Unlike the MPAA we do not assign
one
inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE
and PROFANITY on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest,
depending on quantity and context.
Live-action adaptation of the popular animated CBS TV animated series, "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids": Fat Albert and the junkyard boys come out of the television when they hear a girl crying and are convinced that they can help solve her problems. The complication is that they have to get back to their television show before they fade away completely. The movie is based on Bill Cosby's stand-up comedy monologues about his childhood. With Kenan Thompson, Dania Ramirez, Shedrack Anderson III, Aaron Frazier and Omari Grandberry. Directed by Joel Zwick. [1:40]
SEX/NUDITY 3 - A teenage boy tries to force himself on a teenage girl a few times; she says no, and then shoves him away (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details). A teenage girl kisses a teenage boy on the cheek, a teenage boy kisses a teenage girl on the cheek, and a teenage boy and girl hug. Teenage boys and girls dance together with hip thrusting and wiggling and also do a slow dance. A teenage boy admires a teenage girl in a few scenes, and a teenage boy looks at a teenage girl admiringly. A teenage boy slides down a banister wearing away the seat of his pants and his friend says, "I can see your behind"; it is later referred to as his "naked behind." Two teenage girls wear bedclothes, and one wears a tank top and boxer shorts. Teenage girls wear low-cut and short tops that reveal bare shoulders, bare abdomens and cleavage. An animated character's pants fall down a couple of times revealing his boxer shorts. A teenage girl touches a boy's head tenderly and blows in his eye (he has something in it).
the review continues below...
VIOLENCE/GORE 2 - A teenage boy threatens another teenage boy who picks him up off the ground and throws him. A teenage boy rides a skateboard out of control, down stairs, along sidewalks, knocking people down, through a flower cart, and along a table, until he crashes into a stoop and lands at a doorway. A teenage boy clings from a windowsill, then falls off and lands on a pile of garbage bags on the street below. A teenage boy tries to force himself on a teenage girl a few times, she says no and shoves him away and then a group of boys surrounds and threaten him. A teenage girl talks about missing her deceased parents. A teenage boy screams on a rollercoaster and seems afraid. Two teenage boys pick another boy up and try to force him through a TV screen, and they hit and press his face against the screen a few times. An animated character squeezes into a television set and gets stuck; people on one side try to pull him back while he tries to force himself through, he eventually gets through the TV, falls on the floor and the others follow, piling on top of each other. A teenage boy squeezes into a TV, he is stuck and two teenage girls push him through. A teenage boy tummy bumps another boy who falls onto the floor. People repeatedly refer to a teenage boy as being "fat," and insult and tease him because of his weight. Two teenage boys argue in several scenes. A teenage boy runs into a light pole (we hear a thud), soda sprays in a teenage boy's face, and a teenage boy squeezes down a slide. An animated character flips another animated character off a tire swing (he sails through the air), an animated character threatens another animated character, an animated character ties another character's shoelaces together causing him to fall to the floor, and animated characters chase another animated character and he hides in a car.
PROFANITY 2 - 3 mild anatomical terms, several insults (jerk, dumb, idiot), many references to a teenaged boy's obesity, 2 religious exclamations. One character speaks unintelligibly and his friend implies that he is saying something obscene a few times. [profanity glossary]
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Love, friendship, speech impediments, obesity, solving problems, loneliness, self-doubt, jealousy, competition, trust, winning, losing, being a gentleman, failure, death of family members, quitting, fear of abandonment, fitting in, belonging.
MESSAGE - It's the person inside that matters, not how they look. Don't let fear keep you from caring for people.
A CAVEAT: We've gone through several editorial changes since we
started covering films in 1992 and some of our early standards were
not as stringent as they are now. We therefore need to revisit many
older reviews, especially those written prior to 1998 or so; please
keep this in mind if you're consulting a review from that period.
While we plan to revisit and correct older reviews our resources are
limited and it is a slow, time-consuming process.
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