# Life with Mikey > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Life_with_Mikey > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Life_with_Mikey.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_with_Mikey > Source revision: 1349860795 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|1993 film by James Lapine}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = Life with Mikey | image = Life with mikey poster.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = [James Lapine](/source/James_Lapine) | writer = [Marc Lawrence](/source/Marc_Lawrence_(filmmaker)) | producer = {{Plainlist| * Teri Schwartz * [Scott Rudin](/source/Scott_Rudin) }} | starring = {{Plainlist| * [Michael J. Fox](/source/Michael_J._Fox) * [Nathan Lane](/source/Nathan_Lane) * [Cyndi Lauper](/source/Cyndi_Lauper) * [Christina Vidal](/source/Christina_Vidal) }} | cinematography = Rob Hahn | editing = [Robert Leighton](/source/Robert_Leighton_(film_editor)) | music = [Alan Menken](/source/Alan_Menken) | studio = [Touchstone Pictures](/source/Touchstone_Pictures) | distributor = [Buena Vista Pictures Distribution](/source/Walt_Disney_Studios_Motion_Pictures) | released = {{Film date|1993|06|04}} | runtime = 91 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = $12.4 million{{Mojo title|lifewithmikey}} }} '''''Life with Mikey''''' (also known as '''''Give Me a Break''''') is a 1993 American [comedy](/source/comedy) film directed by [James Lapine](/source/James_Lapine) and written by [Marc Lawrence](/source/Marc_Lawrence_(filmmaker)). The film stars [Michael J. Fox](/source/Michael_J._Fox), [Nathan Lane](/source/Nathan_Lane), [Cyndi Lauper](/source/Cyndi_Lauper) and [Christina Vidal](/source/Christina_Vidal) in her film acting debut. ==Plot== Michael Chapman was once a successful child actor on the popular sitcom ''Life With Mikey'' but, like many child actors, was unable to stretch that success into adulthood. These days, he is a partner at the Chapman & Chapman Talent Agency with his brother Ed, representing child talent. However, the agency is struggling since Michael largely doesn't take the job seriously and often clashes with their most successful client, the vain and egotistical commercial actor Barry Corman. One day, while walking down the street, Michael bumps into a young girl named Angie Vega. After realizing she stole his wallet, Michael chases her. She escapes but is shortly caught trying to lift another wallet and puts on an impromptu acting display to talk her way out of trouble. Michael joins in her act and, after the crowd disperses, immediately offers to represent her. She initially runs away but meets up with him later and returns his wallet and accepts his offer. Crashing a callback audition for a Sunburst Cookies commercial, Michael charms his way into getting Angie an audition. Angie surprises company president Mr. Corcoran by giving a tirade about his hunting trophies and the casting director offers Michael and Angie the job on the spot. Michael later stops by Angie's house, where she lives with her older sister and her sister's boyfriend, to drop off the contract. Angie refuses to let him in but later drops by his apartment with the signed contract and then promptly talks her way into moving in with Michael. The two initially clash due to Michael's unkempt habits and Angie's more tidy nature and even more so when Michael forces Angie to go back to school. The day before her commercial shoot, Angie gets into a fight at school and gets a black eye. Initially dismayed, Corcoran decides to proceed after Angie spins a tale about the fight being over Angie defending Sunburst Cookies. Despite some initial struggles, Angie manages to shoot a wonderful commercial. Returning home that night, Angie passes out from exhaustion. Afterwards, Michael and Angie start to bond. Michael is later called into Angie's school when Angie gets into another fight. The teacher informs Michael that Angie started the fight because she has a crush on the other student, Evan, and acts out at school because she's lonely and doesn't know how to relate to other kids. Michael decides to throw Angie an impromptu birthday party with the other kids at the agency and invites Evan, even taking everyone to a wrestling match where the wrestlers and the crowd sing "Happy Birthday to You" and put on a staged match with Michael. The jubilation is short lived, however, when Corcoran's attorney informs Ed and Michael that Angie's older sister is not her legal guardian as Angie had told them but it is instead her father, Richard, who is alive and in a rehab facility upstate. Corcoran demands that Richard sign the contracts so he can air Angie's commercials and threatens to hold the Chapmans legally