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Problem Child

Play trailer Poster for Problem Child PG 1990 1h 21m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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0% Tomatometer 30 Reviews 42% Popcornmeter 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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Problem Child

Problem Child

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Read all reviews
Problem Child

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Cast & Crew

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Dennis Dugan

Director

John Ritter

Ben

Michael Oliver

Junior

Jack Warden

Big Ben

Gilbert Gottfried

Mr. Peabody

Amy Yasbeck

Flo

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Problem Child

Problem Child (1990) Problem Child (1990) Problem Child (1990) View more photos

Movie Info

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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