play the titular character with Forest Whitaker serving as director. However, they were replaced by Kenan Thompson and Joel Zwick respectively due to creative differences between Whitaker and Bill Cosby. David Gordon Green expressed interest in directing the film and claimed he lobbied for the director's chair by personally writing a letter to Cosby. Home media Fat Albert was released on VHS and DVD on March 22, 2005. Reception On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 23% based on 89 reviews, and an average rating of 4.4/10. The website's critical reads, "A bland but good-natured adaptation of the cartoon show." On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 39 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Roger Ebert gave the film 2 stars out of a possible 4, writing: "The movie is sweet and gentle, but not very compelling." The film grossed $48.1 million in the United States and a total of $48.6 million worldwide, against a $45 million budget. References External links 2004 films 2000s children's comedy films 2000s English-language films 2000s fantasy comedy films 2004 romantic comedy films 2000s teen romance films 20th Century Fox films American films with live action and animation American children's comedy films American children's fantasy films American fantasy comedy films American romantic comedy films American teen romance films African-American comedy films Davis Entertainment films Films about bullying Films directed by Joel Zwick Films produced by John Davis Films scored by Richard Gibbs Films set in 2004 Films set in Pennsylvania Films set in Philadelphia Live-action films based on animated series Cultural depictions of Bill Cosby African-American animated films 2000s American films