Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
| Year: | 2003 |
| Director: | Sam Weisman |
| Cast: | David Spade, Alyssa Milano, Emmanuel Lewis, Leif Garrett |
Another one-joke comedy by Spade, now a genuine star (albeit of the Rob Schnieder and Chris Kattan variety) in his own right instead of straight man to Chris Farley after establishing himself in more of the same stuff like Joe Dirt.
Dickie Roberts looks at the phenomenon of washed up former child actors and their lot in life when they grow up. Roberts himself, ever preparing for his big comeback, is desperate to star in the latest Rob Reiner movie, but Reiner (playing himself) doubts Roberts can handle the part as he's never had a real childhood to base his emotions on, riding to school in limos etc).
Determined to give himself a real childhood, he places an ad in the paper for a family to take him in and treat him like a child of their family, which (in a turn that stretches believability extremely tightly), they do.
He of course wins over the kids, falls in love with the sexy mother (with some slightly disturbing overtones) and finds that family is more important than fame, all the while not letting any chance for a gag slip by.
Spade doesn't have enough presence to carry a movie himself (but is helped by more child star cameos than you can poke a stick at), but despite the strong concept, it's just another lame teen comedy.
Dickie Roberts looks at the phenomenon of washed up former child actors and their lot in life when they grow up. Roberts himself, ever preparing for his big comeback, is desperate to star in the latest Rob Reiner movie, but Reiner (playing himself) doubts Roberts can handle the part as he's never had a real childhood to base his emotions on, riding to school in limos etc).
Determined to give himself a real childhood, he places an ad in the paper for a family to take him in and treat him like a child of their family, which (in a turn that stretches believability extremely tightly), they do.
He of course wins over the kids, falls in love with the sexy mother (with some slightly disturbing overtones) and finds that family is more important than fame, all the while not letting any chance for a gag slip by.
Spade doesn't have enough presence to carry a movie himself (but is helped by more child star cameos than you can poke a stick at), but despite the strong concept, it's just another lame teen comedy.