BeSummers
Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.
Francene Odetta
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
thesar-2
Thank God, Ted came around.OK, fine, Gooby wasn't entirely bad for the first 20 or so minutes. Then it became Goofy and when they got to the "American" supermarket, it turned to God-awful and eventually Godless. From the Jim's "Wolverine" Dad, to Purple People Eaters on a Diet, to the countless creepy child-endangerment scenes, to the terrible tunes, to the numerous, aimless and never-revisited story lines, Gooby delivers every parent's worst nightmare: leaving your kid alone with an adult furry male.This movie may have had heart in the concept stage, but nothing went right in the final product to make me even slightly recommend this. It would and should give any kid – its target audience, I suspect – nightmare for years and therapy for life. Gooby follows the "story" of a boy who's forced to move homes because his family's bettering themselves. Naturally, this is a problem for the kid because he's only "safe" in the terrible neighborhood he "grew up" in. So, in order to ward off the terrible CGI'd purple aliens from the boy's imagination, the teddy the boy somehow remembers from when he was a baby, comes to life. Initially, the snot bear (their words, not mine) was supposed to protect the boy from all the dangers from within his own mind, but like most arcs here, that's quickly forgotten and replaced with a long series of boy-hiding-bear and failed hilarity.Sadly, they attempted to amp up the "humor" by adding in terrible graphics and green screens when their budget couldn't have been more than ten bucks, including salaries. Granted, I do not believe the boy actor, Matthew Knight, phoned any of this in. But, maybe he was trying to simultaneously audition for a real (boy) role in a real movie.There were so many bad aspects of this movie, but one of the worst was trying to play the setting off as they were in the United States when every single shot and set proved otherwise. Hell, the bear and the bitch (the TV-addicted nanny) were British.Even great family movies can be reduced to the $5 DVD bin at Wal-Mart. This one should never be sold for more than 5 (Canadian) cents. * * *Final thoughts: "This is your secret room, isn't it? Where you came as a little boy," says Gooby.Forever I should be ashamed of my dirty mind during a kids movie.
Dal Mationer
Let's imagine you're a Canadian filmmaker with a sound 6.5 million dollar budget. Not enough for a big genre piece but enough for a solid 90 minute comedy or drama, provided you don't blow your budget on star power. What do you do? If you answered "hire Eugene Levy for a secondary role and Hagrid from Harry Potter to voice the giant dead-eyed teddy bear," you are Wilson Coneybeare, the Writer/Producer/Director of this straight-to-DVD abomination. While hailed as "heart-warming" and scoring "five doves" on ChristianCinema.com, there is nothing heartwarming about this film. Featuring a bear costume that makes the Country Bears look realistic and a plot we've seen done better several times already, it's unclear what the filmmakers thought Gooby would bring to the table. Aside from, you know, a host of double entendre that was either the world's biggest oversight or a deliberate attempt to sneak incredibly creepy subtext by the dove guys we mentioned earlier.The film opens by introducing us to Willy, who monologues for a bit to establish his role as the main character and introduce his negligent power-career parents. We're treated to about a second of a CGI character that probably cost thousands of dollars just to model that we'll never see again before learning that Willy's parents are moving and introduced to Gooby, a teddy bear. After a few days being miserable in his new environment, Willy starts to notice something is about. He tracks it to the Friendship Shed, where he discovers that Gooby has come to life mutated into a dead-eyed all-devouring abomination which, apparently, is wearing a scarf suspiciously similar to Tom Baker's. From here, we're just going through the motions as we simultaneously follow the list of "things to do when ripping off Calvin and Hobbes" and "my imaginary friend is real and an adult is trying to expose it." Though that's not to say it doesn't do anything original, they just tend to be horrible things with no rational reason to be in the movie. The film ends with Gooby luring Willy to a derelict house and leaving him dangling over a pit, ostensibly so his father can save him and rekindle their relationship.This movie is bizarre. It doesn't come off as heartwarming, it's creepy. The bear suit is horrifying, the plot is from a handbook on child endangerment, and the message is "if your parents ignore you, don't make friends, just retreat into your imagination and put yourself in peril to get attention." And let's not forget that only black character in the film is swiftly replaced by Eugene Levy.
windsweptme
WHEN is someone going to write a GOOD script for David James Elliott?? He's proved well beyond any doubt that he can carry a good show/movie, working for some of the biggest and successful names in the business. Now he's doing kid movies and obviously poor script opportunities. I've been amazed at what he's had to stoop to, to support his family.Where is Bellisario now? What about Bellisario's next new series?; or even an updating of his character from JAG? I've heard many people miss the show and are upset to only find an occasional episode on USA network/channel. Many feel it could have a comeback with more current times and themes. It is, after all, the semi-spin-off for NCIS 1 and 2, frequently strolling many JAG actors and characters through the story lines. I'd LOVE to see DJE in a good solid role again, playing the type of character he can challenge and make his own, and not be canceled after a season...Go for shows that aren't duplicates of all the others. Look what USA network/channel has done with unique story lines; no carbon copy shows, and they are QUITE successful. Find one that fits D J Elliott because the man deserves much better than he's been offered. Pretty soon the poor guy will be lowered to commercials--- when you really have at least a Pierce Brosnan and potentially a Tom Selleck at hand;-- if he could get a chance to really work out some of his better challenges as an actor.
Sonia Mortensen (QueenDeborahGibson)
What a strange movie. Uh... it's kind of frightening. Robbie Coltrane is Gooby, the childhood teddy bear of Willy, who comes to life and grows to about 6 feet tall to help Willy out. Gooby's face is what frightens me the most. Who in their right mind would give a child a teddy bear who looks like Gooby? And what child would want something so frightening? One not so terrible point is Eugene Levy. He plays Mr. Nerdlinger, Willy's teacher, who is also an aspiring writer. He also wants to get famous. He sees Gooby and wants to get a picture of him that will propel himself into fame. The performance is very short, and Levy makes the best out of it. He brings to the film a few amusing moments, and saves this from a total disaster. I thought it would be good for a few laughs, and the trailer, which made it seem totally frightening, intrigued me. Don't watch it, unless you are expecting a bizarre, somewhat frightening train wreck.1/10.On a side note, if they remade this film as a horror movie, it would be 10,000 times better.