responsible if they fail to do so. Michael visits Richard, who expresses regret for not being there for his daughters after his wife died and his desire to return to his family before signing the contracts. Michael returns home and confronts Angie about her father, leading an upset Angie to leave Michael's apartment and return home to her sister. Shortly afterwards, Michael arrives at the agency to learn that Barry has been poached by a rival agent and Ed, fed up with trying to keep the agency afloat, has decided to take a job with their uncle. Michael then learns that Angie has been arrested for shoplifting from an uptown department store. Michael goes to collect her and learns that she was caught trying to shoplift Christmas presents for her sister and for Michael after her sister's boyfriend stole her pay from the commercial. They are both surprised when Angie's first commercial finally airs on television and the store security staff decides to let her go. When Angie learns that the agency is closing, she arranges a date with Barry and then strongarms him into returning to Chapman & Chapman, surprising Ed and Michael during an impromptu birthday party she throws for the latter. Ed announces he still plans to leave the agency until a new talent, Kimberly, shows up to audition. She starts off singing in a meek, quiet voice but, with Michael's encouragement, begins to belt out the song so beautifully that Ed agrees to stay and run the agency with Michael. The film then ends with Michael, Ed and all the kids throwing cake at Barry after he makes another egotistical comment. ==Cast== {{castlist| * [Michael J. Fox](/source/Michael_J._Fox) as Michael "Mikey" Chapman * [Nathan Lane](/source/Nathan_Lane) as Ed Chapman * [Cyndi Lauper](/source/Cyndi_Lauper) as Geena Briganti * [Christina Vidal](/source/Christina_Vidal) as Angie Vega * [David Krumholtz](/source/David_Krumholtz) as Barry Corman * [David Huddleston](/source/David_Huddleston) as Mr. Corcoran * [Tim Progosh](/source/Tim_Progosh) as Lawyer Norman Feller * [Victor Garber](/source/Victor_Garber) as Brian Spiro * [Paula Garcés](/source/Paula_Garc%C3%A9s) as Janice Vega * [Mary Alice](/source/Mary_Alice) as Mrs. Gordon * [Kathryn Grody](/source/Kathryn_Grody) as Mrs. Corman * [Sean Power](/source/Sean_Power_(actor)) as Lenny * [Heather MacRae](/source/Heather_MacRae) as Mrs. Tobin * [Blake McGrath](/source/Blake_McGrath) as Acrobat * [Rubén Blades](/source/Rub%C3%A9n_Blades) as Richard Vega * [Aida Turturro](/source/Aida_Turturro) as Officer Moran * [Christine Baranski](/source/Christine_Baranski) as Carol * [Kevin Zegers](/source/Kevin_Zegers) as Little Mikey * [Mandy Patinkin](/source/Mandy_Patinkin) as Irate Man * [Jerry Lawler](/source/Jerry_Lawler) as The Lobotomizer * [Jeff Jarrett](/source/Jeff_Jarrett) as Evil Eye }} ==Production== [Marc Lawrence](/source/Marc_Lawrence_(filmmaker)) came up with the premise for ''Life with Mikey'' after reflecting on his five years working as a writer and supervising producer on ''[Family Ties](/source/Family_Ties)'' and decided to write a screenplay about a character in a similar transitional stage in their career.{{cite web |title=Life with Mikey (1993)|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59585-LIFE-WITHMIKEY?sid=432d5e40-cedb-48cc-83c1-078b8c693d0f&sr=11.287048&cp=1&pos=0|website=[AFI](/source/American_Film_Institute) |access-date=August 2, 2025}} Producer [Scott Rudin](/source/Scott_Rudin) became involved with the project in 1989. [The Walt Disney Company](/source/The_Walt_Disney_Company) briefly considered putting the film into [turnaround](/source/Turnaround_(filmmaking)), but after [Eddie Murphy](/source/Eddie_Murphy) expressed interest in the film this led to Disney changing their minds. [Theatre director](/source/Theatre_director) [James Lapine](/source/James_Lapine) was hired to direct the film and also brought on several cast and crew for the film who had worked in theater with Lapine. In May 1992, it was reported that [Michael J. Fox](/source/Michael_J._Fox) would star in the [Marc Lawrence](/source/Marc_Lawrence_(filmmaker)) scripted ''Life with Mikey'' for [Touchstone Pictures](/source/Touchstone_Pictures).{{cite news|url= https://variety.com/1992/voices/columns/warners-preps-for-presidency-1117862349/|title= Warners preps for presidency |publisher=[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))|access-date=August 2, 2025|archive-date= March 28, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250328181654/https://variety.com/1992/voices/columns/warners-preps-for-presidency-1117862349/|url-status=live}} After completing ''[For Love or Money](/source/For_Love_or_Money_(1993_film))'', Fox exercised an option in his contract with [Universal Pictures](/source/Universal_Pictures) allowing him to work with an outside studio and accepted the offer from Disney.