Wonderful character development!

Am I Missing Something?

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Fat Albert (2004): Dir: Joel Zwick / Cast: Kenan Thompson, Kyla Pratt, Dania Ramirez, Bill Cosby, Keith Robinson: "Hey, hey, hey! It's Fat Albert on the big screen." Based upon characters created by Bill Cosby centering on a big guy with a big heart. When refused invitation to a party at school young Kyla Pratt goes home and watches Fat Albert but when a tear hits the remote control the characters suddenly emerge. This concept never works because the transformation from one world to another is taken so lightly. The longer they remain in reality the more their color will fade. Simple formula yet director Joel Zwick asks questions about adapting from one world to another. Zwick previously made the hilarious My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which ignored clichés and exploded with grand humour. Here he goes in the total opposite direction quality wise. With Fat Albert he has a great concept regarding the two worlds but a lousy screenplay to express them. Kenan Thompson embodies the personality of Fat Albert and his buddies look every bit like reality cartoon characters. Pratt's tears on the remote thing just doesn't cut it. She will obviously gain friends and it lacks real feeling. Darnia Ramirez plays the standard flirty sister. Bill Cosby makes a brief appearance. The reality fantasy theme is intriguing but fat chance that it fascinates like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Score: 4 ½ / 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.

This is such a good flick. For those of us who watched the TV show, it was such a nice twist to see the characters live and in the modern world. But, more importantly, it is such a watchable movie for young and old and it is done in a sweet and tasteful way. Imagine, a show with mostly teenage characters and no raunchy sex, nudity, drugs or swearing! I sound like a total prude, but I am not and that's my point. I watched this with my -year old and she enjoyed it as much as I did and she has no idea who Fat Albert is. There are a couple of silly parts such as the total ridiculousness of Fat Albert's "nemeis" Reggie. But, all in all, It is a fun, and sometimes sad film (yes, I cried) but totally entertaining right to the end. I can tell you that I wanted more!

This movie is truly a heart-warming tale of the good that cartoon characters can do if we only allow them into our lives and our hearts, once they've emerged out of our televisions. It is refreshing, if not liberating, to see a movie such as this focus on the positive rather than the more popular negative circumstances (see 1993's "The Last Action Hero", 2002's "The Ring") that can occur when a character pops out of a screen. Fat Albert (the man) only wishes to do good and is not drawn to the quote "real world" via turn of the century magic (Jack Slater, Benedict) nor is he driven by technicolor revenge (Samara).Fat Albert (the film) flawlessly tells the story of alienated Doris, a high school teen who, by her own admission, does not fit in. She desperately needs help, yet would never ask for it. Enter Fat Albert. Fat becomes aware of Doris' sad predicament when her tears accidentally fall onto her televisions remote control while watching the beloved series named for the big guy himself.However, in what is the stand-alone predictable moment in an otherwise perfect script, the space/time cartooninium is interrupted thus allowing Fat, Dumb Donald, Mushmouth, Old Weird Harold, and the rest of the Junkyard Gang to enter into Doris' life and do what it is that they do best-- solve problems and help folks out! It is important to note, however, that Rudy is left behind in TV Land where he is continually beaten up, raped, and tortured by new comer, Lead Teen-- thus once again confirming the stereotype that Hollywood hates midgets.While in our world Fat and the Gang do everything they can to help the poor Doris. They go to school with her, they go to the mall with her, they go to extravagant high-school block party birthday parties-- complete with several hundred friends, full light shows, DJ booths, an arch-enemy, dancing, etc. It is at this party that young Albert becomes smitten with Doris' step-sister, Lauri. Lauri is intelligent, popular, a track star and all-around fine piece of brown sugar. Almost instantly Lauri falls in love with Fat and a whirlwind romance blossoms.I would be remiss, however, if I said that this romance didn't seem forced and a bit "Hollywood" (i.e. an overweight, unpopular, teenager, who just arrived in town that day, catches the eye of the most eligible girl?) Then again I was skinny, popular, lived in the same town all through school and dated dumb chicks, so I could have it all wrong.But I digress, Fat Albert (the movie, if not the man) is a wonderful bit of story telling that endears itself to ones heart by first offering us a child-like innocence with a self-reproaching style, but ultimately brings out the child in all of us.10 out of 10 (I truly wish there was a number larger than 10)