Who is dickie roberts

And right there a nice sharp-edged satire gets traded in for a sappy sitcom. Spade's comic persona is essentially not sweet and lovable, and his attempt to force Dickie into that mode is never convincing. The best moments in the sitcom half of the movie come when he plays against type, as when he throws a wine cork at a sometime girlfriend Cyndi Alyssa Milano or phones in a false alarm so that Grace can follow the fire trucks to the address she's looking for. Funny, but not so funny are the staged docudramas in which his loving family stages a Christmas in the summertime so he can recapture his lost youth.

The Grace character is played by Mary McCormack with her usual true-blue charm, and for a long time the movie wisely sidesteps any suggestion of romance between Grace and Dickie. When at the end we learn they get married, we give the nuptials about as much of a chance as Liza Minnelli's next matrimony. George, Grace's husband, is an underwritten figure who pops up from time to time in oddly written scenes, and then runs off with Cyndi, so we're told, since by then we haven't seen either one of them for some time.

David Spade has a peculiar but definite screen persona, and in the right role he could be effective. In the old days of the studio system, he could have worked as a supporting player at Warners, pinch-hitting for Elisha Cook Jr. He is too recessive, narcissistic and dreamy-voiced to be a star, although he could play the lead in a story that hated his character.

Rob Reiner : Too far back. Sign In. Play trailer Director Sam Weisman. Fred Wolf David Spade. Top credits Director Sam Weisman. See more at IMDbPro. Trailer Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. Photos Top cast Edit. Alyssa Milano Cyndi as Cyndi. John Farley Referee as Referee. Bobby Slayton Commentator as Commentator. Emmanuel Lewis Self as Self. Emily Harrison Girl as Girl.

Nancy M. Pimental Girl as Girl. One day they're famous; next day they're notorious -- drugged out, alcoholic, bulimic, broke and breaking and entering. If you're in doubt, tune in any night to the E! David Spade, in one of his more appealing outings -- though he could easily win first prize in a smirking contest -- is the fictitious Dickie.

As a pre-adolescent he became the nation's darling in the popular sitcom "Glimmer Gang," delighting all with his catchphrase "This is Nucking Futs. You may change your billing preferences at any time in the Customer Center or call Customer Service.

His insults to some school bullies would be funnier if we didn't see him actually using that language to people who are, after all, children.

The movie seems to applaud him not just for crudely insulting children, but also for making a fake call and giving someone the finger. Episodes like giving a bath to a dead rabbit, applauding "Mom" for rudely telling off an imperious neighbor, the exchange of a kidney transplant for an audition, and hitting someone in the head with a champagne cork are sour and weird.

Ultimately, though, the movie's lame humor is less painful than the supposedly touching material about how love is all that really matters. Families can talk about some of their favorite child stars and what they would and would not like about being famous. Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. Not at all funny David Spade movie. PG 99 minutes. Rate movie.