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

Cosby cartoon comes to life in tween-centered story.

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.

Fat Albert is one of those films lost to the controversies in the passage of time. While this was never a great film, there is something about the kindness that permeates through the film, and through Thompson’s performance, that feels lacking today.