A teenager daydreams of getting some payback from the bullies who menace him in this hybrid of
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and
The Karate Kid (1984). Barry Gabrewski (
Jonathan Brandis) is an asthmatic schoolboy who can't participate in sports, much to the delight of a bullying classmate (John Buchanan) and his sadistic gym teacher (
Richard Moll). Miserably unhappy, Barry escapes into a world of fantasy, where he imagines himself the tough, karate-proficient sidekick of action movie hero
Chuck Norris. Trying to turn his dreams into reality, Barry visits dojo master Kelly Stone (
Joe Piscopo), but Stone only mocks his aspirations. A supportive teacher introduces Barry to her uncle, Mr. Lee (
Mako), a cook and martial arts teacher who takes Barry under his wing and teaches him the secrets of karate prowess. When Barry becomes good enough to enter a tournament, he needs a fourth athlete to complete his team, and who should be in the stands making a publicity appearance but the real-life Norris, who steps in to fight side-by-side with the plucky teen. Sidekicks was directed by Norris' brother and frequent collaborator Aaron Norris. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide