life. To me, that's what children's entertainment is about.
And there were bonuses for adults as well...
I thought the cast suceeded in capturing what we loved about the cartoon characters. Dumb Donald, Mush Mouth, Fat Albert were all on target and delivered more to love in their human form.
I also appreciated the movie's ability to laugh at itself. I cracked up when The Cosby Kids were waiting outside the girl's apartment the morning after they met. They didn't need to sleep, eat, or go to the bathroom...because hey hey hey, they're cartoon characters.
Lastly, the connection to the girl's grandfather Al was a lovely tie-in and the scene at the cemetery where the grown up Cosby gang paid tribute to their friend was sentimental without being sappy.
Can I pick apart small things about the movie? Absolutely! However, this movie provided my family and myself with such good feelings, smiles, and conversation afterwards that there is no need to bother.
Compare this with other kids movies that are chock full of scatological humor and impending sexuality and you will see that Fat Albert stands far and above.
This movie was funny, thoughtful, and brought back many a wonderful memory. Go see it.
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A mildly amusing movie with great messages
Teenage Doris has a problem. No one wants to be her friend or invite her to their parties. As she is crying over the television's remote control, a tear drops into the device. As she happens to have a Fat Albert cartoon on the set, her sadness seeps onto the title character. Albert insists on jumping through the screen, along with his friends, to help her develop a more positive self image. While they are in the real world, the whole gang adapts to modern culture quickly. They never lose sight of their true goal, however. Will Fat Albert and his crew be able to better Doris' life? It is so satisfying to watch a film for teens and children that is determined to amuse and enlighten without objectionable material. Although the story is somewhat weak and a bit wandering, Albert and the actors playing the gang members are just wonderful, as is Doris and her lovely cousin, Laurie. Bill Cosby himself has a small part in the film, too. If you are a choosy parent, who screens every film before making a decision on a movie's worth, you will probably give thumbs up to this new entry into family features. It has an upbeat message that overcomes any weaknesses.
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Incredibly good innocent tale for a change
Today I saw a free preview of "Fat Albert" in a Manhattan theater, and braved the morning cold to make sure I got in. It was well worth it! Let's face it, this movie could have been total crap, with what Hollywood's record is with both remakes and TV-to-film adaptations. But "Fat Albert" succeeds on so many levels, it's amazing a film this good can even be made in 2004.
Before I hit on the positives, I will go over a few of the negatives. When the Fat Albert gang are in cartoon form, they seem to be drawn "nicer" as not to offend, and their voices are much different than what old-schoolers remember. Dumb Donald's voice is no longer the screechy highpitched type, Russel's voice is nothing like it was, and Mushmouth especially sounds different. Sure he is still Mushmouth but he sounds like someone making a very bad Mushmouth imitation.
But there are so many positives that make you forget any of that stuff. The film is a sweet tale of the gang coming out of a girl's TV set and into "real earth" to help her with her problems. The well-meaning gang gets into a lot of crazy and zany situations but always seem to win over the crowd, except for the bad guy, who likes the same girl Fat Albert likes. This girl, incidentally, is the half-sister of the girl the gang has come to help, and she is incredibly hot, a cross between Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry, always wearing sexy clothes and looking great but of course, she is a sweetheart.
There are some brief scenes of how the gang is amazed at modern technology (they do come from the 70's after all, although that decade is never directly mentioned) but thankfully the film doesn't waste time on many gags like that. The gang itself, well the actors do indeed do a decent imitation of the gang, having their looks, mannerisms and even their walks down to some degree. But above and beyond the field is the dude who plays Fat Albert, seemingly a perfect choice, a great performance where he's obviously having fun.
The film is a great family film and there are no silly "adult jokes" that will fly over the kid's heads, it's all good clean fun. probably the only thing "racy" at all is the hot girl Fat Albert has a thing for, she is always dressing sexy and looks amazing throughout the entire picture. The camera always seems to manage to catch her perfect body and tight, trim figure, and While she is there to keep dad watching and paying attention, everyone else will enjoy the film, although especially if dad watched Fat Albert 30 years ago, there's no reason why he can't enjoy it for what it is too.
