Problem Child

"Problem Child", according to many, is a horrible film in most every way. The film is apparently not good for kids to watch because of all the evil and nasty things Junior does and it has a metascore of 27 and an IMDB score of 5.3....both of which are pretty bad. Despite all this, I somehow like the film...which would make many of my friends and family doubt my sanity. Call it a guilty pleasure!

The story is about a boy who is thoroughly rotten and spends most of the film tormenting those around him...even after he's adopted from the orphanage by a nice but incredibly naive man (John Ritter). Afterwards, the new dad ends up spending most of the movie apologizing to everyone for the atrocities the kid committed.

For me, I loved watching most of the vile and awful things Junior did...which is NOT typical, I know. The problem I had with the film was the ending. While Junior was like Charles Manson Jr. throughout the story, the schmaltzy ending simply didn't ring true in the least. You would think Junior would love traveling the country committing acts of terror with his pen pal, an escaped maniac from prison! For this reason, I give the film a 6...and had the ending been better I would have scored it higher. I know, I know....I should be ashamed of myself for liking this mostly heartless story...but I am not.

I really enjoyed this film - which was truly different.

To be honest, I'm absolutely fed up with portrays of children (especially in commercials and family movies). Children are always portrayed as so cuuuuuuute and nice - actually, I'm worried about getting tooth decay because of the sweetness involved.

Problem Child is just different - the child is a complete evil brat which causes havoc during the whole movie.

Basically, the film concentrates on showing the evil side of children - and yes, people, there is a cruelty in children. Do you remember your own childhood? The bully who loved to harass weaker children? How about children treat outsiders, like fat/ugly peers? What about kids torturing animals like flies or frogs?

Sure - this comedy is far of and unrealistic, but so are cuuuuuuute and sweet family movies.

So - I quite like the movie, it's a black comedy which is a nice counterpoint to sweet & cute comedies like Home Alone.

7 / 10

I was expecting to really hate this film, but after seeing it, it wasn't that bad. Yes it was mediocre and crude at times, but absolutely awful, no. There are much worse movies out there, and I will probably be here all night listing them and why they are so bad. I'll drop a few hints, Friedberg-Seltzer movies, Home Alone 4, Cat in the Hat, NeverEnding Story 3 and Superbabies:Baby Geniuses 2 ring a bell? Anyway, the script does have its weak spots, the ending could have been better, Michael Oliver as the truly dysfunctional kid is thoroughly obnoxious at times and the plot is a touch simplistic. That said, it has its good moments, the gags are crude but some of them are amusing, John Ritter is charming in the title role and Gilbert Gottfried is hilarious. The soundtrack ain't half bad either, Amy Yasbeck is effective at playing her character like a total snob,Jack Warden is great and the film is nice to look at. Overall, could have been better but it could have been a hell of a lot worse as well. 6/10 Bethany Cox

I have noticed this movie being offered on video and cable TV for years now, but have only now gotten around to seeing it. And you know what? I actually liked it!!

I thought it was well-crafted from a movie-making standpoint: it moved at a rapid pace, never bogged down, it had excellent cinematography, vibrant use of colors, somewhat multi-layered plot, good background music, etc. So, yes, from a movie *craft* standpoint, I felt it was indeed a good film.

I thought everyone acted their parts exactly as I would have expected - everyone was either slightly (or extremely) over the top, with the Problem Child himself being so extreme he was almost cartoonish. And really, everything in this movie was meant to be an exaggeration anyway. Examples: I liked the way Mrs. Healy was constantly equating having a kid as being little more than a sort of magic ticket to a higher social status in the local neighborhood. I really liked Gilbert Gottfried's character, demurely informing the hapless parents (John Ritter and Amy Yasbeck) that Junior had been returned 30 times before THEY got ahold of him. And I liked Michael Richards, as the Bow Tie Killer (hadn't been with a woman in 15 years!), puttin' the move on the frustrated Mrs. Healy, and she was all over him!. (By the way, forget the kid - Amy Yasbeck was reason enough to see this movie (loved her hair!). I'd see it again just to drool over her!!)

Anyway, I think you have to approach the movie for what it is: a spoof and a lampoon of sorts. In that light, I found that it came across as a very clever, slightly (and slyly) cynical, spoof on parenting and child-raising.

So what's the big deal? It WAS a good movie, pretty funny too. Let's all let our hair down for a change, get in touch with our inner naughty eight-year-old, and maybe have some fun with this kind of silly humor once in awhile. (And boy, if you ever adopt a child, make sure the kid comes with a 30-day money back return policy!:)

This movie is undeniably tasteless, and toward the end it runs out of steam (one car chase too many). BUT...it's often funny, and that has always been the essential mission of a comedy. By the way, this is NOT primarily a kids' film; kids may get a few laughs out of it, but the more subversive asides ("Maybe if you keep moving your hands like that people will think you actually know what you're talking about") are really intended more for adults. (**)