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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

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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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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 Luis Otavio F It wasn't good back then, imagine now. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/03/25 Full Review Javier F Just because Rotten Tomatoes says it's bad it doesn't mean it's bad. There are so many Classics that get a bad rep from this site and some overly hype movies that just plain stink yet they get better reviews go figure. Seen hundreds of movies that are way worse than this film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/02/24 Full Review Julian S It is what it is: a true 90s classic from the video rental days. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/21/24 Full Review Audience Member This movie kinda gives me a “so bad it’s good” vibe. It’s so bad that it becomes so hilarious. I’m not saying it’s good. The story and acting is pretty bad. But on a scale of one to ten, the comedy is a ten. You’ve adopted Satan? More like, you’ve adopted 2.5 out of 5 stars. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/27/24 Full Review Josue S I agree with everyone how does this movie have a 0% I grew up on this movie i love this flik Classic !! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/14/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Problem Child

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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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