The ending is a great heart-tugger and not the predictable ending you may have expected. The film does try to be a little bit "today" by making Fat Albert and the gang sing and dance to a hip-hop version of their theme song ("Gonna Have A Good Time") as they take over a hip-hop party, but even that is done so well you really won't mind.
This is an extremely enjoyable film with laughs galore. Probably the biggest laughs were when Fat Albert races the bad guy on the school track (a take on how fast he always managed to run in the cartoon), and every time Mushmouth says something. Yep, even in these extremely politically-correct times, a jam-packed theater can still crack up at a kid's speech impediment when given the chance. Well, it's Mushmouth, 30 years ago we all laughed, so why not now? My advice is to forget overblown crap like "The Polar Express" and take your kids to see this film, which will be loved by millions of kids and adults alike, no doubt.
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hey, hey ,hey ,it's time to have a good time
I really had a good time watching this movie. We all remember the 70's cartoon heroes named Fat Albert and the Cosby kids who came from the genius created mind of Bill Cosby. Each week Fat Albert and his gang would help people and solve problems. Now it's 2004 and Doris come home from school after having a bad day she turns on Fat Albert and begins to cry and Fat Albert the cartoon hears her cry and jumps out of cartoon land and into reality to help Doris with her problem and the Cosby kids follow him. But what they are going to discover is that their world and this world are completely different. Like Garfirld and Scooby Doo, another great cartoon character comes to life. It was a fascinating idea by Bill Cosby for the famous cartoon characters to jump into reality. I really enjoyed this movie, it was pure fun.
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We just loved "Fat Albert"
I work with troubled teens and decided to invite a student over break to go to the movies with my 4 and 9 year old. He suggested "Fat Albert"--I am so glad he did! The film was absolutely wonderful in its innocence and charm. My teen liked it because of the "fantasy to reality" twist...as well as the cute girls and the great music. He also liked the idea of someone looking out for the "lonely" kid. My little kids thought the jokes were funny, the guys were funny, the music and dancing were"the bomb" and even the plot was even a little suspenseful for a little kid. I loved it because I grew up on the "Fat Albert" series and was just so happy to see and instantly remember all of my old pals. And the hilarious group scenes where the actions so fundamental to the cartoon were just ridiculous to the real life settings were so clever and delightfully funny--I was so pleased! If you're looking for an all-around, no crass or innuendo laden, truly sweet family film--this is the one!!
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You're like school on Saturday: no class.
Is there an unwritten rule in Hollywood that if you choose to recreate comedy, it has to be less funny than the original so that it doesn't overpower the genuine moment of the first? I am a strong believer that there is such a rule because I fully witnessed it in the film Fat Albert. This film had so much potential that I really wanted to jump into my television and start grabbing necks a-la Homer Simpson. Frustration grew inside of me as jokes were tossed out towards the viewing audience with such disappointment that to laugh would have given the film way too much credit. The characters were flat, the story was "normal chaos that has been done in nearly every other film", and the class of the television program Fat Albert was diminished by cheap thrills and over-budgeting. Did Bill Cosby have a true writing credit to this film? It would be hard for me to believe that he seriously considered this work great, but then again, he is older and has bills to pay … so why not? While the ending tried to bring a tear to your eye, I was already crying at the utter lack of appreciation that this film carried and influenced the youth of our nation.
