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Fat Albert

EMAILPRINTTwentieth Century Fox Film Corp.

Fat Albert reviews
39
6.5 User Score:

Generally unfavorable reviews

Based on 26 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 24 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy  |  Family/Kids

Written by: Bill Cosby
Charles Kipps

Directed by: Joel Zwick

Release Date:
Theatrical: December 25, 2004
DVD: March 22, 2005

Running Time: 100 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG for momentary language

Starring Kenan Thompson, Kyla Pratt, Shedrack Anderson III, Jermaine Williams, Keith Robinson, Alphonso McAuley, Aaron Frazier, and Marques Houston

As Fat Albert makes the jump to the big screen, its much beloved characters face challenges they couldn't have dreamed of as cartoon figures. By stepping out into the "real world," becoming fleash-and-blood, Fat Albert's "old-school" '50s-era sensibility makes him, and the Cosby Kids, fish out of water in today's world. (20th Century Fox)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

70

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Seems like a pretty cool movie -- at least, for a remake of a 1970s Saturday morning TV show.

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60

Dallas Observer Melissa Levine

The film is sweet and often genuinely funny, with lively musical numbers and a cast of entertaining personalities.

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60

LA Weekly Chuck Wilson

A spirited re-creation of the series that once ruled Saturday mornings.

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50

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Fat Albert's originality is lost on the big screen.

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50

Miami Herald Peter Debruge

Kenan Thompson may not look the part, but he's instantly likeable as Fat Albert.

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50

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

An awkward blend of live action and animation.

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50

Village Voice Ed Park

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.

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50

Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder

Seems a little lightweight, even for a kids' movie.

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50

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

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.

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50

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

Despite the tired premise, Kenan Thompson -- is actually very persuasive as Fat Albert.

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50

San Francisco Chronicle Carla Meyer

Confusing, mixing messages of self-empowerment with those of conformity.

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50

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

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.

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50

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

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.

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50

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

In the end, it's hard to see a real reason for the movie's existence. We already have Muppets.

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40

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

In Fat Albert, that trademark is resurrected to depressingly diminished ends.

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40

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Weak comedy.

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40

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

While endearing as cartoons, they don't wear flesh well.

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40

Variety Joe Leydon

fFat-footed and ham-handed in its attempt to reconstitute a popular '70s TV cartoon show as a full-length, family-skewing feature.

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38

Philadelphia Inquirer Karen Heller

Alas, this eternally sunny character's mantra, "I don't have a problem, I solve problems," makes for paltry dramatic tension.

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38

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Kids, except for the very youngest, are going to be bored.

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33

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

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?"

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30

TV Guide Angel Cohn

Basic knowledge of the original series is mandatory, but the more familiar you are, the more glaring this movie's considerable deficiencies will seem.

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25

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Leah McLaren

The result plays like an extended Pepsi commercial without the Pepsi.

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25

New York Daily News Robert Dominguez

Somewhere in its quest to be educational, Fat Albert forgot to be entertaining.

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25

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Lumpy, preachy and soporific.

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11

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

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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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 6.5 (out of 10) based on 24 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

kaylie t. gave it a10:
It was an awesome movie!!!

Jon I. gave it a10:
I loved this movie ya'all who r making up crap about it r crazy i can't wait till it comes out so i can purchase it and put it on my fat albert wall in my house!

Doppler Pope gave it a10:
I loved this movie it is everything a movie should be.

Joe B. gave it a0:
This movie is stupid. it is not interesting or entertaining at all it is a disgrace to the movie company just hearing the words fat albert make me want to blow chunks at you.

Chad S. gave it a5:
"Fat Albert" borrows freely from "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and "Pleasentville", but such potential narrative sophistication is negated by pedestrian-level dialogue and lowest common denominator plotting. The filmmakers couldn't think of anything more interesting than to send the kids to a block party and the mall. Intentional or not, when the young girl explains to her older sister that Fat Albert can't eat, you can't help but think of Joan Allen in the Gary Ross film, which would've allowed Albert to stay in the real world, if the double entendre was acknowledged and performed. But the film's real problem is that we're not sure about the rules of the movie's universe. A few kids recognize that they're cartoons-come-to-life, but most of them act as if they're real people.

Ron A. gave it a0:
Now really. I'm older, and consider myself rather cynical, but I can apreciate and enjoy kids films, as they are often disarmingly funny or charming. This was certainly neither. You'd think a movie about 70's cartoon would at least be partly funny, or have something that made you smile. I found hardly anything, a few parts came close, but overall just terrible. Truly my friend and I could not actually believe we were sitting in the theater watching this movie, with animation that makes the camp classic "Twas The Night Before Christmas" seem like lovingly crafted artwork, and a "real life" plot so banal one would wish it was being sarcastic, yet it isn't. Truly the only thing I enjoyed in the movie was Omarion. He's not a good actor by an stretch, but his over-the-top performance as the sleezy jock who'll do anything to make Albert look bad (and, whaddaya know, he fails!) certainly made me at least grin at times. The rest of the movie was crap though.

Cynthia G. gave it a6:
It was funny and cute in a sense that it was her grandfather and his friends based on the characters for the Fat Albert show.

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