Gooby (2009) User Reviews

Teddy Ruxpin is back, and creepier than ever.

[mcwhammer · 2/10 · 3 August 2009]

This is a very odd movie, from beginning to end. From the start, there is a very big disconnect between the voice & the character of Gooby. With Gooby being a man in a suit, how were they unable to get Robbie Coltrane to just climb into the suit? When the voice doesn't match the face, things can only go downhill from there. Matthew Knight happens to be a talented young actor, as the boy who owns Gooby, but I think his talents are wasted in this role.

Gooby is supposed to be the star, and I could not look past the suit to see the character he was portraying - partly because of the way his eyes are painted on in-expressively. The film has a small amount of quirkiness, notably the fact that Gooby retains his "cleaning instructions" tag sewn into his side, but other than that, there's really nothing to recommend. I think kids and adults will be more freaked out by this large stuffed creature than happy to see him.

Gooby is one of the worst "man in a suit" suits that has ever graced the screen. Its creepy

[dbborroughs · 3/10 · 5 September 2009]

Kids film made by adults who don't understand kids films. Its the story of a kid who moves to a new home with his family. When he complains he'll hate it his mother said that Gooby, a stuffed bear will help him. The kid reminds his mom that he is 11 and that he hasn't played with Gooby in years. The kid runs into trouble and Gooby does help him. Its way too creepy for words.

Aside from the poor script the real problem here is Gooby. Its a man in a suit with an mask for a face. Robbie Coltrane who provides the voice is clearly doing a voice over. Its horrible. Its embarrassing. Actually Gooby looks like the sort of suit that little kids would run screaming from if he showed up at a party. This would have been great had it been a horror film but as a feel good kids film its all wrong.

This is a lousy movie and should be avoided.

Not a superhero to save the world, just a mischievous toyfriend.

[Reno-Rangan · 3/10 · 14 July 2016]

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

I've been Goobed.

[Trev3K · 1/10 · 16 December 2010]

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.

Gooby: Or What the Heck Did I Just Watch?

[QueenDeborahGibson · 5 July 2009]

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.

It's like a car crash or a house burning down....it's painful, but you have to watch it

[Jackpollins · 1/10 · 25 August 2009]

After seeing the trailer for the family film, Gooby, I thought it looked so bad that I had to see it. I am actually happy to report that it's the train wreck I was expecting. That said, I couldn't look away. Just like the trailer, it was so painful to watch, and yet I could not look away. I enjoyed seeing the true failure of it, and imagining the true fact that it would work much better as a horror film than the family film from Canada it is. The only decent thing about it is Eugene Levy basically reprising his character from Splash. In Splash, he was the bad guy determined on becoming famous by taking a picture of the mermaid. Here, he's Willy (Matthew Knight)'s teacher, Mr. Nerdlinger who's dying to become famous. He tried writing books, but just like this movie, they were so bad that nobody wanted to spend their time and money on them. He then tries to become famous by taking a picture of the creepy title character (did I mention he was a six foot tall monster?), Gooby (voice of Robbie Coltrane.) The film is a complete, and painful failure from start to finish, and yet if you're in a McDonalds or looking in the 2 for $1 bin at your local Blockbuster (those are the only two places you should be able to find them), it's worth watching just because you can't look away at the shameful and creepy, horror-film like failure that is Gooby.

No

[kylerhempstead · 1/10 · 28 June 2020]

No. No. No. no. No. No. No. no.shhsbshshshshahabbahwhwhwjwjwjbssbjdixusjsxgzufzfzyd ufsufxufzufzfuzfuzjfzufxfidigdigxgixgdigxiv

Hate Incarnate.

[tristan-604-370915 · 1/10 · 9 February 2013]

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.

Monsters Inc-redibly Bad

[thesar-2 · 1/10 · 8 August 2014]

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.

What in the Goob?

[taconerd · 2/10 · 4 January 2021]

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.

A masterpiece beyond the comprehension of the lower iq Man children who think they now better

[tommyjollie · 10/10 · 31 March 2022]

When I first sat down to watch gooby, I was expecting an underwhelming bore of a kids movie, and what I got instead was a masterpiece. Imagine ET except the character of ET is a jerk and the main character is a depressed child looking at him for the smallest bit of comfort in his small miserable life. Gooby spends the whole movie eating all his food, whining and yelling, and causing havoc in a small town. Often moments that seem to be supposed to be sentimental turned out completely wrong in the best ways, such as the moment where gooby throws a ton of hot doges at Willy or when he makes a poor boy pee his hotdog costume at the movie theater. Gooby reminds me of a child predator as he says things like "I like being your dad." To Willy, while at the same time farting on him and convincing him they love each other. Gooby is played by hagrid from Harry potter who has the perfect voice to portray a mentally unstable bear creature. Speaking of bear creature gooby does not look approachable at all, with his old Moldy look. When I look at gooby I am not reminded of my undying love for John from Garfield's handsome face, but instead Winnie the Pooh on meth. Overall gooby is the perfect movie in every way, and you can see that by the facts the whole thing is on YouTube, and it had a 6.5 million dollar budget, but only made 3,500 in the us.