To say that this film was horrible would be too kind of a word, to quote a line from the film "(Fat Albert is) like school on Saturday: no class" would again, probably be giving it too much credit. From the opening credit sequence to the overly animated cartoons to the lack of animation in the characters when they became real was difficult to watch. Kenan Thompson tries really hard to empower the soul of Fat Albert, but what comes through the screen are just pathetic. He has no backbone and literally, he gives Albert this image of ignorance. Instead of being this helpful friend, Thompson's Albert has these huge glazed eyes that roll around whenever trouble begins. He just didn't seem to have that pizazz that I remember Albert having from the television programs. If Albert was a leader in the cartoon, he was not one in this film. Unless you count the fact that the other actors in this film followed his suit by also leaving their energy at home. Childish humor coupled with this sense of apathy really didn't spark this film onto the level it should have been. I kept seeing glances of this really humorous story about Fat Albert in the real world, but instead I was forced through yet another Cool World. That is how I would best describe this film, Cool World for children.
With our characters firmly not caring about their careers, we are then forced to focus on the non-existent story that apparently the writers of this film chose to not write. Instead of creating a plot with some climactic moments, our writers of this film chose to just let Fat Albert wander until something funny happened. I kept wondering to myself if this was an actual scripted film or just Thompson and Zwick allowing improv to occur anywhere and anytime. Now, if you were working with a genuine comic actor this could have worked (like Robin Williams or Will Ferrell), but with Thompson it just felt forced. Nearly every scene felt forced or overworked in this film. Spontaneity was not an element that these writers considered. This ultimately caused the jokes to be extremely flat. The humor just didn't bring the true life of Albert onto the screen. This is where I question the validity of Cosby being involved with this production. I know he was getting paid, but how much did he work? The jokes felt so old and used that I am surprised that children responded to them. Maybe it was the urban feel that Albert somehow felt comfortable in … who knows? Either way, the loose story allowed for unfizzy jokes, which ultimately lead to the demise of this picture.
Finally, I would like to say that Fat Albert (when I was growing up) was an inspiration and "every man" to us all. The group that followed him and his actions somehow always felt like a part of us. There wasn't anything that could stop Fat Albert from helping another lost soul, and somehow in this film adaptation, none of these old feels could be remembered. It wasn't as if they were trying, but this was definitely not the same Fat Albert that I grew up with. He didn't reach me like he used to, and perhaps it was the larger budget or the lack of imagination, but Albert hurt the soul in this film. I am surprised that he was able to assist Doris in her problem (this obscure problem that was never quite defined), because if I were in her shoes, I would have politely kicked this Albert to the curb. Cosby needed to reconsider his options before allowing this Albert to see the light of day.
Overall, as if you couldn't tell already, this film hurt me. As I watched this dopey picture, I couldn't help but wonder if this film was focused correctly. When it first started I had this feeling that Albert would be called to help Doris with her problem, causing him to be a secondary character (like her own Jiminie Cricket), but instead what happened is that Thompson's camera excitement stole the performance away from Doris while creating a film centered around Albert. This should not have been the case for this to be a truly inspirational film. We lost the central focus of the film, and then the story just went fuzzy. Too many hands in the honey pot with one hand wanting to be on top. It was sad, and ultimately destroyed this film.
Grade: ** out of *****
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Flat Albert
What a disappointment this movie was ... one of the most original and brightest cartoons of it's time deserved a lot more than this poorly-written, unimaginative effort - the characters were more two-dimensional than their original cartoon counterparts!
The acting was OK, it was the script that was the real disaster - where was Fat Albert to help out with *that* particular problem ?
the 'plight' of Doris and her sister barely raised enough concern in the audience to sustain a half-hour cartoon, let alone a feature film - with the long list of issues and concerns facing adolescents these days, the producers chose the softest possible interpretation of what Fat Albert was all about - kids sticking together and helping each out when problems arise - the 'problems' facing Doris were barely worth addressing - even the problems in the cartoon-within-the-movie ('Danielle' running away and leaving school) where more pressing ...
