Gooby: Giant bear can't save mediocre movie

Google alert from TheStar.com website:

Jun 26, 2009 04:30 AM

Jason Anderson
Special to the star

Gooby

**(out of 4)

Starring Matthew Knight, David James Elliott and Eugene Levy. Directed by Wilson Coneybeare. 100 minutes. At the AMC Interchange 30. PG



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Teddy bears might be reliably snuggly but they aren't quite so cute when they're six feet tall and talk like Harry Potter's pal Hagrid.

For proof, look at the oversized plush toy who comes to life in this generic but occasionally charming Canadian kids' movie, which starts a limited theatrical run this weekend before a DVD release in August.

With his coat of golden fur, red tartan scarf, mechanically manipulated eyebrows and lifeless eyes, Gooby looks like an animatronic creature that's somehow escaped from the Country Bear Jamboree. It's a wonder that his pal Willy (Matthew Knight) doesn't flee in terror when Gooby shows up.

Thankfully, this furball sounds friendlier than it appears. That's because Gooby is voiced by veteran Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane.

The garrulous presence of the Harry Potter movie regular gives an additional charge to Gooby's wildest antics, like taking Willy on a daredevil downhill ride and causing a ruckus in a supermarket.

He's there to alleviate Willy's loneliness as the boy contends with life in a new school and neighbourhood.

Alas, there's only so much that one giant teddy bear can do to enliven a mediocre movie.

Written, produced and directed by the appropriately named Wilson Coneybeare, Gooby is a well-intentioned effort to create a family-friendly film on a modest budget. But its lack of a compelling storyline and overreliance on so-so slapstick will limit its appeal to easily distracted preschoolers.

The shortage of memorable human characters is another problem, though Eugene Levy has some fun as Willy's teacher, one of the few grown-ups who notice Gooby. Former JAG star David James Elliott and Ingrid Kavelaars make less of an impression as Willy's remarkably unobservant parents.

Adults in the audience, however, will be on alert next time they visit Chuck E. Cheese, lest the robot bears leap from the stage and abscond with the children.