Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star

Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003) is a comedy you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Sam Weisman and starring David Spade. In the 1970s, Dickie Roberts was a household name on a hit TV show. At 35, he's parking cars outside a Hollywood restaurant.

A potential comeback appears: director Rob Reiner — playing himself — is casting a film and needs someone who knows what a normal childhood feels like. Dickie's doesn't qualify. His growing-up years were traded for sets and publicity appearances. So he does the only logical thing: he hires a real suburban family, moves in with them, and tries to live out everything he missed — riding the school bus, eating dinner together, goofing around in the backyard.

Spade is in his usual deadpan mode but lets more genuine longing through than he typically allows. Mary McCormack anchors the family scenes without letting them curdle into sentiment. The film works best as a small, wistful comedy about the specific damage of early fame — funnier and sadder than its premise suggests. Stream Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003) online on iFILM.