Great Film overall

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Former "Life with Mikey" kid Michael J. Fox (as Michael "Mikey" Chapman) is now a thirty-something New York City agent for young performers. The ex-TV sit-com star is the slacker half of a partnership with brother Nathan Lane (as Ed Chapman). Their receptionist is loyal Cyndi Lauper (as Geena), who most memorably sang "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (1984) as a pop star. Presently, Mr. Fox and Mr. Lane survive mainly due to the success of obnoxious David Krumholtz (as Barry Corman); this film parallels Mr. Krumholtz' scripted contribution as his is the most satisfying characterization...Fox hopes their fortunes increase with the signing of mature 10-year-old Christina Vidal (as Angela "Angie" Vega), a girl he meets under odd circumstances. A violent street thief, young Vidal includes Fox in a round of pick-pocketing. Fox figures her out and tries to retrieve his wallet. Vidal assaults Fox and threatens him with a knife. Wounded from a kick, Fox manages to catch up with Vidal and is impressed with her acting. He estimates she will make $250,000, including his 10% commission...However, there are complications...Throughout the story, youngsters audition poorly. Late in the running time, listen for one, Anaysha Figueroa (as Kimberly Denise Jackson), to end the unrelentingly awful auditions with a fine vocal. Most of the other kids must be better than they sound here. Vidal is cute, though her character's flaws make her unworthy of fame and fortune. However, she is a vegetarian. Fox performs capably, as he knows how to do in comedy situations. It's not enough to lift this flat material. As you might be expecting with this sort of film, Vidal and Fox learn from each other and get on with their lives. You should, too.*** Life with Mikey (6/4/93) James Lapine ~ Michael J. Fox, Christina Vidal, Nathan Lane, David Krumholtz

Ahh yes, "Life With Mikey".It's a cutesy little film about a former child star, Michael Chapman, who is now working in a talent agency alongside his brother, Ed Chapman. However, Michael has been neglecting the agency and piles pretty much all of the work on poor Ed. He also lives in a messy apartment, appears to be a heavy smoker and has missed out on a lot of education from his childhood due to his stardom. His adult life is a wreck.One day Michael is pick-pocketed by a young girl, Angie. He sees her again later and she appears to have been caught attempting to pick-pocket somebody else. At this point she bursts into tears and blurts out some dramatic dribble about her family, winning the sympathy of passers-by. Michael witnesses her performance and tells her that she could use her acting skills to become wealthy.Later we discover that Angie does, in fact, have domestic problems. Her mother is dead and her father is at a rehabilitation centre. She has to live with her older sister and her boyfriend who push her aside, and do not take good care of her at all. Angie decides to go and live with Michael, giving him the responsibility of taking care of her.This film has its high points and low points. It appealed to me because Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane and Cyndi Lauper are in it. It was lovely to see these familiar faces, and they each gave a good performance. However, the plot itself was a bit all-over-the-place. It is difficult to give the full summary of what happens but I think that Michael's responsibility for Angie is where the majority of the plot lies. I also found some scenes in this film painfully cheesy. The "happy birthday" scenes, the auditions and the wrestling scene in particular were a bit of a let-down for me.Overall, I think this film is alright. It's not exactly a must-see film but, hey, you might enjoy some of it.

Take a couple of great actors and give them a poor script and not even they can't make it good. This film had its moments, but the only real memorable ones are during the child stars' auditions. All in all, I remember it being really funny when I was younger and now I found it watchable, but nothing special, and especially not in my top five or even ten. I was actually surprised that there were so many positive reviews on here.

This movie has got to be one of the all-time lows of Michael J. Fox's generally respectable career. I should have known how awful this movie was when I rented it and found the movie only half viewed and not rewound by the previous renter. Never a good sign! Fox plays a grown up child star who's now an agent for other show business kids. His character is delusional in that he still believes that everyone should love him for being Mikey. His big break comes when he meets Angie Vega, a talented child. Vega is abrasive and not at all likeable. In fact, the only likeable character in the whole movie is Cyndi Lauper as a Brooklyn accented receptionist for the agency. One of those movies that makes me want to stick a post-it note to the box warning others not to waste their time!