I have always felt that you could separate former Saturday Night Live stars into three different categories. There is the Jim Belushi and Eddie Murphy category of actors that you always knew were destined to become big stars if given the proper vehicle opportunity. There is the Will Farrell and Mike Myers category of actors that you never knew the talent that was inside them until the bolted onto the big screen. And then there is the Chris Kattan and Joe Piscopo group that contain actors that have shown that they are unable to maintain our interest without the brilliance of other writers or working as part of an ensemble. I have always felt that you couple separate former Saturday Night Live stars into three categories. Until Now.
Out this week on Video/DVD is Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, starring once Saturday Night Live Not Ready For Prime Time Player, David Spade. The movie surrounds a washed up child actor now in his 30's that looks to recapture his fame by getting a role in a new Rob Reiner film being cast and looking for a lead actor. At a meeting with Reiner (playing himself), the two discuss the complications of Dickie bringing reality to the role, as he never experienced a conventional upbringing. Dickie then puts an add in the local paper and rents a family for a month in hopes of gathering insight into the experiences of a traditional family.
Dickie Roberts is simply a mess of a movie and does not surprisingly come from the directorial helm of Sam Weisman who was behind the camera for 2001's worst film, What's The Worst That Can Happen? David Spade shows all the acting range of a breadstick as he tries to emulate exactly what he has become, that being someone in a desperate need for a Hollywood hit. Spade relies heavily upon his demeaning wit as evidenced in the scene where he retorts to a large sized neighbor by rhetorically asking `Aren't you too big to be on the sidewalk'? If you are not rolling in laughter reading it in print, you probably won't enjoy it that much more on the big screen. The problem is that this type of humor soon becomes tiresome and Spade does not have the screen presence of a Jack Black or an Adam Sandler to keep us interested when the film focuses on its story development.
On the plus side, (thus the reason for the ½ star), Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star does contain many cameos of former children actors as themselves, that put a smile on your face upon re-introduction. Skreech, Danny Partridge, Greg Brady and Arnold Horshack are only four of the over 30 character we are reacquainted with if not in a speaking role, then in a fun closing credits musical number. The shameless parading of these former household figures keep us interested for seconds at a time, as we try and place them in our extensive long term memory banks.
So to complete my earlier thought, I have to add another category when evaluating SNL alumni. David Spade, Norm MacDonald and Dana Carvey form a line of cast members whom made us laugh at 11:30 on the weekends, but have yet to transpose their energy and comedic senses to the theatre. This can be either due to their niche being solely a skit player, or maybe they just haven't been given the proper script to showcase what they can do. The jury is still out.
Out this week on Video/DVD is Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, starring once Saturday Night Live Not Ready For Prime Time Player, David Spade. The movie surrounds a washed up child actor now in his 30's that looks to recapture his fame by getting a role in a new Rob Reiner film being cast and looking for a lead actor. At a meeting with Reiner (playing himself), the two discuss the complications of Dickie bringing reality to the role, as he never experienced a conventional upbringing. Dickie then puts an add in the local paper and rents a family for a month in hopes of gathering insight into the experiences of a traditional family.
Dickie Roberts is simply a mess of a movie and does not surprisingly come from the directorial helm of Sam Weisman who was behind the camera for 2001's worst film, What's The Worst That Can Happen? David Spade shows all the acting range of a breadstick as he tries to emulate exactly what he has become, that being someone in a desperate need for a Hollywood hit. Spade relies heavily upon his demeaning wit as evidenced in the scene where he retorts to a large sized neighbor by rhetorically asking `Aren't you too big to be on the sidewalk'? If you are not rolling in laughter reading it in print, you probably won't enjoy it that much more on the big screen. The problem is that this type of humor soon becomes tiresome and Spade does not have the screen presence of a Jack Black or an Adam Sandler to keep us interested when the film focuses on its story development.
On the plus side, (thus the reason for the ½ star), Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star does contain many cameos of former children actors as themselves, that put a smile on your face upon re-introduction. Skreech, Danny Partridge, Greg Brady and Arnold Horshack are only four of the over 30 character we are reacquainted with if not in a speaking role, then in a fun closing credits musical number. The shameless parading of these former household figures keep us interested for seconds at a time, as we try and place them in our extensive long term memory banks.
So to complete my earlier thought, I have to add another category when evaluating SNL alumni. David Spade, Norm MacDonald and Dana Carvey form a line of cast members whom made us laugh at 11:30 on the weekends, but have yet to transpose their energy and comedic senses to the theatre. This can be either due to their niche being solely a skit player, or maybe they just haven't been given the proper script to showcase what they can do. The jury is still out.