Problem Child

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Problem Child

PG

1990

1h 21m

Comedy

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30 Reviews

42%

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50,000+ Ratings

Ben (John Ritter) is a good-hearted guy who's always wanted a son of his own, but so far he and his wife have had no success. The couple adopt Junior (Michael Oliver), a redheaded hellion who quickly makes their lives miserable. Disaster follows Junior wherever he goes, from camping trips that require emergency-room visits to birthday parties that turn into Grand Guignol affairs. When Ben's incensed family tells him to get rid of the boy, he starts to wonder if they might be right.

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Critics Consensus

Mean-spirited and hopelessly short on comic invention, Problem Child is a particularly unpleasant comedy, one that's loaded with manic scenery chewing and juvenile pranks.

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

Sound funny? The filmmakers here think so. They've jacked this loud, lame shrieker of a movie up to the highest decibels, both aural and visual, and rammed it in our faces with almost numbing aplomb.

Jul 14, 2014

Full Review

Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

Some kids are born bad. Others achieve badness. And some have badness thrust upon them. The same can be said of movies.

Rated: 2/4

May 21, 2013

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Tribune

Inside Dennis Dugan's uncertainly staged, awkwardly sentimental Problem Child is another movie fighting to get out-one that's much meaner and probably more interesting.

Rated: 2/4

May 21, 2013

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Problem Child takes the theme of the mischievous child to an alarming, and sociopathic limit. [Full review in Spanish]

Nov 30, 2022

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Joaquin de Luna

El Pais (Spain)

Terrible. [Full review in Spanish]

Mar 27, 2019

Full Review

Dennis King

Tulsa World

It's misguided. It's not funny. And in its lame efforts to be irreverent and hip, it turns out to be just plain mean.

Rated: 1/4

Jul 14, 2014

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Ace C

Idk why everyone hate the movie😭 I loved it and watched it throughout my childhood

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/25/25

Full Review

Stephen C

The worst Universal Studios movie ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $53,500,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/20/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/24/25

Full Review

Noah G

The Remake will be better than originals!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/19/25

Full Review

Emma F

The movie is full of clichés and over-the-top performances, especially from Gilbert Gottfried as the grumpy adoption agent. Even though the cast is talented, the movie doesn’t make you laugh or give you anything new to think about.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/11/25

Full Review

Bentley P

It’s By No Means Good But It’s Also By No Means Bad

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/12/25

Full Review

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Dennis Dugan

Director

John Ritter

Ben

Michael Oliver

Junior

Jack Warden

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Gilbert Gottfried

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Synopsis

Ben (John Ritter) is a good-hearted guy who's always wanted a son of his own, but so far he and his wife have had no success. The couple adopt Junior (Michael Oliver), a redheaded hellion who quickly makes their lives miserable. Disaster follows Junior wherever he goes, from camping trips that require emergency-room visits to birthday parties that turn into Grand Guignol affairs. When Ben's incensed family tells him to get rid of the boy, he starts to wonder if they might be right.

Director: Dennis Dugan
Producer: Robert Simonds
Screenwriter: Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 11, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $53.5M
Runtime: 1h 21m
Sound Mix: Surround

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