Hey! Hey! Hey! They’re real!

Ever since epic turkey Leonard Part 6 (1987), Bill Cosby has had difficulty transferring his otherwise phenomenal success to the big screen. But with Fat Albert, he might be able to change his luck.

Cosby coproduced and cowrote this live-action movie version of his 1970s cartoon series. Like its portly protagonist, the film drags a little in the middle but is surprisingly sweet and often very funny.

After another tough day at high school, Doris (Kyla Pratt) watches a rerun of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids to forget her troubles. Her tears land on the remote control, causing a crack in the wall between the real and cartoon worlds.

Fat Albert (Kenan Thompson) enters Doris’ world with the rest of his gang so he can solve her problem. The teen denies anything is wrong, but agrees to let Albert and the others tag along until the next airing of their cartoon, which will give them a portal back to the cartoon world.

With their ever-present optimism and team spirit, Doris’ new pals not only lift her spirits, but make a few new friends of their own.

Most people know that Cosby has a doctorate in education. However, few might be aware that he wrote his doctoral dissertation on the usage of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids as an educational tool.

Philly’s native son has planted a similar purpose in the movie version, which contains messages beyond the feel-good mush routinely found in family films.

Although I don’t remember Fat Albert as being that instructional when I was a kid, one of the characters in the movie mentions that Albert and his buddies solve a different problem on every show.

Every day that Fat Albert and the others remain in the outside world, they fade slightly. The rest of the gang eventually return through the TV, but Fat Albert refuses to leave until he can help Doris with her problem.

Even when Fat Albert’s creator (Cosby himself) tells him he will disappear into a cloud of celluloid if he does not return, Albert stays put.

So lessons of character join those about friendship and teamwork.

The innocent, sometimes very silly, humor of Fat Albert makes its various messages that much easier to swallow. Although much of the humor does come from watching the Cosby Kids interact with modern pop culture, it’s done with inventiveness.

The movie contains mild language, but Fat Albert is a better-than-average family film that will entertain the kids while hopefully making them better people.

Fat Albert
PG
Starts Saturday at area theaters
Three reels out of four

Recommended rental

Garden State
R
Available Tuesday

A somewhat successful TV actor, Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff, who also wrote and directed) self-medicates with antidepressants to stay at arm’s length from life. When his mother dies, Andrew returns home to New Jersey after almost a decade and must deal with his domineering father (Ian Holm). He decides to stick around for a while and reconnects with various friends and acquaintances. While trying to get through life without pills, Andrew meets Sam (Natalie Portman), who is very much his opposite. Through Sam, Andrew sees potential for positive changes in his life.