Gooby

Gooby Gooby Gooby. The word continues to rattle around in my brain, a lingering remnant of the mental trauma endured last night while watching this movie. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching giant teddy bears with immobile faces fart as much as the next guy, but this one just wasn't doing it for me. Did I learn anything? Was I supposed to? I don't know. What I do know is that my life is now forever tainted, and I can only pray that when I close my eyes at night, I will not be met with visions of Gooby devouring cold hot dogs, or Eugene Levy sporting a Wolverine hair cut, or...well, just about anything from this movie.

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.

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.

The outcome was as expected, so I haven't disappointed with it. But sparing time for it was the big decision I had made, knowing a film not for my age. Without a single bit of graphics they have managed it well to tell a story. The production was decent, but the story was too predictable with a below average jokes. I just wanted to clear the air that I was not bored of it, simply not my type of entertainment film, that's all.

Perhaps the adult comedy, 'Ted' might have inspired by this, except it is a children's film. The actors were decent, because they did not get a challenging role. With a giant Ted in the title role, it should have been an adventure film. He's here to help the kid and I think his character did nothing big achievement rather boring writing of his character.

Everyone knows that's a man was inside the fur, so the stunts would have not cost too much if they had used a stunt artist. Because adding a couple of those scenes would have given a reason for the audience to cheer. The end was a loop, they kept it that way, in case of a sequel planned in the future. But I hope they won't make it, unless a very adventurous. Not recommended unless you plan to show it for your kids.

3/10

This Movie feels like a sitcom mixed with one of those kid's show, and that doesn't work. The entire movie is just the stupid "Becoming friends with mythical beast." Except in this case, Mythical beast is gross, Annoying and overall just unlikeable.



Also, Eugene Levi is there, I guess.