History Film / DickieRobertsFormerChildStar

* TheCameo:
** At the end of the movie, Dickie's musical montage includes an on-stage appearence with {{Music/Aerosmith}}.
** The song "Child Stars on Your Television" that plays in the end credits is a parody of "Music/WeAreTheWorld" featuring Dickie and a long list of former child stars, several of whom make their sole appearance in the film as part of the group singing the song.

* TheCameo: At the end of the movie, Dickie's musical montage includes an on-stage appearence with {{Music/Aerosmith}}.

* AbusiveParents: For the very little time she ''does'' spend in her son's life, Peggy doesn't think of him as anything more than a means to an end for her. It begins even before he's born: She smokes while she's pregnant and wears an "I'm with Stupid" T-shirt with the arrow pointing down to her belly. She even said her pregnancy only put a damper on her aspirations to stardom... at least until she figured out her ''kid'' could do what she was unable to. After Dickie was born, she auditioned him for any possible part, even dressing him as a girl anytime the part called for one. Likely, this was all done without his consent. Then after his successful sitcom stint got canned, [[ParentalAbandonment she abandoned him completely]].

* DisappearedDad: Dickie says that he never met his father but claims that his father is David Soul (Hutch from ''Series/StarskyAndHutch''). [[spoiler: He later admits this is not true, and that he only has one memory of his actual father.]]

* GoshDangItToHeck: Dickie teaches the kids "Shizzle", a secret way to swear.

* NoSocialSkills: Dickie has a rather warped perception of how to interact with other people since his only role models were apparently Hollywood prima donnas. Did we mention he had little to no parental guidance in his life until he moved in with the Finneys? Because that would certainly do it, too. Everything from expressing his infatuation with Grace to her [[{{Squick}} squicked-out]] children to shoving a camera down his pants for several pictures of his junk in response to a passerby asking to take his picture... Dickie has issues, to put it lightly.

* {{Spoonerism}}: "This is nucking futs!", Dickie's childhood catchphrase while starring in ''The Glimmer Gang''.[[note]](InRealLife, such a catchphrase could not fly past network censors in the timeframe Dickie’s in-universe sitcom aired, considering the phrase’s kid-unfriendly connotation and the programming standards of the 1970s, which while continuing to evolve from the stricter standards of the late 1940s through the early 1960s, were still pretty conservative.)[[/note]]
* {{Squick}}: When a passerby recognizes Dickie, insults him, then asks for a picture, Dickie takes his camera and shoves it down his pants while taking pictures.

* StacysMom: Subverted - Dickie's not actually ''that'' much younger than Grace, but is supposed to be pretending to be her son and the brother to her actual children. Nevertheless, he's got the hots for her, and his [[NoSocialSkills lack of filter]] means the other two get to hear all about it. Somehow, it doesn't occur to him that he's supposed to be in character as her other son at all times, so there's no room for him to express a sexual attraction to her.

* {{Spoonerism}}: "This is nucking futs!", Dickie's catchphrase while starring in ''The Glimmer Gang'' as a child.[[note]](InRealLife, such a catchphrase could not fly past network censors in the timeframe Dickie’s in-universe sitcom aired, considering the phrase’s kid-unfriendly connotation and the programming standards of the 1970s, which while continuing to evolve from the stricter standards of the late 1940s through the early 1960s, were still pretty conservative.)[[/note]]

* {{Spoonerism}}: Dickie's childhood catch phrase was "This is nucking futs!"

* ParentalAbandonment: Hmmm... His father was [[DisappearedDad never there]], and his mother left when he was a mere child after his show was axed. [[SarcasmMode Yep, surefire "Parents of the Year" award-winners right there.]]

* DarthWiki/FallenCreator: In-universe example, Dickie himself. Everyone remembers his work on the show fondly but loves to laugh at him for the miserable failure he's become in the meantime. As the intro reveals, however, Dickie had plenty of good reasons for breaking down - namely his abusive StageMom. The entire movie is about him recovering from this status.

* FallenCreator: In-universe example, Dickie himself. Everyone remembers his work on the show fondly but loves to laugh at him for the miserable failure he's become in the meantime. [[TheWoobie As the intro reveals, however, Dickie had plenty of good reasons for breaking down - namely his abusive stage mother.]] The entire movie is about him recovering from this status.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: {{Downplay}}ed, but that's not really saying much. This is effectively what Peggy said to Dickie as she up and left him; the narration implies she moved out of the area and he was literally left there all by himself, without a home or anyone to take care of him. Pretty much the same thing as just killing him outright, since of course a kid that young can't be expected to look after himself or know what to do to find someone who will take him in.

* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: In the form of an ''E! True Hollywood Story'' documentary.

-->'''Grace:''' Wow, [[LampshadeHanging let me sift through that to find the nugget of compliment.]]

''Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star'' is a 2003 comedy film starring Creator/DavidSpade as FormerChildStar [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Dickie Roberts]], who wants to [[CareerResurrection wants to be a star again]]. He desperately wants to star in Creator/RobReiner's upcoming film, but while he has the right basic look Reiner had in mind, he doesn't think Dickie is right for the part, due to the role being a "real person" and Dickie not knowing how a normal person lives, due to not having a normal childhood, so Dickie hires a family to treat him like a child for two months in order to be able to get an audition.

'''Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star''' is a 2003 comedy film starring Creator/DavidSpade as FormerChildStar [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Dickie Roberts]], who wants to [[CareerResurrection wants to be a star again]]. He desperately wants to star in Creator/RobReiner's upcoming film, but while he has the right basic look Reiner had in mind, he doesn't think Dickie is right for the part, due to the role being a "real person" and Dickie not knowing how a normal person lives, due to not having a normal childhood, so Dickie hires a family to treat him like a child for two months in order to be able to get an audition.

* PintSizedPowerhouse: Dickie faces off in a boxing match against Emmanuel Lewis (4'3") and gets beaten mercilessly.

* NoSocialSkills: Dickie has a rather warped perception of how to interact with other people since his only role models were apparently Hollywood prima donnas. Did we mention he had little to no parental guidance in his life until he moved in with the Finneys? Because that would certainly do it, too. Everything from [[HotMom expressing his infatuation with Grace]] to her [[{{Squick}} squicked-out]] children to shoving a camera down his pants for several pictures of his junk in response to a passerby asking to take his picture... Dickie has issues, to put it lightly.

* HotMom: Subverted - Dickie's not actually ''that'' much younger than Grace, but is supposed to be pretending to be her son and the brother to her actual children. Nevertheless, he's got the hots for her, and his [[NoSocialSkills lack of filter]] means the other two get to hear all about it. Somehow, it doesn't occur to him that he's supposed to be in character as her other son at all times, so there's no room for him to express a sexual attraction to her.
-->'''Dickie:''' She's my mom too, and I'm dealing with it SOMEHOW!
** [[spoiler:Not that it matters a whole lot since they do get married in the end and Dickie's research with the family was only supposed to be a month long...]]

* ChekhovsGun: Dickie "borrows" customers' cars from where he works, and causes trouble by pissing off another driver who he reckons won't come looking for him since it's not his car and the windows are tinted so he won't be distinguishable. [[spoiler: Turns out the car belonged to Rob Reiner, so the guy mistakenly tracks ''him'' down and beats him to within inches of his life; he's injured so badly he needs a new kidney, which Sidney happens to be a match for. Sidney gives up a kidney in exchange for Dickie's audition.]]

* ComplimentBackfire: Dickie tells the mother that she's too beautiful to be a mom, but after acknowledging that she obviously is a mom, she might not be as beautiful as he thinks.

* FlippingTheBird: When the mother decides to make Dickie have cereal instead of coffee for breakfast, Dickie looks in, remarks that there's a surprise inside, reaches inside, and flips her the bird upon pulling his hand back out.

* ChekhovsGun: Dickie "borrows"customers car from work, and ends up angering a driver, who threatens him, writing down the license plate number (and unable to see the driver, due to tinted windows). [[spoiler: Turns out the car belonged to Rob Reiner, leading to him being attacked, and after Dickie's agent agrees to donate a kidney, agrees to let Dickie audition for the movie.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: The driver Dickie pisses off while driving a car he "borrowed" from a customer doesn't see who is driving (due to tinted windows) and writes down the license plate number. [[spoiler: Turns out the car belongs to Rob Reiner, who he finds and attacks.]]

** She gets no better in the deleted scenes. The next time she sees her son again, [[he's presumably honeymooning with Grace and Peggy comes to his hotel room. All she can do is embark on a foul-mouthed rant about how she deserves better service than she's getting from the hotel, and all Dickie can do in response is quietly promise her cab fare, presumably because now he'd rather she just left his life altogether.]]