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Film review

'Fat Albert' has the holiday spirit

The movie version of Bill Cosby's funny, funky, feel-good kids brings the gang from TV into the 21st century. The times are very different, but the uplifting message isn't.

By JANET K. KEELER
Published December 23, 2004

[20th Century Fox] Kenan Thompson, donning a fat suit to play Fat Albert, leads the Cosby kids out of the TV and into the real world of 2004 to help a young girl (Kyla Pratt, seated beside Thompson) raise her self-esteem.

Count Fat Albert as one more present under the Christmas tree. A trifle of a token, perhaps, but a gift nonetheless in a season of Snickets and phantoms.

There's nothing wrong with leaving the theater in a good mood, and this cute movie will make you do that, especially if you are a fan of the TV cartoon that ran from 1972 to 1984.

Plus, finally seeing Dumb Donald get a face under that crazy knitted hat is worth the price of admission.

For years, Bill Cosby, creator of the beloved series, resisted efforts to bring Fat Albert and his do-good gang to the big screen. He relented once he believed that his North Philly junkyard kids would get respect from a director who understood them and could translate their inherent goodness to live-action characters. That's not an easy task when dealing with kids with speech impediments, weight issues, teeth problems and eye-popping, candy-colored clothes.

Joel Zwick (My Big Fat Greek Wedding and dozens of TV series, including Laverne & Shirley and Full House) handles what could have been a disaster of a story with wit and a wink. We all know that Fat Albert (Kenan Thompson) is a hero even if the dastardly teens he meets in 2004 don't.

Fat Albert and the boys - Mushmouth, Old Weird Harold, Dumb Donald, Bill, Rudy and Bucky - climb out of the TV and into troubled teen Doris' living room. You see, Doris (sweetly played by Kyla Pratt) thinks she has no friends and has given up on herself. That's a problem made for Fat Albert, and his alter-ego, Cosby.

Doris' tears cosmically open a portal from TV Land, but it's not long before the boys realize they need to return. Fat Albert's cherry red sweater is fading, as are the yellows, oranges, purples and greens worn by the other guys. Life in the real world is messy, but that doesn't mean a dose of old-school kindness won't help.

By golly, the gang is going to get Doris out of her funk even if a smitten Fat Albert is distracted by sister Lauri (Dania Ramirez). A high school bully who also likes Lauri learns a lesson about Cosby's crusaders when he tries to mess with Fat Albert. How can Fat Albert lose when the audience is cheering for him? We know he always wins the race.

When the '70s gang enters the modern world, we realize how much has changed since the boys first sang "learning from each other while we do our thing." Cell phones and laptops are a mystery (but thankfully not overplayed as sight gags), and so is rap music.

Cosby has taken some heat this year for criticizing black street culture, especially commonly used coarse language. He gets in a few more licks here. Mushmouth (Jermaine Williams) and Old Weird Harold (Aaron Frazier) are shocked by what they hear through music store headphones. And having Mushmouth take a rap run at an outdoor concert speaks to anyone who has had trouble deciphering the music of youth, speedy rapping especially.

Thompson, a Saturday Night Live cast member and veteran of many TV shows, including Kenan and Kel, brings Fat Albert to life with more dignity than you'd expect from a guy wearing a fat suit. Thompson nails the wide, warm smile and gently coaxing demeanor that make you believe you are somebody.

Audiences living in a PC-world will find it refreshing that a kid confidently introduces himself as Fat Albert, not the sanitized Big Al. Some things are better left alone.

Most members of the cast have done a lot of TV sitcom work, and the movie has the corny feel of a half-hour morality tale. Believe in yourself. Don't be afraid to get close to people. Stand up to bullies. But Hey! Hey! Hey! Would we have it any other way on Christmas Day?

Janet K. Keeler can be reached at 727 893-8586 or krieta@sptimes.com

GRADE: B

DIRECTOR: Joel Zwick

CAST: Kenan Thompson, Kyla Pratt, Jermaine Williams, Aaron Frazier, Dania Ramirez, Bill Cosby

SCREENPLAY: Bill Cosby and Charles Kipps

RATING: PG; minor language

RUNNING TIME: 100 min.

[Last modified December 22, 2004, 08:23:05]