The original Problem Child movie was released in 1990, but I never actually saw this until after I had seen its sequel, 1991’s Problem Child 2. Anyway, Problem Child is directed by Dennis Dugan, who worked with Adam Sandler after this on the likes of Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy; actually, Problem Child was the first movie he directed.
Where to Watch Problem Child
Problem Child was released on July 27, 1990. You can stream the film from a digital platform such as Amazon Prime Video.
The Movie Review
Discovering Problem Child: A Sleepover Revelation
I had no idea Problem Child existed, but I was at a sleepover at a friend’s house, and he had rented Problem Child 2 for us to watch. His younger brother said, “I don’t remember Problem Child 1,” and my friend said, “How could you forget Problem Child 1?” That blew my mind and made me think that Problem Child 1 had to be the greatest movie of all time! I mean, if my friend said How could you forget it….. that was like the greatest movie review I had ever heard!
Revisiting the Original: Why Part 1 Takes the Crown
We watched Problem Child 2, and I loved it so much that when I knew I was going to go to the video store the following Friday with my folks, I knew I had to see if they had Problem Child 1, and they did. I remember watching Problem Child 1 for the first time, and I really liked it, but I did not think it was quite as good as Problem Child 2. In watching all of the movies for the first time in many years recently, I have actually changed my mind and think that the first movie is the best.
The Setup: Ben, Flo, and Junior’s Arrival
Ok, so let’s get to the plot. The legend that is John Ritter plays the role of a guy called Ben. Ben finds out that his wife, Flo, cannot get pregnant, so he decides to head to the adoption agency, headed by another legend, Gilbert Gottfried, and he adopts a little boy called Junior. Well, Junior is the ultimate nightmare kid; he is always getting into trouble, and the orphanage sees this as the perfect chance to get rid of him.
Unfriendly Relatives and Ben’s Quest to Be a Better Dad
Flo is super mean! Flo is not the nicest wife at all; she is a witch with a B, but even worse is Ben’s dad, sporting store tycoon, Big Ben Healy. Big Ben and Flo do not take to Junior at all, due to his unruly behavior and hilarious quips that he is always throwing around. Ben really does try and do the right thing. You can tell that he knows what it is like to have a bad father, and he wants to try and be more than that for Junior.
The Bow Tie Killer: A Surprisingly Dark Edge
Oh, how could I forget Junior’s bowtie??? Junior had a pen pal, and it just so happened to be Martin Beck (played by Seinfeld’s Kramer), also known as the Bow Tie Killer, yes, a serial killer. There is a bit of a misunderstanding on both parts here, but it is pretty dark for a kids movie, and that is something I got a kick out of. It is kind of like the creepy drifter that Christoper Lloyd plays in the Dennis movie from the early 90s.
Chaos with a Heart: Junior vs. Dennis the Menace
There is all kinds of wacky and over-the-top stuff here, and Junior is like an amped up version of Dennis the Menace. The difference between Junior and Dennis is that Junior is way more aware of the chaos that he is causing than Dennis is. Still, I think that the movie does a good job of making us really like Junior and see that at the end of the day, deep down, he is just a little boy looking for a family.
Franchise Retrospective: Sequels, Animated Series, and Final Verdict
I went down a bit of a Problem Child deep dive, and I think that this movie and Problem Child 2 are a lot of fun, and I do slightly prefer the first movie, but the more I think about it, there is not much in it. Problem Child 3, on the other hand, is pure garbage and a case of one movie too many, recasting Ben and Junior. I get why they did it, but the movie lost the magic as a result. There is also a Problem Child animated series which I honestly had no idea existed until about five minutes before I started writing this! If you are looking for a wacky and crazy movie to watch with your kids, you cannot go wrong with the first two Problem Child movies.
