Problem Child (1990)

A young boy is just short of a monster. He is adopted by a loving man and his wacky wife. The laughs keep coming as the boy pushes them to the limits.

Director:

Dennis Dugan

Writers:

Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski

Stars:

Michael Oliver, John Ritter, Jack Warden

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Ritter	...	Ben
Jack Warden	...	Big Ben
Michael Oliver	...	Junior
Gilbert Gottfried	...	Mr. Peabody
Amy Yasbeck	...	Flo
Michael Richards	...	Martin Beck
Peter Jurasik	...	Roy
Charlotte Akin	...	Lorraine
Anna Marie Allred	...	Kid #3
Adam Anderly	...	Catcher
Robert A. Anderson	...	Boy in Chair
Cody Beard	...	2nd Baseman
Jordan Burton	...	Kid #1
Eli Cummins	...	Umpire
John S. Davies	...	Paramedic

Storyline

The story of a seven-year-old mischievous orphan boy named Junior. He is hardly a model child; mean-spirited and incorrigible. One day, he is adopted by a loving man along with his obnoxious wife named Ben Healy and Flo Healy. Ever since Junior comes into their lives, he turns ordinary days into full-scale comic nightmares! He also leaves a path of serious destruction in his wake, and is even pen pals with Martin Beck (A.K.A. The Bow Tie Killer, a notorious serial killer who kidnaps his faithful correspondent, along with Flo). And now it's up to Ben as he undertakes a rescue mission to get Junior back from Beck before he plans on hurting him.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | slapstick comedy | mischief | naughty child | mischievous boy | 

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Taglines:

He's So Bad, Even The Nuns Refused To Keep Him!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Ben steals Roy's Wagoneer, he intentionally drives over some flowers in a neighboring yard. This is due to deleted footage that involved a subplot of the woman who owned that house getting fed up with the Healy cat going to the bathroom in the flower bed. Although every other trace of this subplot is removed from the movie, this scene was left in (the deleted footage appears on edited TV versions of the movie, but isn't on the DVD).

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Goofs

One scene Junior goes to the bathroom on the campfire and puts it out. The very next scene the fire is lit.

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Quotes

Little Ben Healy: Dad, we adopted.
Big Ben Healy: Are you insane?
Little Ben Healy: I thought you'd be happy.
Big Ben Healy: Happy? You don't know what you're letting yourself in for. For all you know, his parents may have met in the loony bin. They might even be Democrats!

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Alternate Versions

The version that airs on the Hub network is based on the USA Network version that has the "bonus footage" added in the movie, but makes several additional edits. Amongst these are: Big Ben's reference to the "Japs" and the "Hirohito Corporation" are removed, and Big Ben's comments to Little Ben about artificial insemination are edited somewhat (though the line about taking his sperm to someone who knows what to do with it is still intact).

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Movies That Make You Not Want to Have Kids (2016)

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Soundtracks

Bad to the Bone
Written and Performed by George Thorogood
Courtesy of Capitol Records
By arrangement with CEMA Special Markets

User Reviews

Bad to the Bone

To be a film with a smart and naughty boy annoying the elders (shot in 1990, the same year as "Home Alone" by Chris Columbus), is an authentic gem, based on the iconic pedigree of some of those involved in the film: John Ritter ("Three's Company", among many other good and funny comedies), Michael Richards (Jerry Seinfeld's beloved and disinterested neighbor and unfortunate in his later film career, it is said that because of "Seinfeld's curse", already That neither Julia Louis-Dreyfus nor Jason Alexander did any important work afterwards) as the histrionic and evil psychopath and the always magnificent Jack Warden, leaving to the end what, in my opinion, the most important and powerful: the powerful beginning with the "Bad to the bone" (the same one that sounds when Arnold Schwarzenegger removes the glasses to the rude biker and leaves in the Harley in Terminator 2), every time that Junior does one of his own. Fun, entertaining and absolutely recommended.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 July 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Problem Child

Filming Locations:

4714 Swiss Avenue, Dallas, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,026,900, 29 July 1990

Gross USA:

$53,470,891

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$72,270,891

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min 93 min (Extended Version)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1