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Fat Albert

2004, Movie, PG, 100 mins

Fat Albert: Review

FAT ALBERT
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Fond, nostalgic memories of the '70s cartoon Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids will be instantly erased when the infectious theme song ends and this live-action feature's utterly preposterous story line begins. Depressed high-school student Doris (Kyla Pratt) is sad. She recently lost her beloved grandfather and her adorable foster sister, Lauri (Dania Ramirez), is in with the popular crowd and Doris isn't. Sitting alone in front of the TV, watching Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Doris starts to cry over the remote. Her tears create a portal between the real world and the cartoon world, and the jovial Fat Albert (Kenan Thompson) — who can't bear to see anyone so unhappy — jumps through the TV and into her living room. He and his loyal sidekicks from the North Philadelphia junkyard try to cheer up Doris while marveling at the amazing inventions developed since they were frozen in cartoon time, including cell phones, rap music and shopping malls. They try to adapt to modern times (cue the lame fish-out-of-water gags) and in the process forget the very reason they entered this unscripted world — Fat Albert actually finds himself competing for Lauri's attention with suave bully Reggie (Omari Grandberry). But the kids soon realize that they're fading fast — literally becoming transparent — and that they need help to refocus on their goal, boost Doris' confidence and get back to their own world before they disappear forever. Albert's genuine eagerness to help people believe in themselves is appealing, but younger children are going to home in on the silly physical comedy at the expense of any self-actualizing moral. Thompson looks the part of Fat Albert, even though he's obviously wrapped in a lot of body padding. but often slips out of the distinctive voice that Bill Cosby made so famous. The majority of his loyal pals have so little to do that some of them aren't even introduced until the movie is more than half over. Basic knowledge of the original series is mandatory, but the more familiar you are, the more glaring this movie's considerable deficiencies will seem. leave a comment --Angel Cohn
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