Life with Mikey

Life with Mikey casts Michael J. Fox as Michael Chapman, a former child star whose role as a talent scout for kids is threatened by various complications (money, mostly) – with redemption arriving in the form of a promising new client named Angie Vega (Christina Vidal). There’s nothing really wrong with Life with Mikey – Fox is as charming as ever here, for example – and yet the film remains hopelessly uninvolving for the duration of its padded-out running time. It’s primarily the sitcom-level bent of Marc Lawrence’s screenplay that accelerates Life with Mikey‘s downfall, as the narrative, which progresses at a decidedly plodding pace, boasts few attributes designed to capture and sustain the viewer’s interest. Vega’s abrasive turn as Michael’s would-be protege certainly doesn’t help alleviate the less-than-compelling atmosphere, certainly, nor does director James Lapine’s ongoing emphasis on the auditions of stereotypically terrible child performers. The predictably sentimental third act is, not surprisingly, unable to make the heartwarming impact that Lapine and Lawrence are aiming for, and it’s ultimately clear that Life with Mikey has earned its place as a forgotten relic within Fox’s spotty body of work.

** out of ****