Fat Albert Movie Review:


Finally unveiling itself onto the big screen a decade too late is Fat Albert, which is based off of the popular 1970’s cartoon series. Though the film is message driven and maintains the themes of the cartoon show, it lacks directorial leadership and more than anything originality.

Instead of just recreating the North Philadelphia atmosphere that the animated Fat Albert and his friends inhabited, director Joel Zwick (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) decides to use sound stages to mirror a modern day Philadelphian community. On the cartoon show, Fat Albert and his friends are all unique individuals that hang out in a junkyard and delivered appropriate messages to individuals to live a better way of life. In a very absurd choice for this film version, Fat Albert and his friends come out of the cartoon world into the real world, where at times the culture confuses them, but of course all of them easily adapt. This starts when a secluded and neglected teenager named Doris (Kyla Pratt) sheds a single tear on her television remote while she is watching a episode of “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” on television. Through a suspension of physics and disbelief, a portal appears in the cartoon world, with Fat Albert and all of his buddies jumping through into the real world to help solve Doris’ problems. The only one that stays behind in the cartoon world is actually the youngest character of Russell, who dodges the threats of bullies for the rest of the film.

Startled at first, Doris explains to Fat Albert (Kenan Thompson) and his friends, which include Old Weird Harold (Aaron A. Frazier), Dumb Donald (Marques B. Houston), Bucky (Alphonso McAuley), Mushmouth (Jermaine Williams), Bill (Keith Robinson), and Rudy (Shedrack Anderson III), that she does not have many friends due to her own choice. Before too long, Fat Albert and the gang are following Doris to class and are introduced to the new “teenage” necessities such as DVDs and laptops.

Embarrassed by Fat Albert and the gang, Doris’ foster sister, Lauri (Dania Ramirez), catches the eye of the “Hey, Hey, Hey!” quoting leader of the pack. Also, every time that things seem to be getting worst for Doris, Fat Albert and friends seem to stand up for her and themselves in numerous clichéd ways, such as creating a new rap theme song, going shopping, or turning the laughs back on the local bully.

However, Fat Albert and his friends soon learn that they are fading, literally (almost like in Back to the Future), and they must quickly help Doris and get back into their television show before it’s too late.

More than anything this film version of Fat Albert is harmless and a modest message machine for children to respect each other based on their character. When Bill Cosby created the cartoon series, the notions of self-confidence and friendship were always the main focus. Through this film version the notions remains the same and the quirky characters are dead-on, however, the choices made in telling and creating this film version are dry and tried. The whole concept through Cosby and co-writer Charles Kipps’ script of the characters jumping out of their animated world into the real world is so silly nowadays that even some kids may shake their heads at this choice. Of course, Doris is only surprised by their presence for a mere 30 seconds before she just accepts that these cartoon characters are now real life individuals.

Cosby also makes a brief appearance as himself along with his friends that inspired all of the animated characters. The final scene involving Cosby is the film’s highlight and delivers its message patiently, instead of deliberately.

Director Joel Zwick’s consist unleashing of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids' quirks are perhaps his only strengths throughout this film. The scenes are played out mildly, without any laughout moments, along with a choreographed dance sequences drawn out to take up screen time.

Fat Albert is a jolly overweight character that no matter what the consequence or the outcome is still happy. Saturday Night Live’s Kenan Thompson fulfills the precise nature of this character through the use of a fat-suit and his wide smiles. All of the other actors are also well cast as the rest of the gang, especially Alphonso McAuley as Bucky. Young Kyla Pratt shows some range as the distraught Doris, even though we never see her tears develop, just them trickling down her cheeks because the scene needs them to. As said before, Bill Cosby presence is a bright spot in this film.

It now seems to be a new Hollywood trend of developing old cartoon shows into live action films; another example is the horrible Garfield from last summer. Fat Albert is not a bad film; it in fact has a solid message. However, the genuineness from the 70’s cartoon is lost throughout to where the film just merely becomes watchable, but not memorable.

Bailey Henderson

 

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