In his graceful overgrown sheepdog sort of way Gerard Depardieu good - naturedly has this movie in his hip pocket.He grins wryly,shrugs in the Gallic manner and mugs his way happily through what could have been a syruppy saccharine part as Albert's imaginary friend come to life to help him deal with the death of his beloved circus performer mother. Farmed out to Whoopi Goldberg - a reluctant stepmother if there ever was one - Albert (young Master Osment) is a rebel without a pause until Bogus shows him the common ground he and Miss Goldberg can inhabit. I would normally walk a mile over broken glass in my bare feet to avoid movies about cute kids and their imaginary pals,but "Bogus" never quite takes itself seriously.Just when you fear it might turn into a blubfest there is a change of mood and we're off to the races,as it were,with Gerard and Whoopi in the saddle. The soundtrack is marvellous,Depardieu and La Goldberg have a lot of fun with some energetic dance routines and the movie is an all-round happy experience.A wonderful alternative to watching the FTSE and Dow Jones drop to an all - time low whilst waiting in vain for the first banker to jump out of a window.

There is something about Whoopi Goldberg's film career that cannot be overlooked. Even in the worst of her movies, you couldn't help but like her. This film focuses on that kid who could see dead people, Haley Joel Osment, who has a make-believe friend, a magician named Bogus who all of a sudden appears to Goldberg who has taken in Osmond after his mother, Nancy Travis, is killed in a horrible car accident. Whoopi had been taken in as a foster child into Travis's home, and in a touching flashback, she remembers how kind Travis as a young girl was to her.

When Goldberg arrives at the airport to pick Osment up, she is in total awe of his cuteness but it will take a while for them to bond because Osment only ones his mother back and his friend Bogus who had all of a sudden become visible to him on the plane. Goldberg has her hands full, not only with her business but with dealing with this addition to her household, and the always wonderful Andrea Martin is terrific as Goldberg's assistant, reminding me of Dianne Wiest in "The Associate".

I was surprised that Goldberg got worst actress nominations for this film as she is far from horrible. If anything, she always plays a variation of herself because she is not one to change her appearance on screen, and her glowing personality shines through in all of these movies, even the most hideous ones. Her chemistry with her co-stars is off the charts, and her acting always makes you see into her heart and soul. Osment is a complete charmer, funny and real and touching. Sheryl Lee Ralph of the original "Dreamgirls" on Broadway has a very nice supporting role as Travis's best friend in the opening scenes. This is one of those magical films that if you open your heart to it will enter it and warm every other part of your body.

There have been critics that dismiss Bogus as overly-sentimental cods wallop, but after seeing it for myself I actually disagree. While sometimes univolving in terms of story, this fantasy film about a young lonely orphaned boy befriending a seemingly-imaginary man never fails to be pleasant and charming. It is beautifully filmed, with lush cinematography and lovely scenery. And I liked the music as well. The direction is pretty solid, and there are some very poignant moments. The performances are not at all bad, Haley Joel Osment undoubtedly gives the strongest one of the lot, while looking extremely cute he does convince in the delivery of his lines and in his face. Gerard Depardieu gives a very pleasant and whimsical characterisation as the imaginary friend, however if his character was perhaps more complex he would've been more memorable. Whoopi Goldberg gives her usual standard of performance, a woman with attitude, yet with a soft side to her, and that is exactly what her character Harriet is like. However, the film while nicely performed and meaning well, is weighed down by an uninvolving story and a sometimes weak script. And there are some problems with the pace, I found the middle half rather slow for my liking. All in all, undemanding but pleasant and charming, and in some ways misunderstood too. 7/10 Bethany Cox