{{Cite book|first = Michael J.|last = Fox |title = Lucky Man: A Memoir |url = https://archive.org/details/luckyman00mich|url-access = registration |publisher = Hyperion |location = New York | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-0-7868-6764-6}} [Christina Vidal](/source/Christina_Vidal) was not cast until two weeks before production was slated to commence. ==Reception== The film received generally negative reviews.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-04-ca-43063-story.html |title=MOVIE REVIEWS: A Fox Steals the Show in Too-Cute 'Life' - Los Angeles Times |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=1993-06-04 |access-date=2012-07-24 |first=Peter |last=Rainer}}{{cite news |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19930604/REVIEWS/306040302 |title=Life With Mikey :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews |publisher=Rogerebert.suntimes.com |date=1993-06-04 |access-date=2012-07-24 |url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-04-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411064608/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/life-with-mikey-1993}}{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F0CE0DF123AF937A35755C0A965958260&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes|title=Life with Mikey|publisher=Movies.nytimes.com|access-date=2012-07-23|first=Janet|last=Maslin|date=1993-06-04}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/lifewithmikeypgkempley_a0a388.htm |title='Life With Mikey' (PG) |work=Washingtonpost.com |date=1993-06-04 |access-date=2012-07-24}} Review aggregator [RottenTomatoes](/source/RottenTomatoes) reports that 25% of the 12 critics gave the film a positive review, with 3 fresh and 9 rotten review, with a rating average of 4.05 out of 10.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/life_with_mikey/|title = Life with Mikey|website = [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes)}} ===Box office=== The film debuted at number 7 at the US box office.{{cite news |author=DAVID J. FOX |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-08-ca-853-story.html |title=Weekend Box Office: 'Cliffhanger', 'America' Hold On |work=Los Angeles Times |date=1993-06-08 |access-date=2012-07-24 |archive-date=2024-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213031204/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-08-ca-853-story.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |author=DAVID J. FOX |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-15-ca-3201-story.html |title=Weekend Box Office: Universal's Monster Smash |work=Los Angeles Times |date=1993-06-15 |access-date=2012-07-24 |archive-date=2021-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517224728/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-15-ca-3201-story.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-21-ca-5450-story.html |title='Hero': When $15 Million Isn't Quite Enough: Movie box office: By Hollywood standards, the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle opens poorly. But Columbia is 'very, very, very happy with it'. - Los Angeles Times |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=1993-06-21 |access-date=2012-07-24 |first=David J. |last=Fox}}{{cite news |author=DAVID J. FOX |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-22-ca-5812-story.html |title=Weekend Box Office: 'Proposal' Joins the $100-Million Club |work=Los Angeles Times |date=1993-06-22 |access-date=2012-07-24 |archive-date=2024-12-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216080826/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-22-ca-5812-story.html |url-status=live }} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{wikiquote}} * {{IMDb title|id=0107413|title=Life with Mikey}} {{James Lapine}} {{Marc Lawrence}} Category:1993 American films Category:1993 English-language films Category:1993 comedy films Category:1993 films Category:American children's comedy films Category:American comedy films Category:Films about actors Category:Films directed by James Lapine Category:Films produced by Scott Rudin Category:Films scored by Alan Menken Category:Films set in New York City Category:Films shot in New York City Category:Films with screenplays by Marc Lawrence Category:Touchstone Pictures films Category:English-language comedy films --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Life with Mikey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_with_Mikey) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_with_Mikey?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.