The whole 'cartoon's come to life' scenario was pretty lame - either do a full feature cartoon or make a movie about the characters as if they were real people - combining the cartoon world with the real world just didn't work in the hands of these writers - they could barely muster a single gag in what was supposedly a light-hearted comedy ffs ...
the characters were tampered with in a most displeasing way - Rudy was robbed of his original personality to be made more 'P.C.' - the makers of the original cartoon gave Rudy a cocky, smart-ass attitude to balance out the saccharine righteousness of Fat Albert and Bill Cosby - the gang didn't need anymore 'nice guys', and there could have been a lot of fun to be had with Rudy's character had he retained his original 'edge'. Russell's non-appearance in physical form was puzzling and uneccessary ... where the hell was Mudfoot ?!? ... only the tiniest reference was made to the Brown Hornet - surely something more imaginative could have been written with such an integral and fun character ?
Fat Albert the Movie was a by-the-numbers waste of celluloid and cellulite ...
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Fat Albert saves the day but he can't save this movie
This movie was pretty much forced into being, and horribly so. I never watched "Fat Albert" as a kid, but I concluded that I would watch the movie based upon the cartoon's reputation. Had I known that Fat Albert and the gang would lunge through the television from cartoon town to real life, I wouldn't have even watched the opening credits.
It was a feel good story with a good message, but it was terribly done. A lot of the scenes in the movie seemed as though they were for occupying space and time more than for aiding the plot. Fat Albert can do it all, and even though he's fat, he's super cool. That is about what I got out of the bulk of the movie.
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Truly presented in a clean, friendly way!!!
Warning: Spoilers
Now before I begin please do NOT let my vote or certain opinions change the fact that this film is so amazingly well put together for families and children. I don't want anything to take away from the fact that this film is such a wholesome, wonderful, family film. I am reviewing this for myself as an adult and must do so from how I felt about it. I was never a Fat Albert fan growing up, never liked the cartoon, but was anxious to see the new film if for the only reason that I wanted to see Bill Cosby back in action because I am a fan of his. The fact that Cosby and the rest of the film makers involved were able to take the heart and soul of the original cartoon from so many years ago and perfectly preserve it in live action film is one in a million, possibly never before accomplished. Consider the butchering of Scooby Doo recently, Brady Bunch which was nothing but mocking. Instead Cosby was able to transform everything that was loved about the original series wholesome and unchanged. I'm sure it helped to have veteran TV family director Joel Zwick who has done every manner of Family television you can think of.
Fat Albert is the story of Albert and the Cosby Kids living their lives in their cartoon junkyard until miraculously a young girl, with no friends, unintentionally causes a rift between her world and the cartoon world that enables Fat Albert and his friends to come into the real world. Ripped from the seventies, cartoon Phillidelphia into 2005 real world Phillidelphia you have a typical fish out of water comedy. Fat Albert feels he must help Doris find friends before he can return to the Television. Unfortunately Albert and the Cosby Kids find themselves fading in the real world, and on top of it all Albert has fallen in love with Doris' foster sister Lauri.
The best thing I can say about Fat Albert is this story is so pure and fun. There is truly nothing in it that is questionable or over the top for young kids to enjoy. I think this is perfect for kids who missed out on the original cartoon which was all about morals and helping others. The casting is about as brilliant as you can get. The live counterparts of the cartoon are strikingly perfect. Kenan Thompson puts so much heart into the role of Fat Albert that he just embodies it perfectly. Way to go in the casting department!!! The comedy in the film fits the target demographic, it's mostly slapstick physical comedy with not a lot of intelligent humor which is okay. The film is so much like the original cartoon which as I said I was never a fan of that I just wasn't overly entertained by it. I found it kind of dragging and boring and just not intelligent enough for adults but then it probably wasn't made for adults. The brief appearance by Bill Cosby was great and as I mentioned I loved the cast. Overall if you liked the original series absolutely check out the film and above all else buy it for your kids because it's one of the only truly wholesome films out there.
