A young boy just short of a monster is adopted by a loving man and his wacky wife. The laughs keep coming as he pushes them to the limits.A young boy just short of a monster is adopted by a loving man and his wacky wife. The laughs keep coming as he pushes them to the limits.A young boy just short of a monster is adopted by a loving man and his wacky wife. The laughs keep coming as he pushes them to the limits.
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- 1 nomination total
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Featured reviews
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
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
Man, some people have no sense of humor. When I saw this movie as a youngin i didn't get it much. Then I saw it again a few years later and I busted a gut. If you don't want your kids to see it, don't let them. Don't ruin it for the rest of us.
Problem Child 2 was pretty funny, but Problem Child 3 (made for TV) really blew. They couldn't even get the rights to "Bad to the Bone."
Problem Child 2 was pretty funny, but Problem Child 3 (made for TV) really blew. They couldn't even get the rights to "Bad to the Bone."
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. (**)
This movie was great when I was 7, and it's still great now that I'm 17. First of all, it never encouraged me to misbehave--if it did so to someone else's kids then I question that person's ability to parent. Second, some of the scenes were downright hilarious, especially the slapstick/visual humor that I got then, and the more sophisticated verbal humor that the adults use that I get now. It produced memories that make me smile to this day: "Look, a giraffe!" "Look, a fist!" Michael Richards was pure genius casting as the Bow-Tie Killer. I'll concede that this movie is no bastion of film making excellence, but it's good for a few unsophisticated laughs.
The 90s were certainly cluttered with those "'fill in the blank' from Hell" movies. (The Best Friend from Hell ("Single White Female"), the Temp Employee from Hell ("The Temp"), etc.) Here at the beginning of the decade, we got this "kid from Hell" flick from the writers of "Ed Wood", and it is indeed like a comic spin on "The Bad Seed". Michael Oliver (what ever happened to him?) plays "Junior", a thoroughly obnoxious devil-child who often makes life miserable for people, including his new adoptive parents, Ben (John Ritter) and Flo (Amy Yasbeck). Yet underneath that ultra-bratty exterior does lurk a kid who's crying out for love and attention.
In that sense, this viewer wonders how it would have played if Junior were *completely* unrepentant and never revealed any inkling towards sensitivity or vulnerability. Not all children in real life are perfect little angels, after all. It might have been refreshing, but this being a Hollywood movie, we have to have that glimmer of hope and, ultimately, that happy ending.
Undeniably, "Problem Child" can be crude and childish, but it's still fitfully amusing what with its outrageous gags. In one twisted touch, Junior thinks psycho-killer / sleaze ball Martin Beck (a scenery devouring Michael "Kramer" Richards) is a cool guy to emulate, and becomes pen pals with him.
Basically, if one can tolerate the variety of disagreeable characters here, they may get through the movie. Ben is a typical Nice Guy who tries his mightiest to be patient, but he's also kind of a dope. It takes a lot before he snaps. Flo is a superficial wannabe social climber. Ben's dad (Jack Warden) is a crass jerk (and sporting goods magnate) running for mayor. There are snooty kids who raise Juniors' ire. And, of course, we have Gilbert Gottfried on hand for good measure.
Some of the more entertaining gags occur at the birthday party; overall, "Problem Child" does have its moments. The closing theme song was performed by the Beach Boys, of all people.
Followed by two sequels, the second made for TV.
Six out of 10.
In that sense, this viewer wonders how it would have played if Junior were *completely* unrepentant and never revealed any inkling towards sensitivity or vulnerability. Not all children in real life are perfect little angels, after all. It might have been refreshing, but this being a Hollywood movie, we have to have that glimmer of hope and, ultimately, that happy ending.
Undeniably, "Problem Child" can be crude and childish, but it's still fitfully amusing what with its outrageous gags. In one twisted touch, Junior thinks psycho-killer / sleaze ball Martin Beck (a scenery devouring Michael "Kramer" Richards) is a cool guy to emulate, and becomes pen pals with him.
