Life with Mikey MPAA Rating: PG Entertainment: +2 1/2 Content: +1

Do TV child stars ever grow up in real life? Probably not, if they are anything like Michael Chapman (Michael J. Fox), a 30-something young man from Brooklyn. Michael and his older brother Ed (Nathan Jones) operate a struggling talent agency for child stars. Michael's experience as a star in a 1960s TV series, LIFE WITH MIKEY helps him relate to his clients, but his refusal to let go of that image of himself makes him a poor business partner. When a frustrated Ed announces he's closing the business, Michael miraculously discovers the perfect candidate for a cookie commercial. A ten-year-old girl steals his wallet and when caught gives such a convincing performance as a mistreated child, Michael wants to hire her. Extremely smart and sassy, Angie (Christina Vidal) had rather pick pockets than go to school. She drives a hard bargain with Michael, insisting she must move into his bachelor pad with him. Mortified at the thought of having responsibility, he finally agrees to let her if she will go to school. Geena (Cyndi Lauper) as the agency's flaky receptionist is hilarious, and the children clients provides some good laughs as well.

Angie and Michael learn a lot from each other. Suffering from her mother's death and father's hospitalization, Angie finds family with Michael, Ed and Geena. Angie makes Michael see himself as a grownup instead of as Little Mikey. She also makes him quit smoking. While Angie's lying and pick-pocketing are portrayed negatively, her smart talk becomes annoying. Surely her parents, who were not bad people, would have instilled some values into their children. A teenage sister invites her boyfriend to move in and they drink and party most of the time. Surprisingly, however, Angie utters no foul language. Three obscenities are spoken in one early scene by Michael and his brother; the rest of the film contains no profanities, crude expressions or obscenities. Neither is there any nudity or sexual intercourse. Michael is shown once entertaining a date in his apartment, and it is obvious he is trying to seduce her. Michael takes Angie and her friends to a professional wrestling match where he gets in the ring and is thrown on the mat, but he is not hurt. Angie shows up at the agency one day with a black eye because she got in a fight at school. It rates a plus acceptability, but just barely because of the three obscenities that could so easily be edited out.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: Buena Vista Distribution, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521