Movie Review: Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for crude and sex-related humor, language and drug references)

Stars (Out of 10): 7.5

One Word Summary: Funny

Full Review:

           Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star is the fictitious story of Dickie Roberts, a well known former child star trying to make it as a star in adulthood. Dickie is parking cars as a valet when he hears of the perfect new movie to help jumpstart his career; it's a new Rob Reiner flick that seems to be the perfect role. After Brendan Frasier calls in a favor for Dickie and gets him an interview, Reiner tells him that he can't play such a sophisticated role because he missed his childhood and hasn't had a chance to grow up. He decides perversely that he'll pay a family to 'adopt' him for a month so that he can relive his childhood and finally become an adult. Hilarity ensues.

                  I genuinely enjoyed this movie; it's a great story, it's funny from top to bottom, and it's oddly original. When I first heard about the story I thought, 'Wow, this has some comic potential.' I figured if the writers could capitalize on the brilliant idea, they could make a really funny movie. Spade and Wolf (who worked together on Joe Dirt and Black Sheep as well) hit every joke they should of and then some.

                   Dickie Roberts is flat out funny. The situation comedy of the outrageously funny story and the sketch comedy that comes out of all former-SNL-star's movies add up to an enjoyable and entertaining movie.

                  This is the exact kind of comedy we've come to expect from David Spade and Adam Sandler (who is an executive producer to Dickie Roberts). This is also the same formula that seems to fit all Sandler and Spade films; an over-the-top story, with a loser as the main character and an ending that seems to wrap everything up in a pretty little bow. Don't fix it if it ain't broken, and that formula's been pretty successful so far.

                   Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Dickie Roberts falls into the deep and dark pit of clichéd movie sentiment. All started out fine, the laughs kept coming, but then all the sudden the story decided it needed a true 'Happy Madison' ending. Expect the expected, but enjoy it because that's Hollywood. Even though the ending was dumb and predictable, it's the kind of ending everyone wants to see (just a bit overdone).