Release Date: September 5, 2003
Starring: David Spade, Mary McCormack, Jon Lovitz, Craig Bierko, Jenna Boyd, Scott Tessa
Directed by: Sam Weisman
Written by: Fred Wolf, David Spade
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (crude and sex-related humor, drug references)
Since he was warmly accepted by adolescent viewers in the mid-1990’s, David Spade has tried to carry his movie career as a leading man and has yet to come up with something likable. Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star continues this trend of mediocrity and proves that the actor is stepping farther and farther away from being the sharp-witted and sarcastic comedian that made him noticeable during his breakthrough stint on “Saturday Night Live.” The bottom line on this particular movie is that only the moments of sentiment make the story tolerable, and that’s certainly not the style that works for Spade -- nor is it a step in the right direction for him.
Here he plays the title character, a washed-up actor who was famous as a child in the 1970’s and has now been reduced to working as a valet parking attendant and begging people to ask for his autograph. Soon he catches word of a new movie in development that could put him back on the A-list and make him respectable again. Realizing his life has become pathetic, Dickie tries to convince the project’s director, Rob Reiner (played by himself), to cast him in the lead role. The veteran filmmaker proceeds to explain that Dickie doesn’t fit the part because he has never experienced a normal childhood thanks to his famous career. Then, in the spirit of truly farfetched comedies, the actor hires a normal suburban family to “raise” him for a month or two so that he can relive his childhood and prove himself to Reiner.
In the vein of the atrocious Joe Dirt, the story (written by Spade and former “SNL” writer Fred Wolf) introduces David Spade’s character as a bumbling loser who can’t catch a break to save his life. Then, once the audience is supposed to have become emotionally attached to the lovable failure, the plot milks every ounce of sentiment available, making the movie as heartwarming as it is funny. The problem is that Joe Dirt and Dickie Roberts aren't especially humorous or charming thanks to the immature sense of humor that Spade and his partners in crime (including Adam Sandler) plague each of their scripts with. These movies are clearly aimed at younger audiences, not those who remember Spade and company in their prime.
This is a big mistake on the part of Dickie Roberts, because half of the humor is drawn from cameos of lost stars and other references of long-forgotten TV shows, something which most adolescents can’t appreciate because they weren’t around to watch them in the first place. The rest of the jokes are mildly amusing at best and, for the most part, ruined by the film’s advertisments. So the only thing left for the script to do is build an emotional bond between Spade’s character and the family he has invaded. Of course, the outcome is predictable but the actors (namely Spade and Mary McCormack, who plays the family’s mother) make it moderately interesting.
Still, these are not the shoes David Spade should be filling because roles for him like this are more irritating than they are appealing. The comedian is definitely most magnetic when he lets his sarcasm and mean-spirited quips take over, and movies like Dickie Roberts restrain him to a friendlier and less amusing persona. His film characters should resemble the way we saw him in TV’s “Just Shoot Me,” or even Tommy Boy and Black Sheep -- a cleverly contemptuous man who shares his displeasure with others -- but that’s not what’s happening. Because of this there’s little fun to be had, and that’s a big reason why this movie misses its mark.
Something R-rated might even suit Spade better in the future. But as of right now, there’s little chemistry between him and the projects he’s delivering. He can still muster an occasional moment of charm in these performances, but if he continues on this path, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star might turn out to be more than a work of fiction for the star.
-- Andy Zientek (zfilm@earthlink.net)