Problem Child (1990)

By Greg
Score: 6/10
When couple Ben and Flo Healy (John Ritter and real life wife Amy Yasbeck ) really desire children but can't due to infertility, they decide to adopt Junior (Michael Oliver) from social worker Mr. Peabody (Gilbert Gottfried). The couple can't wait to reap the rewards of parenthood: the kid parties, social networking, the camp outs, little league and the love of you child.

Of course Junior gives the Healy's all of those and then some. He torments everyone and everything he sees and touches. With sophomoric slapstick humor, the little red head achieves diabolical mischief. Big Ben Sr (Jack Warden). tries to give advice to Little Ben but he becomes a target to Junior. Only Junior squashes Big Ben's chance at being mayor and crashes a car in the sporting goods store he own. Once we meet Junior's prison pen-pal, Martin Beck aka "Bow Tie Killer" (Michael Richards), the Healy's have given up. Junior plans to be Martin's partner in crime. Martin kidnaps Flo and Junior and leaves a sedate Little Ben behind. Feeling relieved that his nagging wife is gone and the hellion Junior, Little Ben starts destroying Juniors room. Only to discover a drawing that depicts Little Ben in a positive fatherly light. All is changed now for Little Ben, he wants Junior.

Will he save him from Martin? And what about Flo? Well they made a sequel, so all is good.
Its horrible, its 81 minutes of fart jokes and Junior literally tormenting everyone. The thing is, I'm on the side that says, its so bad, its good. Problem Child is pop culture gold. Its entertaining and is a nightmare for parents. Annoying for the film is Junior's voice, it penetrates the head and bounces around in there for days.

For added personal knowledge, this was the first film I saw in theatres without parents in the theatre. I saw it at the Super Cinemas for a dollar. Yeah, not the greatest film, but I was in the sixth grade and it was in a group of friends. Potty jokes were funny then and I still laughed at them now.

Second Opinion. By Jody Score: 4/10

This one didn't age well at all for me. At 13, it was one of my favorite flicks. Having not seen it in at least 15 years, I honestly can't say I enjoyed a good old Netflix stream of it as much as I thought I would. Maybe I have been ruined by years of poop and fart jokes by Adam Sandler, South Park, and Family Guy who have all arguably done it better. Maybe I was too bummed by seeing the late John Ritter. Maybe a bit of both.

Whatever the case may be, I wished I would have let it stay a happy childhood memory.

Starring: John Ritter, Michael Oliver, Amy Yasbeck, Michael Richards, Jack Warden and Gilbert Gottfried
Directed By: Dennis Dugan
Gross: $53,470,900 (USA)
IMDB Score: 4.5/10
Tomatometer: 7% critics / 44% audiences liked it