IN "FIRST KID," Sinbad is on display as a jokey, wide-eyed Secret Service agent with a bum assignment -- guarding the president's bratty son. But although the comedian is likable and often amusing, he's practically buried under the barrage of paid product placements -- for everything from soda to sneakers. And all the Sinbad gags in the world can't disguise the movie's shopworn scenario about life in the White House.

Agent Sam Simms (Sinbad) loves the Secret Service but can't keep out of trouble. It seems like he's always catching hell from his supervisor (Art LaFleur) for his loose approach to security. (He loves flashy ties, for one thing.) When his friend and immediate superior, Agent Wilkes (Robert Guillaume), gets him a job at the White House, Simms is excited. The trouble is, Simms has to look after Luke (Brock Pierce), the president's arrogant son, who loves to irritate and confound his bodyguards.

"First Kid," directed by David Mickey ("The Sandlot") Evans, repeddles the lonely-at-the-top lifestyle seen in such presidential movies as "Dave," "Guarding Tess" and "The American President." It sends out a double love-interest alert when a blonde classmate twinkles her eyes at Luke, and Simms (on duty during Luke's classes) gets cute with the science teacher.

There's no room for surprise, either. When Simms talks early in the movie about the ultimate sacrifice -- taking a bullet for the protected -- it's obvious where the finale's headed. And when an unidentified person called "Mongoose 12" exchanges over-friendly e-mail messages with lonely Luke on the World Wide Web, it's clear that things are going to take a turn for the sinister.

The central component -- Simms's relationship with Luke -- takes a while to warm up. For one thing, Pierce (familiar to younger viewers as the young Emilio Estevez in "The Mighty Ducks") isn't convincing as the stiff, nasty boy he's trying to play (though when his character loosens up, the movie becomes more enjoyable).

"First Kid" leaves it to Sinbad (also the executive producer) to solve everything. The barrel-chested comedian has his moments: In one scene, Simms -- terrified of snakes -- has to take care of the First Kid's pet boa constrictor, which has made an unscheduled appearance at a presidential fund-raiser; and in the best scene of all, he teaches the First Kid (who's preparing for a dance) how to shake that thang. But it's hard to dismiss the thought that kids spend their lives absorbing trash -- from the fast food extolled here to idiotic, second-rate sitcoms. Is the movie part of that problem or the solution?

FIRST KID (PG) -- Contains mild profanity, a "mooning" and some minor violence. Area theaters.