It's a Good Wholesome Kids Movie

[keenan328 · 7/10 · 10 March 2010]

No, it isn't Monsters, Inc or Toy Story but a solid, "clean", family film. My kids are 7 & 10 and they enjoyed it. Purposely low end special effects but it produces smiles and lessons in growing up. The parents actions are a bit far-fetched, but hey---it's a movie. If your kids only like high action, semi-violent PG-13 flicks, then this isn't for them. One word review: CUTE. A boy has to move to a new town and school (that's never been done in a movie) and can't make friends (Hmmm?). There's a bully! Inattentive parents. A not-so-great baby sitter. I know what you're thinking...you've seen this all before! But for some reason, it works better than similar flicks. I think "less-is-more" here. Simple story, with a few laughs and some touching moments. The ten and under crowd should love it or they've grown up way too fast.

Best family film out there 😍

[abigailsommer-69789 · 10/10 · 19 January 2022]

This film truly made me and my whole family so happy. We didn't have anything to watch, but luckily I found this gem and turned it on, and I'm glad to say that my children were horrified and that was funny. Made my day.

Fantastic film

[jaeminq · 10/10 · 11 June 2022]

I like the part where he goes "it's goobin time!" And then he goobs everywhere. 5 goobs out of five. They should really put this in theaters again. I'd watch it at least five goobillion more times.

great

[domincsorly · 10/10 · 15 January 2021]

At first i was skeptical to see it but after seeing it i can agree that its is a fine peace of art. Gooby one of the most developed characters in cinema history and i would even put it up there with Robert Downey jrs iron man. this mixed with Robbie Coltrane acting it provides a fun and hilarious movie. by the end of the movie if you are not sobbing at the end. my review 10/10

Goodness Gracious, why all the hate?

[realcoolbeanz · 10/10 · 22 December 2012]

Superb, Fantastic, Mind Blowing, Outstanding! Me and my family watched this movie and we couldn't stop cracking up! Despite the fact that my 10 year old daughter had nightmares for a few weeks, we still enjoyed laughing at her crying in the night. If you love your children, watch this movie by all means!

The part that was the best was when Gooby died when the fluff was torn out of him my the family dog, Rufus. The great addition of the voice of popular giant Hagrid, really helped me feel that this bear is really really really big, like Hagrid.

If you like romantic comedies, don't watch this, there's no romance. Squeaky clean like the kid's heinie. Fear not my fellow friends, this movie is not for you!

Gooby is sweet and charming!

[shultzl · 9/10 · 12 June 2009]

My 5 year old (and let's face it, this film is for kids!) loved Gooby. For all you critics out there, remember that children love imaginative creatures and don't need all of the CGI that us adults have become used to. This film reminded me of Harry and the Hendersons with it's goofy big creature and heartwarming story line. The supporting cast is terrific and I am happy that Robbie Coltrane decided to do this project. My son has watched it four times and I know he will wear out his copy. It has the highest rating Dove can give and for good reason. It's just good clean fun. I would like to commend smaller studios for making family films that are not violent and don't use crude humor for cheap laughs.

This movie is a cinematic masterpiece

[munhollandcameron · 10/10 · 25 July 2022]

The movie tells an excellent story of a boy and his childhood toy that comes to life perfectly. This movie is walked so Ted could run. With the cast of Eugene Levy and Robbie Coltrane you know you'll be in for a blast. The comedy is top tier and the family dilemma is relatable and exciting. Gooby is a movie I think everyone should watch at least once.

A little odd at times, but it's really good.

[Movie_Guy_24 · 10/10 · 13 August 2009]

I am a fan of Matthew Knight so I have some bias towards liking his movies, so let's get that out of the way right off the top. I've seen all of his movies and "Gooby" was the last one on that list to make it complete. I had seen the trailer on YouTube and was thoroughly confused as to if this movie was a serious attempt at a family-style movie or if it was more of a spoof-style comedy like the way the "Scary Movie" series makes fun of scary movies. Within 2 minutes of watching "Gooby" I knew it was a serious attempt.

Without giving anything away, there were a number of scenes that made me wonder what kind of movie I was watching. The bear, Gooby, is creepy as all Hell, and why he has a Scottish accent is beyond me. Overall character development is a little lacking from everyone butt Matthew Knight's character since he gets the most screen time (thankfully). Knight's character is a confusing one for me to understand though. He is 11 years old in the movie but the movie treats him a little younger than that. He still wears dinosaur pajamas, is still afraid of monsters called "Hoonies", and a few other things that I don't want to mention just in case it reveals some plot. Like I said earlier, I love Matthew Knight's acting, but I think a younger actor was required for this movie.