5/10
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Floater
Fat Albert is well enough intentioned... I do not think that the film makers set out to destroy one of the Saturday Morning Gods in such an atrocious manner. While this genre, like the more successful comic book genre, can be done somewhat successfully (i.e. Scooby Doo), there is a fine line to walk without making the characters look empty and embarrassing. Fat Albert unfortunately does this. It takes the two dimensionality of the original characters and focuses on it until they loose whatever vibrancy they had previously. The story is contrived and supremely predictable. Grandberry is his usual chewing-on-the-scenery self. Thompson is passable as Fat Albert, but should stay far far far away from rap music for the remainder of his days. The only really enjoyable scenes in the movie were the ones with Bill Cosby. All in all, this movie is a total floater. Don't look at it, just flush.
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Surprisingly touching movie
This movie was filled with humorous acts in relation to great moral advice towards the daily life routine, which to most of us in this competitive living world, do make us often forget about what we are seeded on from the beginning.
It was wonderful to especially learn a lot of things, and how to turn especially sour experiences into something in which one can make full use of it and turn it's table to the other side of the original cause. Or in other words, make the fullest use of a given situation, despite it being a bad experience. I have no regrets watching this film even though it is more dedicated towards the kids, as it sparkles and reminds us of what good value and virtues are in a way or two, in which I may have forgotten.
I am surprised myself to learn several things from this cartoon film, which was brought to life. Bill Cosby will definitely remain the living legend for the typical comedy show, and I remember it well, when I was a kid, watching his sitcom series. It was plainfully amazing, and it reflects again in this very film.
I would recommend this movie to all the kids who loves a good plain film for the weekends or during school holidays as it is a much well deserved treat for them.
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Good and bad, and sort of neither
The story of what happens when Fat Albert and his gang cross into the real world is a mixed bag. Some of it works, some of it doesn't and some of it just sort of lays there and does nothing.
Part of the problem is that Bill Cosby was allowed to write the script. Bill is a very funny man, is wonderful here playing himself, but he can and often does climb up on a high horse and moralize about life and behavior. This moralizing, lesson teaching, and need to be a "family film" hobbles the movie since everything has to have a point or to need to have a message. Its not bad, but it takes away from what could have been a funnier comedy.
Is it worth seeing? Yes, especially if love the old series. But wait to rent it or see on TV since it plays very much like a TV movie anyway.
5 out of 10
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It Could've Been Better... But It Is A Great Family Film
Kenan Thompson stars as Fat Albert in this great family film. The critics didn't like this movie, but not many people should listen to the critics. I thought Fat Albert could've been better. Why would I say that? Well, the movie is kind of fake. The whole Fat Albert gang all come out of the TV. I would like to see Fat Albert as a movie with a plot and not having anyone come out of the TV. Just like "The Flinstones" & "The Scooby Doo Movie". None of them came out of a TV, so Fat Albert could've been a much better film. But overall, the whole entire family should enjoy this! There are scenes that would make you happy, sad and mad at some of the characters. I liked Fat Albert. I thought Kenan Thompson did a good job playing him, and the same with the other characters.
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"Hey! Hey! Hey!" - "Fat Albert" is alive and kicking!
It may have taken nearly a quarter of a century for legendary comedian Bill Cosby to bring his beloved "Fat Albert" to the big screen, but the wait is well worth it.
Before I go about writing this, I feel that I have to make a confession, in that I was born in 1985 - nearly 10 years after "Fat Albert" was in its prime. I recently bought the "Ultimate Collection" DVD and I must say that the 2004 live-action movie is very much in spirit with the cartoon.
Cosby, who has in recent months come under fire from both whites and blacks for his comments about the state of the black community, shoves all those comments back in their faces by, for once (in a very long time), showing black people in a truly positive light - where we aren't shown as thugs, hustlers, pimps, or generally, a******s.
And what people missed about Cosby's comments is that even though they were a little too general, the sad thing is he was basically correct in his charges that the black youth in this country are in trouble. And perhaps with "Fat Albert," some dignity has been restored to the community.
When Doris (Kyla Pratt of Disney's hit animated show "The Proud Family") is not invited to a party with all the rest of the cool kids, she goes home and turns on the television to an episode of "Fat Albert." Albert (Kenan Thompson in live form) and the rest of the Cosby Kids are magically transported to the real world when Doris' tears open up a portal into their animated world.
