David Spade is often underwhelming in his comedic roles but, I felt that this film was one of the exceptions. From the very beginning, Spade’s Dickie Roberts is funny, relatable (in the sense that he’s a little weird and has his struggles like anyone else and he wants to fix them) and he turns out to be a genuinely good person. The relationship between Roberts, Mary McCormack’s Grace Finney and the two children (Scott Terra’s Sam Finney and Jenna Boyd’s Sally Finney) was incredible. While the two children were not the most talented of actors, I thought that it was sufficient enough to solidify their relationship with Spade and their constant banter was more fun than most could have hoped for between Spade and some fairly unknown children. While the story was meant to be a comedy (and I felt that a great portion of the film was quite funny), it was the feel good aspect of the film that made it so enjoyable. Watching a man who lacked any form of companionship growing up find a family that cared for and cherished him the way he had yearned for his entire life was touching. The entire film is framed as an E! Hollywood Story and I thought that was a smart decision. It was an easy way to hook the audience and truly get them interested in what was happening in the film. What was great about framing the story as such was the fact that by the end of the film it appears that Roberts is not simply a fictional character, but a true former child star that has found his way in the world--and this connects the audience to the character more than before. Sam Weisman, along with Fred Wolf and Spade manage to create a group of characters and a story that draws the audience in and makes them sympathize for the people in it. If the film, itself, wasn’t enough, the musical number during the end credits should be enough to get a positive rise out of the audience. This is, in many ways, my favorite David Spade film. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325258/?ref_=nv_sr_1
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