Problem Child is a film I cannot review as if I were up to date on reviewing it due to the fact that too many people have been bashing it for 22 years now. In fact, when it came out it only made $53,470,900 in all its weeks in the theaters. That is an impressively low budget-even for back then. I have always really liked this film. I think it is a funny comedy with many laughs coming from Michael Olivier as the destructive Junior. Junior is the problem child in question, and his antics have always personally been funny-albeit a bit immature to me. Perhaps it's because the first time I watched it I was 5 years old, and maybe the memory of enjoying it so much but I laugh every time I watch this film.
I really do think the whole cast is perfect here as well. From John Ritter as Ben-Junior's adoptive father to Amy Yasbeck as Flo-Ben's girlfriend. By far the best part of the film is Michael Richards as Martin Black AKA The Bow Tie Killer. This is Richards pre-Seinfeld, and when people watch it now I can't believe they don't enjoy seeing the transition from crazy killer to likable Kramer. Richards is perfect in this role, as he was as Kramer. Richards has gotten a bad rap for saying the N-word at a comedy club, but that was one (albeit pretty major) incident for a guy who is so funny in TV and movies. As well, I miss these types of roles from John Ritter. It's too bad he had to die so young-he was such a charismatic character actor-even in a children's film like this.
As many years I have been tempted to jump on the bandwagon and say Problem Child is an awful film-I simply can not. It is a strange film indeed. A film that is meant for kids but features a famous killer who always wears a bow tie. This is not one whose demographic I know, but it is one that I thoroughly enjoy. If you are a Seinfeld or Ritter fan, then you might as well check it out too.
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