So then begins a unique (and awkward) friendship as Fat Albert seeks to sort out Doris' problems and then finding a way for them to return to their world.
"Fat Albert," despite its shamefully low rating on IMDb, is a very fun movie to watch and the words "good-hearted" don't even begin to describe just HOW much fun it is.
The main surprise here is Kenan Thompson, who as I last remember it, had a bit part on "All That," but that was way back in 1997. He not only looks and sounds like Fat Albert, but the cushioned suit he wears adds that unique level of realization to the character. Kyla Pratt is another revelation, giving a real performance as the troubled and left-out Doris.
Bill Cosby need not fret about the community's rage towards his truthful comments, since his beloved "Fat Albert" is sure to make a big splash on the video after-market.
10/10
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Great for kids
My 9 year-old daughter thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a great family movie with a touch of our history at the end. She wanted to see it again as soon as the credits rolled. It's nice to finally watch a movie with good clean humor. The character's were great and the story line fit well with the animation. Pulling Bill Cosby into the movie was a great touch and also at the end. Only wish they would have shown what the real Fat Albert looked like. For myself, it brought back great memories from my childhood watching the cartoon on Saturday mornings. It was also great to see the diversity of races at the theater that day!!!!
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wonderful adaptation of Cosby's old animated series--great for the family
As a fan of Bill Cosby's animated FAT ALBERT AND THE COSBY KIDS show of the early 70's, I took my own children to see this new adaptation of it, and we all thought it was excellent. As typical for any Cosby production, it was uplifting and had a positive message that was worked into the material in a much less intrusive manner than is usual for "uplifting" material. Some people seem to forget that in the original cartoons, Cos himself would appear as a kind of Greek chorus and give life lessons and extract messages from the cartoon action. I've always felt Kenan is a very talented man, and it's great to see that he can carry a major motion picture on his own (he did a great job in GOODBURGER also!). Both Kyla Pratt and Dania Ramirez, the "human" stars, are charming and also convincing in the dramatic scenes. The way that the cartoon characters enter the "Real" world is clever, and the scene with Kenan and Cos, AND the final scene at the cemetery were moving. I applaud Dr. Cosby for his decades of struggle to bring clean, uplifting, positive yet funny entertainment to us and to make the world a better place. If everyone tried to do that in whatever it is we do in our daily lives, we COULD actually make a change. Anyway, this is a wonderful family film, and we all found it very funny and engaging. The "Fish out of water" motif that worked so well in the second Brady Bunch movie works again here. We'll be buying this one on DVD the day it comes out--just like we saw the movie the day it came out.
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Wow!!!!
This movie, if you could call it a movie, is probably one of the worst films I ever saw. This story is about some troubled teenager played by Kyla Pratt who doesn't fit into her high school society. To help her, a 400-pound guy jumps out of the TV and tries to soothe her problems. First off, Fat Albert is annoying. He gets on my nerves by saying "Hey, Hey, Hey" all the time. This ties in with my second point. There is no good acting. The only good part was a cameo scene with Bill Cosby. The script seemed like it was written as a pre-school class project with no help from the teachers. The music is alright, but I am not a big fan of 70's funk/disco. Finally, I wonder if anybody under 18 have even heard of Fat Albert before the film came out. I know I haven't. I rate this film a 2/10.
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A wonderful film for children - even one born in 1975!!!
