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Fat Albert
Metascore
39 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 26 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 26
  3. Negative: 8 out of 26
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  1. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    70
    Seems like a pretty cool movie -- at least, for a remake of a 1970s Saturday morning TV show.
  2. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Chuck Wilson
    60
    A spirited re-creation of the series that once ruled Saturday mornings.
  3. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Melissa Levine
    60
    The film is sweet and often genuinely funny, with lively musical numbers and a cast of entertaining personalities.
  4. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Michael Rechtshaffen
    50
    An awkward blend of live action and animation.
  5. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    50
    I don't think Fat Albert is up to speed; in its meandering, low-key way, it seems destined more for a future on de-ved, returning to the video world where the characters say they feel more at home.
  6. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Robert K. Elder
    50
    Seems a little lightweight, even for a kids' movie.
  7. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Peter Debruge
    50
    Kenan Thompson may not look the part, but he's instantly likeable as Fat Albert.
  8. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Carla Meyer
    50
    Confusing, mixing messages of self-empowerment with those of conformity.
  9. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    50
    In the end, it's hard to see a real reason for the movie's existence. We already have Muppets.
  10. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    50
    Except for a surreal moment when Fat Albert meets the real Bill Cosby, who tells his cartoon creation he must go back into the television, nothing inventive occurs.
  11. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    50
    The sermonizing on behalf of good clean fun and hard old effort (Cosby co-wrote the script) is as faded as Big Al's sweater after too many days on earth.
  12. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Sean Axmaker
    50
    Fat Albert's originality is lost on the big screen.
  13. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Ed Park
    50
    The animated scenes conjure aromas of the stilted "Clifford," and the overall approach is to throw preordained movie sequences (rap number, shopping spree) together and hope for the best.
  14. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Crust
    50
    Despite the tired premise, Kenan Thompson -- is actually very persuasive as Fat Albert.
  15. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    40
    While endearing as cartoons, they don't wear flesh well.
  16. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    40
    In Fat Albert, that trademark is resurrected to depressingly diminished ends.
  17. Variety
    Reviewed by: Joe Leydon
    40
    fFat-footed and ham-handed in its attempt to reconstitute a popular '70s TV cartoon show as a full-length, family-skewing feature.
  18. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    40
    Weak comedy.
  19. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Karen Heller
    38
    Alas, this eternally sunny character's mantra, "I don't have a problem, I solve problems," makes for paltry dramatic tension.
  20. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Chris Kaltenbach
    38
    Kids, except for the very youngest, are going to be bored.
  21. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: M. E. Russell
    33
    Why did they think anyone would want to watch a Fat Albert adaptation that can't answer a simple question: "Who is this movie for?"
  22. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Angel Cohn
    30
    Basic knowledge of the original series is mandatory, but the more familiar you are, the more glaring this movie's considerable deficiencies will seem.
  23. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Robert Dominguez
    25
    Somewhere in its quest to be educational, Fat Albert forgot to be entertaining.
  24. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    25
    Lumpy, preachy and soporific.
  25. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Leah McLaren
    25
    The result plays like an extended Pepsi commercial without the Pepsi.
  26. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    11
    The movie is toothless and uninspired, and as directed by veteran filmmaker Joel Zwick (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), the film is a disgracefully shoddy affair.
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