gcd70 Glenn Jordan's thinly scripted, predictable romance-comedy bears many similarities to the more recent, and much more enjoyable, "Sleepless in Seattle".Tim is a young boy whose father "took a powder" before he was born, leaving his then teenage mother to raise him alone. Now around ten years old, Tim has taken a liking to the security officer at his school, and begins to try and bring he and his mother together. Needless to say, inevitability quickly takes hold.This movie is definitely only for the hopeless romantics, with a one way plot that only entertains on the surface. Wil Wheaton's precocious Tim is annoying, with Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon providing the only salvation with their reasonably interesting characters and good performances.Glenn Jordan manages some worthwhile comedy but little else, in a film which fails to leave its audience with the 'good' feeling it attempts to.Friday, April 1, 1994 - T.V.

RAY-130 Nicely done warm fuzzy movie. We have single moms with nice kid, Odd guy with warm heart and sexual icon running around, a dominant mother and severalanimals and ducks making us smile. This movie should not be analyzed onlyappreciated. It's like chicken soup and a warm blanket on a cold day, always appreciated.I think the world needs these non-threatening, nonintellectual, fantasies toremind of the magic of movies. Richard Dreyfuss has done a few of these and this ranks high in my favorite Susan Sarandon movies.

zircon-2000 Nice forum for a young Richard Dryfuss and Susan Sarandon. The story line is a little sappy and way too predictable.All the characters are stereotypical of the times (early 80's). Maybe seeing the movie in 1984 I would have felt differently about the story line. However, in 2001 it seems trite and fixed.

Tinyhippy I loved The Buddy System. Yes, it was very cheesy and completely predictable. But, if you like slushy romantic dramas, this one is for you. Richard Dreyfuss is brilliant as usual as the wannabe writer. Susan Sarandon plays the potential love interest, and the ever cute Wil Wheaton as her little son. The scene in which Timmy (Wheaton) explains to his mother (Sarandon) about the meaning of "The Buddy System" is like the core of the film - this is where you understand the whole meaning of it. A very cosy movie that leaves you believing there could be happy endings in real life, too.