GOOBY

2009, Coneybeare Stories

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 99 mins.

THE STORY:

Willy is an 11 year-old with what his teachers describe as an overactive imagination. In addition to the problems he suffers being different, his parents, who have very little time for him, have just announced that the family is moving far away. In the midst of this turmoil appears a savior: Willy's childhood bear/ monster, Gooby (Robbie Coltrane), now alive and life-sized. 

Together Gooby and Willy get into various adventures, learn about the difficulties and responsibilities that come with friendship, and manage to teach Willy's parents a lesson as well.    

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• shut up
• moron
• Oh my God

VIOLENCE:

• no violence, but some suspenseful, tense scenes

TEACHING POINTS:

• parents should spend more time with their kids and less at work

THE UPSHOT:

Has that made-for-TV feel and gave me flashbacks of the old Can-con days when being awful was insignificant if it was Canadian. The acting was fine, but the Gooby suit was very very amateur: the mouth moved randomly ad there was just no getting past the fact that it was a guy in a furry suit. Even the six-year-old in the room was unimpressed. There are also some scary and tense scenes that might startle younger viewers. 

In short, there is really no reason to spend 99 minutes on this. 

1.5/5