Sal Souls
I know a lot of people bash this movie, and it is nothing special, but we thought it was a charming and (at least occasionally) very funny movie to "waste" an hour and a half on. I didn't even know John Hughes did this one until I visited this page! But I'm not surprised because, like many of John Hughes's other movies, this big screen adaptation of Dennis the Menace is funny, well written and on top of that it also has a lot of "heart" to boot.Christopher Lloyd being in the movie was a nice surprise and he does a very good job as the comic criminal foil to Dennis. I felt bad for him even while laughing at his pain. (He is basically like the wet bandits characters from the Home Alone series Hughes also did, though the first Home Alone is better than this.) Walter Matthau is fantastic as always in the role of a bitter, sourpuss type of old man neighbour, who Dennis is always annoying and damaging the property of.It's predictable and not very serious but there are lots of good family friendly laughs with a good story and performances, and it hits the spot.It even has a big, stinky flower!
kylehaines96
Lets face it, Kids movies nowadays are pretty stupid. When you look back on kid movies from the 90's they are classics compared to today. One of them is Dennis The Menace.The film is about Dennis Mitchell played by Mason Gamble who causes trouble for his Neighbor Mr. Wilson played by Walter Matthau who is not very happy with his antics. Meanwhile A man named Switchblade Sam played by Christopher Lloyd who likes to stare at children.This is a very gentle film. The child actors are cute, Walter Matthaus performance is very good and the film is often very funny. However Christopher Lloyds performance is not the best and am I the only one that thinks Lloyd's character is creepy spying on children. Still I recommend it.Rated PG For Comedic Mischief.1hr 36min/96min.****/****
wes-connors
"Hank Ketcham's popular comic-strip kid comes to the big screen in 'Dennis the Menace', a delightful family comedy from writer/producer John Hughes, the creative force behind several of the most popular movies ever," according to the original Time/Warner synopsis scribers, "Young Mason Gamble (who won the title role over 20,000 hopefuls) is all-boy, all-menace, all-Dennis, right down to his slingshot and dog Ruff. As Dennis' long-suffering neighbor George Wilson, Walter Matthau is a marvel of lovable grumpiness. And Christopher Lloyd adds a new wrinkle to Dennis' neighborhood as a villain who learns he can't match wits with a certain 5-year-old dynamo. He may be a minor, but he's a major delight." When an adaptation of a classic property is as off base as this, it inevitably raises the question, "What were they thinking?" "Home Alone" (1990), probably. Mr. Hughes, and a few other crew members, worked on both films. The plot isn't the same, exactly, but the resemblances are there. And, they are uncomfortable additions to "Dennis the Menace" of the comic strip and TV series starring Jay North. As the mischievous kid with the cowlick, Mr. North was perfect in the role. Nobody told young Gamble how to wear the hair (not that it would have mattered), Mr. Matthau is almost as unconvincing, and they have no rapport. Violent, grungy and farting in the wind, Mr. Lloyd (as "Switchblade" Sam) is especially unwelcome. While only minor players, Robert Stanton and Lea Thompson capture their characters convincingly.*** Dennis the Menace (6/24/93) Nick Castle ~ Mason Gamble, Walter Matthau, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Plowright
rumbleinthejungle
I've loved this film since I first saw it. There aren't many films that have me in stitches with laughter, but this one sure does. Walter Matthau is perfect as Mr. Wilson and Joan Plowright gives a very heartfelt performance as Martha Wilson. Lea Thompson is great as Dennis' mother and Christopher Lloyd is so delightfully icky as Switchblade Sam - he looks like he's bathed in oil slick and then raided a mental patient's wardrobe. And those teeth! I just about fall of the couch during the sabotaged toiletries scene - the scream that Matthau let's loose upon using the 'nasal spray' is priceless. And don't get me started on the scene where Dennis breaks Mr. Wilson's dentures and replaces them with chicklets. One of my favourite kids films and one I'll no doubt keep coming back too.Highly recommended.
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