MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star’
Grade: C+
We’ve all heard the jokes about former child stars and read about the trouble they seem to always get themselves into. In his new movie “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star,” David Spade can’t decide if he’s making fun of these former actors or trying to win our sympathy vote for their pathetic lives.
Either way, what we are left with is a schizophrenic film that can’t decide whether it’s a raunchy comedy or a sappy, feel-good, quazi-family film. The film is definitely edgy, and the comedy at times harsh and gritty. But this fits with the whole E! True Hollywood Story format the film is pretending to be. Spade is at his best, and although the film is nothing to be proud of, it is a huge improvement over the trashy “Joe Dirt.”
This film, like so many others before it, is stuck in the concept that if we try to appeal to everybody then everybody will come see the movie. Hence, the sappy ending and over-the-top warm fuzzies that no real True Hollywood Story would indulge itself in. This approach hardly ever works, and with “Dickie Roberts” we are left with the feeling we have seen halves of two movies that don’t really fit together. The comedy bug bites, but fails to leave a mark.
One of the funniest aspects of the film was the inclusion of actual former child stars who play themselves in the movie. Cameos included Dustin Diamond (Screech from “Saved by the Bell”), Corey Feldman, Danny Bonaduce (Danny on the “Partridge Family”), Barry Williams (Greg on the “Brady Bunch”) and Leif Garrett as Roberts’ poker buddies. The best part of the whole movie was a song during the closing credits sung by a whole group of former child stars.
Spade is not one of my favorite actors, and I usually avoid his movies like the plague. However, I did find this self-absorbed spoof to be quite funny at times. I may have found myself chuckling at the film’s contrived humor, but that doesn’t mean it will have a spot of honor in my DVD collection. This film is better viewed at the dollar show or as a rental. The insincere schlock throughout the film destroys any (and they are few) saving graces “Dickie Roberts” may have.
The transformation from self-absorbed star to caring human being is too abrupt and too complete to be believable. And the film, with no clear vision of what it wants to be, falls short of being anything at all.
Jared Sterzer is a senior majoring in business information systems. Comments may be sent to jwsterz@cc.usu.edu.