Basically, if one can tolerate the variety of disagreeable characters here, they may get through the movie. Ben is a typical Nice Guy who tries his mightiest to be patient, but he's also kind of a dope. It takes a lot before he snaps. Flo is a superficial wannabe social climber. Ben's dad (Jack Warden) is a crass jerk (and sporting goods magnate) running for mayor. There are snooty kids who raise Juniors' ire. And, of course, we have Gilbert Gottfried on hand for good measure.
Some of the more entertaining gags occur at the birthday party; overall, "Problem Child" does have its moments. The closing theme song was performed by the Beach Boys, of all people.
Followed by two sequels, the second made for TV.
Six out of 10.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThroughout the film, Ben reads several self-help books on parenting. Each book features a photo of the author on the back cover. The author photos are John Ritter in various costumes. This was mirrored in Problem Child 2 (1991) when Lawanda Dumore's photos of previous husbands are all Ritter in costumes.
- GoofsOn the 2017 Blu-ray release of the film, following the credits role, the ratings bumper claims that the film is rated PG-13. Yet the package and the disc state the rating is PG.
- Alternate versionsWhen originally shown on network television, deleted scenes were added to pad out the running time and for content. The following is a list of said scenes.
- 1. When Ben and Flo get ready to go to church, their mean neighbor Mrs.Perkins tells them that their cat defecated in her tulips and orders Ben to clean it up. Though he objects to it, Flo reminds him that she doesn't want to be excluded from the social parties Mrs. Perkins throws.
- 2. Once at church, Ben confesses to the priest in the pulpit that he and Flo want to have a child, so the minister tells him that the St. Brutus Orphanage has an adoption service and has recommended him, but Ben tells him that Flo won't accept anyone else's child, causing the priest to disgustedly end their session.
- 3. An extended dialogue scene at Mr. Peabody's adoption office has him, Ben and Flo arguing about how their child should look.
- 4. A scene of Junior talking to the Mother Superior as he is packing.
- 5. During Martin Beck's psychological examination (once the doctor has escorted the warden out of the room), he has a flashback about how he thinks he was blamed for a crime that somebody else did and is shown in his prison cell listening to the chaplain's final words to him, as well as a guard giving Martin a yellow bow tie-shaped cake. He is then shown walking to the electric chair, but manages to force the warden into it.
- 6. A short dialogue scene has Roy and his family loading up their Jeep for the camping trip with Roy telling Ben to hurry up.
- 7. Ben goes out to the porch to tell Junior that he is laying down the law for his bad behavior until he notices a picture Junior painted consisting of Ben knocking out Roy with the frying pan. Junior protests that he is only pretending to be his friend and that no one cares about him but himself. Ben then reminds him that he's not alone anymore and that he has got a friend(Ben) to talk to. He then gets his foot caught in the paint-filled cake pan as Junior starts laughing hysterically.
- 8. A long sequence has Junior terrorizing the milkman and the paperboy with a remote-controlled airplane, with Ben ending up getting the brunt of the abuse.
- 9. After Ben looks at the picture Junior made for him, Martin calls Ben and tells him he has a half-hour to come up with $100,000 for the ransom, as a way to see Junior and Flo again, followed by Martin telling Junior he's not planning to hurt Ben once he arrives with the money.
- 10. When Ben races through the circus to deliver the ransom money. A little girl asks Mother Superior, who obviously took the children on a field trip there, if that was the man who adopted Junior. When the nun notices Ben pushing and knocking people out of the way, Mother Superior replies, "Darn,that kid works fast!"
- 11. A scene where the bearded lady tells Martin he called her his little kumquat.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Beach Boys: Problem Child (1990)
- SoundtracksBad to the Bone
Written and Performed by George Thorogood
Courtesy of Capitol Records
By arrangement with CEMA Special Markets
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Adorable criatura
- Filming locations
- South Crowdus Street & Commerce Street, Dallas, Texas, USA(Martin puts Flo in the trunk)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $11,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $53,470,891
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $10,026,900
- Jul 29, 1990
- Gross worldwide
- $72,270,891
- Runtime1 hour 21 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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