Quick Movie Review: Dickie Roberts - Former Child Star

The premise is ridiculous, but this ode to former child actors is really a fun watch with some pretty entertaining references. The problems lie in the fact that half way through you forget that it's even about former child stars and the issues that come with it because it starts focusing too much on the relationship between Dickie and his new family. It relies too heavily on its saccharine resolutions and doesn't have enough deserved tension beforehand to make it as worthwhile as it should be. Basically, it's too heartwarming too often--don't get me wrong, it might bring smiles to your face, but in hindsight you wish that there was more at stake. 

It's also has a lot of plot holes--such as how did the mom know that Dickie used to play Candy Land with his dad? And if the Finney family doesn't have much money then how can they afford to fix the house when the water bed floods and destroys it? It also doesn't clarify Dickie's money situation and doesn't show him hitting the rock bottom that it could have. Not to mention much of the character depth is paper thin or uneven. Much of the film is completely unbelievable and caddywhompus. And David Spade plays the same pervy character that he always plays so much so that you forget that he's not playing himself. 

Films like this are enjoyable still because of their novelty. It's an idea that isn't really tapped into, and it does showcase David Spade's talent decently well.

Twizard Rating: 74