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Parents' Guide to

Problem Child

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Antics of a diabolical child are neither valuable nor funny.

Movie PG 1990 81 minutes
Problem Child Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 10+

Based on 9 parent reviews

Morgan H.
Morgan H. Adult
May 29, 2018
age 14+

Upsetting, malicious

I write this more as a kid than a parent, because I still remember watching this movie as a child. It made my heart sick that anyone found it funny The child's cruelty seemed disproportionately directed towards females. He did things to upset and hurt girls his age, who responded with sobbing and anger. Again, never understood how this was supposed to be a comedy. He harms and almost kills animals. As an adult the movie bothers me further, as a lot of his behaviors accurately depict a severe personality disorder. The child himself is a victim of the system, bounced back and forth between foster homes, never finding a home that can adequately address his severe mental health issues. Highlights of comedy include such gold as someone falling into garbage. Yeah. It's got all the knee-slapping humor of Dexter, minus the good writing, minus the good acting, minus the life lessons.
1 person found this helpful.
meydiana.rizki
meydiana.rizki Parent of 18+-year-old
April 26, 2023
age 9+

More Trouble!

The "Problem Child" movies have made us laugh our way into the 90s with a mischievous boy playing pranks and whatnot! Both movies are actually good; I liked the very first "Problem Child" the best, and the second movie may lack all the fun and funny elements from the first part, but it's still very fun! If you've never seen the "Problem Child" movies yet, then I suggest you find a way to view them! Look for it on TV, go to the video store, anything! Anything that will keep these movies from going into oblivion! (Yeah, it seems like it nowadays. :-( ) "Problem Child" - always fun, always funny, always great! :-)

This title has:

Great role models
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Junior, a destructively mischievous child, is passed from various homes to an orphanage and finally into the arms of Ben (John Ritter), a clueless but well-meaning adoptive father, and his social-climbing wife. The new household, as well as their entire neighborhood, is upended by Junior's behavior. Meanwhile, not too far away, Martin Beck (Michael Richards), a dangerous criminal, breaks out of prison, hoping to find Junior, who has become his ardent fan and penpal. Mayhem meets frenzy as the two forces of nature collide and Ben tries to bring some stability to the little boy's life.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (15 ):

PROBLEM CHILD is a live-action cartoon with pratfalls, slapstick action, one-dimensional characters, and very little heart. Director Dennis Dugan, hoping perhaps to emulate Wile E. Coyote vs. the Road Runner or Tom and Jerry, has come up with "devil-child against the world," with the same pacing and exaggerated violence of the animated shorts. And like those shorts, there's no real resolution, no change in behavior: Nice guys remain nice guys, buffoons are always buffoons, and the little guy's emotional arc barely moves from A to B.

The performances are uniformly loud and over-the-top, with some highly offensive comic portrayals of nuns and priests and a whiny, abrasive narration throughout from Junior himself. Ritter's usual nice-guy appeal can't save anyone, and Richards, Jack Warden, and Amy Yasbeck (who plays Junior's adoptive mother) are more obnoxious than comic. All of this might be somewhat excusable if the movie was funny or clever. But unless watching people crash and burn is your cup of tea, it's simply not.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the differences between cartoon violence and real violence. In a live action movie like this one, how do the filmmakers indicate that nothing is for real?

  • Punishment doesn't seem to make a difference in Junior's behavior. Are there consequences for your actions? Do you ever talk with your family about how they determine those consequences?

  • Ben was victimized by his father, his wife, and even his friends before he even met Junior. Did his relationship with his new son help him make any changes? How realistic is his character?

Movie Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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