Fat Albert 2004

Critics score:
25 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press: Call me a sap. Call me a sucker. But Fat Albert couldn't help but make me smile. Read more

Scott Von Doviak, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com: Bad in such a bizarre way, it almost becomes fascinating. Read more

Robert K. Elder, Chicago Tribune: Although Fat Albert is smart enough to poke fun at itself director Joel Zwick can't quite conjure up any modern relevance. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: At the end of this weak comedy is a strange and touching scene in which Bill Cosby and his childhood pals from Philadelphia, now elderly men, gather at the grave of Albert Robertson, the real-life inspiration for Cosby's bighearted Fat Albert. Read more

Ted Fry, Seattle Times: It's unlikely anyone over the age of 12 will find much to cheer about in the bland, sanitized moralizing this revamp of the decades-old Saturday morning cartoon show delivers. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: Squeaky-clean but uninspired. Read more

Phil Kloer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A tame, inoffensive little comedy that's never heinous enough to stink up the theater completely, even though it rarely rises above mediocrity. Read more

Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: The movie ambles along at a pleasant, undemanding pace, with good-natured humor. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: A wildly sanitized product. Read more

Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times: The movie feels small and flat. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: There's much to enjoy in Fat Albert. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: 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. Read more

Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: Pure of heart, devoid of toilet humor, it sticks close enough to Bill Cosby's cartoon series to pass muster. Read more

Chuck Wilson, L.A. Weekly: In the old days, Fat Albert faced real world problems ... issues that certainly still exist, except in today's Hollywood, where the worst thing that can happen to a child is not having a date for the afterschool rave. Read more

Gene Seymour, Newsday: Fat Albert plays things safe and bland, for the most part. Read more

Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger: With its chronic product placement, including a sledgehammer ad for the original series on DVD, Fat Albert seems to center on helping kids become better shoppers rather than better people. Read more

Robert Dominguez, New York Daily News: Somewhere in its quest to be educational, Fat Albert forgot to be entertaining. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: The screen version of the animated television series Fat Albert opens with a glint of promise. From there, the movie, alas, just lies down and dies. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Not much of a movie, but maybe it'll shame TV Land into putting the gang back on the tube. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The movie is sweet and gentle, but not very compelling. Read more

Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle: Every move toward promoting acceptance of differences comes with a conflicting idea. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: There are better, more artful movies in the theaters this bountiful holiday season, but few so generous-spirited and none that will leave you feeling so cheerful. Read more

Leah McLaren, Globe and Mail: It's sad to see a comic veteran like Cosby pimping out his own franchise for a quick buck. But perhaps a rich old guy can't live on Jell-O pudding ad residuals forever. Read more

David Germain, Associated Press: Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Fat Albert manages to talk down to two generations of pop-cult consumers - the Boomers and the Gen-Xers - while leaving no reason for their uncategorized offspring to join in on the Hey! Hey! Hey! chants. Read more

Time Out: The Cosby touch (he's co-writer and co-executive producer) is in full effect, schmaltz notwithstanding, as Albert and the gang run through their series of pleasantly diverting escapades. Read more

Time Out: A lot like the comedian's best work: amusing, appropriate for kids, and far more spiritually nourishing and less insulting than typical Hollywood fare. Read more

Mike Clark, USA Today: This movie is as lame as it is tame. Read more

Joe Leydon, Variety: A clunky mix of animated hijinx, live-action farce and inspirational uplift, Fat Albert is flat-footed and ham-handed in its attempt to reconstitute a popular '70s TV cartoon show as a full-length, family-skewing feature. Read more

Ed Park, Village Voice: The overall approach is to throw preordained movie sequences (rap number, shopping spree) together and hope for the best. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: A pretty cool movie. Read more