The narrative takes a long time to set up the entertainment. A down-on-his-luck showman, Hector P Valenti (Bardem), finds what he hopes is a lifeline when he meets a young singing Lyle in the back of a pet shop while looking for a new act. The always hopeful dreamer, Valenti, does not count on Lyle suffering from stage fright. So, with debtors queuing up to ruin him, Valenti is forced to go on the road in search of greener pastures while leaving his charge in the attic at his former New York apartment. Several years later the Primms; Father is a teacher (McNairy), the mother is a former chef and cookbook writer currently on a sabbatical (Wu), and the son is a socially awkward, nervy, asthmatic, friendless Josh (Fegley), move in. That’s when the fun really begins.

The developing connection between Josh and Lyle and the grins that Lyle’s antics eventually bring into the Primms’ lives are what make Lyle’s coming-of-age story, an experience worth remembering. The clichéd story beats are expected so there’s no use crying hoarse about that. The songs and the brief energetic springs into dance, lend the narrative a lightness and affectation that is fairly humorous and heart-warming. The CGI work is fairly good and Bardem’s take on Valenti is personality-driven, but likable nevertheless. This kind of treatment doesn’t truly do justice to the characters but it manages to do the job of bringing on the smiles, quite effectively at that!