The movie opens showing super star Eddie Tudor (Dylan and Cole Sprouse) on the red carpet at the premiere of one of his films. Tom Canty (Dylan and Cole Sprouse) watches it on TV and imitates Eddie (he mimics him by saying his catchphrase "Oh yeah!"), when his grandpa, 'Pop' (Ed Lauter), calls him to get ready for school. At school, the principal asks what his ambition is in life, and, Tom replies he wants to be Eddie Tudor. The principal then advises him to join the acting classes (which Pop doesn't allow him to do). He has lived with Pop since his parents died, a couple of years earlier. From a young age, his ambition has been to become an actor, partly inspired by the stories of fame and appeal of acting conveyed to him by his neighbour and best friend, Miles (Vincent Spano) who is a former actor and who also happens to be the father of Eddie Tudor (revealed at the end of the film). Miles has known Tom since he was a little kid, when Miles moved to the area, after quitting showbiz and he often tells Tom about the times when he was a star, although not revealing much as to how he lost his fame. Now 14, the same age as Eddie Tudor whom he looks exactly like, he wishes that he really is Eddie and gets frustrated with his Pop's persistent pushing for Tom to forget about the acting, and telling him to do 'real work', like helping him with his business, when Tom is not at school. He says he only pushes Tom because he cares about him. Miles, however, supports Tom with his acting ambition, but warns him that it is a tough business to get into and survive in.