Problem Child

"Attila the Hun. Ivan the Terrible. Al Capone. They were all seven once."

1990 1h 21m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 961

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Ben Healy and his social climbing wife Flo adopt fun-loving seven year old Junior. But they soon discover he's a little monster as he turns a camping trip, a birthday party and even a baseball game into comic nightmares.

“Attila the Hun. Ivan the Terrible. Al Capone. They were all seven once.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

John Ritter
Ben
Jack Warden
Big Ben
Michael J. Oliver
Junior
Gilbert Gottfried
Mr. Peabody
Amy Yasbeck
Flo
Michael Richards
Martin Beck
Peter Jurasik
Roy
Charlotte Akin
Lorraine

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dennis Dugan
Writers: Larry Karaszewski, Scott Alexander
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

81 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 7.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Problem Child Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dennis Dugan, shot by Peter Lyons Collister. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Miles Goodman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tom Finan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dennis Dugan directs. Peter Lyons Collister behind the camera. Miles Goodman scores. Tom Finan cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

181 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Made its money back 7.2× over at the box office.
336 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
5Part of the "Problem Child Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Dennis Dugan, shot by Peter Lyons Collister. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Miles Goodman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Tom Finan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9John Ritter and Jack Warden and Michael J. Oliver carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Attila the Hun. Ivan the Terrible. Al Capone. They were all seven once.".
11IMDB entry: tt0100419 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 9 themes, including "ransom", "kidnapping", "orphanage", "foster parents".

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter Lyons Collister
Original score: Miles Goodman
Editing: Tom Finan
Production design: George Costello
Costume design: Eileen Kennedy
Makeup / hair: Nena Smarz
Stunt coordinator: Mickey Gilbert
Runtime: 81 min · 1h 21m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $72,000,000
Return: 720% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Problem Child (1990)

Part of

Problem Child Collection

Problem Child is a 1990 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and produced by Robert Simonds. The film stars John Ritter, Amy Yasbeck, Gilbert Gottfried, Jack Warden, Michael Richards, and Michael Oliver. The film inspired two sequels: the first, Problem Child 2, was released theatrically in 1991; the second, Problem Child 3: Junior in Love, was a television film aired on the USA Network in 1995. The first one brought back the original cast in their original roles and picked up where the first film ended. However, Yasbeck was given a new role with a new dynamic totally opposite to her original character. Junior in Love, the third and final film, recast Ben and Junior with William Katt and Justin Chapman, while Gottfried and Warden reprised their roles as Mr. Peabody and Big Ben and does not follow the storyline of the first two films.