Fat Albert

Generation X fans of the '70s "Fat Albert" cartoon will be sorely disappointed at this sluggish live action movie aimed at young kids who won't notice or mind the film's preachy platitudes delivered by its title character. Fat Albert (Kenan Thompson) and his motley pals pop from the TV to the real world at the drop of a tear from a disaffected South Philadelphia high school girl named Doris (Kyla Pratt) to guide her out of her debilitating despair. Co-written by Bill Cosby, "Fat Albert" goes so far toward telling inner city children that they need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and learn to read and speak well that the audience might wonder why Cosby doesn't practice what he preaches, as evidenced by the script's abysmal quality. Director Joel Zwick ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding") helms this redundant and distinctively shabby movie that wasn't even filmed in Philly.
Rated PG 93 mins. (D) (One Star)