My rating for this film is probably too generous. When reading my comments, understand that I am a fan of the "Spongebob Squarepants" TV show and am writing this in comparison to that. I can sum up why I didn't really like this film in a single sentence. The TV show was funny enough for adults to enjoy, while the movie seems entirely intended for young children. First of all, the TV show was loaded with great supporting characters, yet the movie chose to focus almost entirely on Spongebob and Patrick, who are made out here to be completely childish and immature (and I mean way more than usual). The plot and gags are completely annoying. There are some occasional good lines, but as someone who frequently watches the show, I feel like they've all been done before. The film is way more emotional toward the end than I wanted to see here, and I don't think kids would prefer that to a bunch of good laughs. I'm not really trying to discourage you from seeing this, because your young kids will probably still enjoy the film. All I'm trying to express is how disappointed I was with how this film turned out. It could have been way funnier, and after this movie, the new episodes of the show were never as funny anymore. It's as though the movie set the show on a downward spiral. If you want to laugh, watch some old episodes of the show.
** out of ****
** out of ****