Dennis the Menace (1993)

When his parents have to go out of town, Dennis stays with Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. The little menace is driving Mr. Wilson crazy, but Dennis is just trying to be helpful. Even to the thief who's arrived in town.

Director:

Nick Castle

Writers:

Hank Ketcham (characters), John Hughes

Stars:

Walter Matthau, Mason Gamble, Joan Plowright

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Walter Matthau	...	Mr. Wilson
Mason Gamble	...	Dennis Mitchell
Joan Plowright	...	Martha Wilson
Christopher Lloyd	...	Switchblade Sam
Lea Thompson	...	Alice Mitchell
Robert Stanton	...	Henry Mitchell
Amy Sakasitz	...	Margaret Wade
Kellen Hathaway	...	Joey
Paul Winfield	...	Chief of Police
Natasha Lyonne	...	Polly
Devin Ratray	...	Mickey
Hank Johnston	...	Gunther
Melinda Mullins	...	Andrea
Billie Bird	...	Edith Butterwell
Bill Erwin	...	Edward Little

Storyline

Everyone's favorite kid from the comics is back. When his parents have to go out of town, he stays with George (Walter Matthau) and Martha Wilson (Dame Joan Plowright). The little menace is driving Mr. Wilson crazy, but Dennis Mitchell (Mason Gamble) is just trying to be helpful. Even to the thief who's arrived in town.

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Plot Keywords:

problem child | first part | villain | copy machine | gold coin | 

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Taglines:

America's classic kid in a classic comedy!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for comedic mischief

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jerry Goldsmith reused musical cues from "Total Recall" for Switchblade Sam's theme.

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Goofs

When Dennis and his mom are driving to Margaret's house Mason Gamble looks directly at the camera twice.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dennis: Hey, Mr. Wilson!

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, there is an additional scene with Dennis at Alice's workplace, who was forced to take him with her to work following the aftermath of Mr. Wilson getting hit in the forehead with a burnt marshmallow, and tries to help Andrea make copies of documents, only to wind up getting her face onto the copying scanner when her necklace gets caught in the machine and Dennis runs off in fear and alerting many of the other office workers.

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Alternate Versions

The post-2003 release plasters the 1993 Distributed by Warner Bros. logo with the 2001 variant featuring the AOL Time Warner byline.

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Connections

Featured in Shameful Sequels: Dennis the Menace Strikes Again! (2015)

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Soundtracks

Don't Hang Up
Written by Kal Mann and Dave Appell
Performed by The Orlons
By Arrangement with Abkco Records

User Reviews

One of the best Sunday afternoon films there is!

First of all it has to be said that this film has no relationship whatsoever with the cartoon comic 'Dennis the Menace' you may have read as a child. With that out of the way you can now enjoy the film for what it is, not how you may have remembered a character from your youth.

The film is superbly cast with Walter Matthau playing the grumpy old 'Mr Wilson' and a young Mason Gamble playing the role of 'Dennis'. Matthau really is on top form as strong as he was with Jack Lemmon in the 'Grumpy Old Men' films. Gamble is fantastic as the adorable but mischievous 5 year old and shows an acting ability way beyond his years with superb comic timing and wonderful catch lines.

Full of laughs, crazy antics, hilarious childhood expression and the odd touching moment too, this is an entertaining film that keeps on giving scene after scene. It's a Sunday afternoon film to watch either on your own or with the kids, either way it won't disappoint!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

25 June 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dennis the Menace

Filming Locations:

1624 Ashland Avenue, Evanston, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,331,139, 27 June 1993

Gross USA:

$51,270,765

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$117,270,765

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Hughes Entertainment, Warner Bros. Family Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1