David Spade embodies Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star with the snide, glib, and bored attitude for which he is loved by his fans. Dickie, whose mother abandoned him in his youth when his TV show was canceled, yearns to regain the spotlight. But he can't get a promising role because the director believes that Dickie isn't a real person; so, to find his real self, Dickie hires a family to give him the childhood he never had. Dickie Roberts has some scattered laughs, but the writers have no better grasp of reality than Dickie himself; the "normal family" Dickie hires is as warm and glossy as any TV clan. A busload of real former child stars play exaggerated versions of themselves, but the result is more uncomfortable than satirical. However, if you want to see David Spade imitate a jet-ski, this is your movie. --Bret Fetzer