Fat Albert

crazy show I love it

source: Fat Albert

My 13 year old and 6 year old were entertained for the ~95 minutes this took to watch. Most adults will likely be pretty bored with it though. As a comedy it falls pretty flat. The villains of the piece are pretty much toothless, and our heroes just aren't very heroic. The "fading" part is not very apparent, and what SFX there are around this are poor. The characters lack motivation, the "whys" just aren't dramatic enough. The actors did good with what they were given, but this script shouldn't have gotten the green light. Save some money, wait to rent this one, or watch it when it makes it to broadcast TV real soon.

When I first heard this movie announced I will admit I was a little skeptical. After all Hollywoood is known for taking beloved TV series and flushing them down the drain. I was a huge Fat Albert fan as a kid and still am today so I went into this movie with an open mind and I have to say this movie is Fantastic. It really stays true to the characters and even gives a little more depth to some of the minor ones who didn't get much screen time on the TV series(Bucky,Mushmouth). My only gripe and it is a very very small one is that the original character designs were not used in the animated segments (though they are used on the poster for the film) But I must same the animation was well done. Other than that the film to me was flawless and should appeal to kids of all ages. I took my 3 year old niece who didn't even know who Fat Albert was until I showed her episodes on the new greatest hits DVD box set and she loved it. She's even singing the theme song now. And thats another thing for all the die hard Fat Albert fans the original theme song is in it complete with the funky opening bass line. So for fans its definitely the characters you remember and for the newcomers this is one great family film. I give it a 10

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.

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)

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.

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!!!!

This is a typical Hollywood made American made piece of crap. The famous cartoon from 1972-1984 had the right formula to amuse kids. This film has a bunch of hip-hop crap, and the worst is that its not animated anymore. The acting is decent. I just wonder how Bill Cosby material has sunk this far. So to those of you whom have kids, buy the original animated series from Time/Life Books and videos. This film would have much more wider appeal had it been down with a 70's style music score without all of the 21st century effects. The scenes in the school are preety funny, the script is shallow and unworthy of a Bill Cosby stamp of approval. There are a few funny scenes. But unfortunately the 2004 setting is very lame and flat compared to the original 70's format.

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 ...