Rent-a-Kid

I can say this movie is clearly underrated. Maybe my age, my memories, childhood etc... It is cute, it has good sense of humor (Leslie Nielsen!!!), and don't expect great plots, huge surprises, this is a family movie which provides humor for everybody in the family.

I really feel it has nice interpretation of kids' difficulties who have troubles with having integration to family life, and well, I am pretty sure I will be somewhat clueless when it comes to dealing with kids like the parents.

Brilliant movie? Not. Worth to see? Of course, give it a chance. Don't get fooled by the low rating.

Cliff Haber runs the Mid-Valley Children's Home, and he needs a vacation. For the 10 days prior to Thanksgiving, he turns the operation over to his father Harry, who runs a store that rents just about everything a person could need for a kitchen right down to glassware.

Harry observes that the merchandise is not moving at his son's operation. While eating in a Mexican restaurant, he overhears a couple discussing the pros and cons of adoption and gets a brilliant idea: let people try out kids for a period of time and see if they are cut out to be parents. Cliff thinks it's a stupid idea, but while he is gone, Harry does it anyway.

The Lachmans want to adopt Molly, but she wants to stay with her mischievous brothers Kyle, who wants to be a surgeon and is always practicing, and Brandon, who loves to makes up stories, often scaring his sister even though he loves her. Harry decides to let Russ and Valerie, who live in a luxury apartment building with a doorman, try out the three Ward children for 10 days. The results are pretty much what you would expect, and quite hilarious at times. Oh, yes, and the kids were promised a dog.

Some opportunities for laughs: Kyle wants to go on a field trip to a hospital. And Russ and Valerie discover a long-lost letter written by Abraham Lincoln, and Brandon is fascinated by the Civil War. I also enjoyed the scene with the fantasy couple Mr. and Mrs. Nicely, whose mansion resembled an amusement park but had one door kids were NEVER supposed to open.

Leslie Nielsen was very funny at times, though not in quite the same way as in 'Airplane!' and the 'Naked Gun' series. Some of his delivery didn't quite work for me--for example, Harry had an annoying habit of repeating things he or someone else had already said to make them sound better. But he was hilarious when he would describe the children and the transactions as if the kids were his merchandise.

Christopher Lloyd was quite good as the kindly doorman Lawrence. Tabitha Lupien may have given the movie's best performance as 5-year-old Molly, and she and Sherry Miller (as Molly's prospective Mom) were quite good together. The other kids were good too.

There was plenty of physical comedy, and nothing to concern parents. The closest this movie ever got to PG: Russ and Valerie were 'interrupted', but of course younger kids wouldn't know what they were getting ready to do in bed.

This was fluff and somewhat predictable, but it was the kind of movie I enjoy.

I'm strongly considering starting a petition to introduce some kind of penalty for casting Nielsen and/or Lloyd in comedies if they are not going to be funny in the least. Suburban Commando and Mr. Magoo, I'm looking at you! But not directly, because that has proved a hazardous practice. And then there's of course this. It's not just those two, either; nothing in this is worth as much as a brief smirk or chuckle. Also wasted is Matt McCoy who you may remember from... uh... well... give me a minute... The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Yeah. That'll do. The three are given so little material to work with that their performances in this aren't particularly memorable, and yet they are by far the best of the bunch. It's no surprise that the kids are the worst. The girl is especially unconvincing. Having forgotten the concept of humor, the writer settles for coming up with a bunch of weird quirks(!), and hopes that it'll pass for character development, as well. Your suspension of disbelief will probably all be spent immediately when this actually asks you to swallow Tony Rosata being Leslie's son. So, you're not likely to buy the simplistic cookie-cut plot, there's no good acting, and the jokes and gags offer nothing to laugh at. Once you've watched one of these crappy, tired and bland family films, you've seen them all. Why bother? I recommend this solely to those who feel utterly compelled to take in each of these wretched things. 5/10

This movie is an extremely funny and heartwarming story about an orphanage that is in financial trouble. When the director goes on vacation, his dad agrees to step in temporarily to run things.

This is positively the best work that Leslie Nielson has ever done. His idea in the film to rent out children is immediately innovative, and his sales techniques will definitely make you laugh.

The little girl in this movie is so sweet and charming that I know I will never forget her. Just make sure that you don't miss the first five minutes of the movie!

Such great family entertainment is so rare these days. If you go for slightly corny pictures with happy endings,go for this one! I could watch this over and over, and I often do! My only complaint about this movie is that it is so difficult to find a copy.

Russ and Valerie are having discussions about starting a family. The couple live in a posh apartment and run an auction business that deals with valuable collectibles. At the same time, a dedicated adoption agency owner takes a mini vacation and leaves the orphanage in the charge of his father (Leslie Nielsen). Father Harry is in the rental business and he gets the brilliant idea to "rent" some of the children of the orphanage to couples like Russ and Valerie. Harry, who becomes aware of the couple'e dilemma, offers a family of siblings for a 10 day rental period! Brandon, Kyle, and Molly move into the apartment with their temporary parents, with amusing consequences, as the new caretakers are inexperienced with kids. But, where is the possibility of a happy ending? This is a darling family film. The actors, including Nielsen as the wheeler-dealer and Christopher Lloyd as the kind apartment doorman, are all wonderful. The script is snappy and fun and the overall production values quite high. Yes, if only life could be this way! Orphaned children everywhere deserve a chance to prove that they are lovable and can give so much joy to the parents who are considering adoption. If you want to show a film to your family that is rooted in good values but is also highly entertaining, find this movie. It is guaranteed to have everyone laughing, even as their hearts are melting.