I don't want it to sound like I didn't like this movie, because I did like it, a lot. I think it's a phenomenal family film and perfect for the 3-6 age range, but I don't parents will mind seeing it either. It even had a surprise ending that brought a tear to my eye, which I never expected. I really do recommend this film to everyone, don't be turned away by some of the other reviews, you should draw your own conclusions after you see it. I also strongly recommend you check out Matthew Knight's other movies, he is really talented!

Gooby captures a kid's imagination in the best way

[rtellegen · 8/10 · 27 April 2012]

I've registered just to post this, since I really can't believe this movie is only rated as a 3.3. It was on TV a few months back and we ended up seeing the last half of it. Then my son woke me up last weekend asking about that movie with the big bear, he'd been dreaming about it. Sought the whole internet based on some keywords and finally found the DVD. We saw it yesterday and it was better than I even remembered it. It really is a simple but great movie on a kid that suffers "huge" ordinary problems, a bit of isolation, (loving) parents that move because they think more expensive housing is better and a father that's always working supposedly to pay for all these improvements. But then suddenly a forgotten toy turns out to come alive into a huge bear with strange beady eyes, just a tad scary in the beginning, but then turns out to be his best friend. He needs to hide from the world (kids love it). Gooby eats all the chocolates, candy, ice-cream you can find (again, my son found it hilarious), helps him be cool with his friends and eventually ends up setting everything right again and help his parents learn a valuable lesson. Call it corny, but I think even the message is valid for a lot of kids and parents these days. Loved this films, hope the cynics who forgot to look through a kid's eyes don't put you off seeing it!

MMMMMM PERFECT MOVIE I LOVE IT

[jhciesielski · 10/10 · 13 December 2021]

GENIS BEST MOVIE I EVER SEEN 10/9 HAGRID IS THE GOOB. THIS IS THE BEST MOVIE I EVER SAW. PLEASE WATCH. WATCH NOW. DONT LISIN TO BAD REVIEWS THEY JUST HATTERS!!!!!

Edit: THANKS FOR THE LIKES!

GOOBTASTIC!

[meganpohopin · 10/10 · 13 January 2024]

This movie was the best thing I have ever watched. Me and my nephew, Justin, watched this movie a couple times over the past couple nights and I loved it!!! He kept saying things like "is gooby gone now?" And whenever I would say no his eyes would fill with tears of joy. We love watching this movie with cold hotdogs as a snack! Really immersive!! This movie teaches kids your father figure should love you and show that by eating your food, complaining about every kind thing you do, and most importantly, farting on you! I really learned a lot on how to treat my nephew better (especially after his parents passing, car accident). Justin loves when I throw hotdogs on him while farting!! He always lets out really loud laughs that are borderline screams!! We have a ton of fun with gooby!

Gooby has gone after that little girl

[jakeblcrossley · 10/10 · 19 November 2023]

Gooby is a plush bear who protects his boy but his boy moves, Gooby comes to life and makes a ruckus of his house, honestly i could not understand the plot of this movie, a bear protects a boy and the boy dont need him anymore so hes goes after a little girl, this movie also has a random statue of a bird coming to life to scare as a ugly thing, you may think this comes back but this never gets mentioned, the movie makes this statue feel like a whole other movie with the same boy but i had the tragedy of watching this but i loved it anyways because of how stupid a brain traumatic this movies plot is but definetly should watch.

It's goobin' time

[deccat · 10/10 · 14 April 2023]

I've watched this movie more times than anybody has. It's so goofy and my twin and I watch this movie together at least three times a year. If you don't think this movie is good it's probably because you are taking it too seriously. It's a good bad movie. The costume for Gooby is the exact opposite of what any child's stuffed animal/imaginary best friend should ever look like. He looks like he smells like BO and mold. Matthew Knight (Willy) deserves an Oscar for his ability to act happy and as if he's not afraid to be near Gooby. Robbie Coltrane does an incredible job providing the voice work for Gooby, which is Gooby's only good trait. Eugene Levy is perfect-though I might be bias. I really didn't have much I wanted to say about this movie. I just thought I'd share some junk to fit the character minimum. I just wanted to give Gooby the ten stars it deserves. It's actually a really fun movie if you enjoy bad movies. Everyone want Gooby. If you are reading this and debating on watching it, watch it. If you already watched it and are just scrolling to see what other's think, first write a ten star review and then watch Gooby again. Gooby is our lord and savior. I draw fanart or him a few years back with a picture of the Goob himself and the words "I can kill a man" written above it. I am going to find the time to recreate it now. Live love goob.

A waste of good talent and looks...

[windsweptme · 30 September 2010]

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.