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 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.

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Plot Keywords:

problem child | villain | copy machine | gold coin | robbing | 

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Taglines:

He's armed... He's adorable... And he's out of school for the entire summer.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for comedic mischief

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 June 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dennis

Filming Locations:

1624 Ashland Avenue, Evanston, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$51,270,765

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$117,300,000

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The railroad featured in the film is the Elgin Joliet and Eastern. It's "J" logo can be seen on the nose of the locomotive during the night scene.

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Goofs

When George Wilson goes to look for Dennis in his car, the cameras and crew are reflected in the car.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in CSI: NY: Commuted Sentences (2007)

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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

Better than I expected

With John Hughes writing the script for yet another family movie, I expected something stupid. Actually, it was much better than I expected. Mason Gamble and Walter Matthau are excellent in their roles, and John Hughes wrote their characters both true to the comic and believable in live action. There are a number of heartwarming and touching scenes as well.

Two things severely hurt this movie, however:

(1) The HOME ALONE slapstick gags. Not only am I tired of this, but seeing them applied to an elderly man make them very disturbing.

(2) The Switchblade Sam character. He's extremely psychotic, and doesn't fit in the general tone of the movie. He's so vicious, he actually tries to murder Dennis at one point! (i thought this was a family movie!)