After reading the Yahoo ratings and seeing the trailer- I did not expect much from this film. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Even though, the film is not the best work that can be done with Mr. Cosby's creative characters, it does capture the essence of what "Fat Albert" is all about. Problems are solved in a "cartoonish" fashion, the junkyard is used as an innovative medium (more could have been done with this) and the fact that in cartoons life's rules do not apply (an obese kid winning a race.)And it captures without being preachy or demeaning. Being born in 1975 and enjoying Fat Albert since 1978- it was refreshing to see this classic brought to the silver screen. I am sad that I did not have the opportunity to work on this project. I am looking forward to another installation of Fat Albert- and this time I pray that my production company will be in a state to produce it. I want my hands (acting, writing, directing, producing, etc- craft services) in the joy of bringing this classic back to the screen- Hey! Hey! Hey! (savcopresident@yahoo.com)
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Don't Read This If You Have Never Seen The Fat Albert Cartoon!
Warning: Spoilers
It was so cool to see a new millennium version of the great cartoon that I watched when I was a child. It was so cool to see Bill Cosby and his real life brother with other guys portraying older versions of the Cosby kids at the end of the Fat Albert movie. But there were some things that were missing in the movie that everyone sees in the cartoon. Where was the Brown Hornet? Where was Legal Eagle? Where was the duck? Where was Mudfoot? Where was the bickering between Rudy and Russell that we saw in almost every episode of the Fat Albert cartoon? We also heard the phrase "NO CLASS!" being used only one time during the entire movie. Rudy used it when Omarion was disrespecting Kyla Pratt. Keenan did a good job portraying Fat Albert. And I was glad that Bill Cosby showed up in this movie.
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Phenomenal.
This movie is the peak of human performance. It had me deeply invested from start to end which I didn't really expect it to. This movie had made me happy, sad, worried, joyful, and most of all, shocked (in the best way possible). Sucks Bill is a bad person though.
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New Lessons From an Old-School Cartoon
"Fat Albert" can be called a kind of update on the classic cartoon created by Bill Cosby. Instead of a straightforward live-action adaptation of the animated show, the story brings the characters through the TV into the real world. When Fat Albert comes to solve Doris' troubles, he and his friends find a much different world than the one they knew in the 1970s. And complications arise when Albert falls for Doris' foster sister Lauri. It's an interesting concept having the characters change their personalities as they stay in the real world (Mushmouth can speak clearly, Weird Harold isn't so awkward, etc.). And older viewers will feel nostalgic seeing the classic characters. But a sharp eye can tell the animated versions of the characters in the movie are dramatically different from the cartoon as it actually was. (That was one problem critics had with the movie.) But the movie is still good for some laughs, and even has some touching moments. On the whole, it's a good family movie.
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Dreary
As a long-time fan of the cartoon and an admirer of Bill Cosby, I was looking forward to this movie. I was sorely disappointed.
"Fat Albert" is awkward, ineptly-directed, lamely-plotted. It's loaded with movie clichés that all fail: * The fish-out-of-water jokes are barely jokes at all ("What's this thing?" "That's a phone? Where's the wire?") * The "trying on clothes at the mall" montage doesn't even try to be clever or fun. * The obligatory rap-and-dance number is straight out bad '80s movies.
The whole movie has the tenor of a sappy after-school special, without Kristy McNichol, and it has nothing to offer kids, teens, or adults. Compared to the current slate of kid-friendly fare in theaters now, "Fat Albert" is a fat disappointment.
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Fat Albert is a classic.
gbg-1 21 December 2004
I saw "Fat Albert" at the Philadelphia premiere and noted a full house enrapt with the movie. All ages were present, and all were spellbound by the creativity and the story line by Dr. Cosby and Charles Kipps. It has been a long time since so much finesse has been applied to a movie, since crude adult jokes, nudity, and sickening violence have been the norm for a long time.
This movie "broke the ice" and is a giant step toward reclaiming our right to enjoy a movie without embarrassment, repulsion, and exploitation of the actors/actresses. It has been a long time since I sat in a movie without feeling the need to brace for that jolt that comes with a lot of today's movies - especially if you are watching with a child, your son or daughter, or even alone.
Let's face it. The world will now be exposed to good clean fun, a moving story line, and a creative plot that won't be matched for a long time to come (unless the same writers get busy on another project).
Gosh... I loved that movie!
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Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396592/reviews
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