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Tagline
- He's So Bad, Even The Nuns Refused To Keep Him!
- Attila the Hun. Ivan the Terrible. Al Capone. They were all seven once.
Plot
An adoptive parent discovers that some children are given up by their biological parents for very good reasons in this dark comedy. Ben Healy (John Ritter) is a pleasant but brow-beaten yuppie working for his father Big Ben (Jack Warden), a tyrannical sporting goods dealer. Ben would love to have a son, but his wife Flo (Amy Yasbeck) has been unable to conceive. Ben approaches less-than-scrupulous adoption agent Igor Peabody (Gilbert Gottfried) with his dilemma, and Igor presents Ben and Flo with a cute seven-year-old boy, Junior (Michael Oliver). However, Junior is hardly a model child; mean-spirited and incorrigible, the child leaves a path of serious destruction in his wake, and is even pen pals with Martin Beck (Michael Richards), a notorious serial killer. After the cat ends up in the hospital, the house catches on fire, and Junior displays his effective but unethical method for winning in Little League, Ben is having serious doubts about Junior when Beck escapes from jail and decides to kidnap his faithful correspondent, along with Junior's new mom. Problem Child proved to be a major box office success, spawning two sequels and a TV series.
Main cast
- John Ritter - Ben Healy
- Michael Oliver - Junior
- Amy Yasbeck - Flo Healy (Amy played John's wife in the movie and she later became Ritter's real-life wife)
- Michael Richards - Martin Beck
- Jack Warden - Big Ben Healy
Box office
Problem Child proved to be a major box office success, spawning two sequels and a TV series.
DVD Release
- The DVD release for the films, Problem Child, and Problem Child 2 was released on March 2, 2004 the DVD was titled Problem Child Tantrum pack, the DVD does not contain the third film Junior in Love.
Sequels
- Due to the box office hit film Problem Child there was two more sequels Problem Child 2 1991, & a third is a made for TV sequel simply named Junior in Love (1995)
- The third film did very poorly and therefore the Problem child franchise stopped.
Animated TV series
There was a short-lived animated TV series based on all three films that aired in 1993.
The TV series was released on Four separate VHS videos on October 10 1995.
Main Cast
- Nancy Cartwright (actress) .... Betsy/Ross (voice)
- Ben Diskin .... Junior Healy (voice)
- Elizabeth Daily .... Cyndi (voice)
- Jonathan Harris .... Big Ben Healy (voice)
- Gilbert Gottfried .... Mr. Peabody (voice)
- Ms. Finch .... B.J. Ward (voice)
- Iona Morris .... Miss Hill (voice)
- Cree Summer .... Spencer (1994) (voice)
- John Kassir .... Yoji/Murph (voice)
Additional voices
- Pamela Adlon .... Additional Voices (voice) (as Pamela Segall)
- Rebecca Bacon .... Additional Voices (voice) (as Becky Bacon)
- Sheryl Bernstein .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Earl Boen .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Becky Bonar .... Additional Voices (voice)
- S. Scott Bullock .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Rodger Bumpass .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Joey Camen .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Marsha Clark .... Additional voices (voice)
- Brian Cummings .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Debi Derryberry .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Dave Fennoy .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Pat Fraley .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Brad Garrett .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Benny Grant .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Jess Harnell .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Billie Hayes .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Dana Hill .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Michael Horse .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Tino Insana .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Maurice LaMarche .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Sherry Lynn .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Danny Mann .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Edie McClurg .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Candi Milo .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Laraine Newman .... Additional Voices (voice)
- Valery Pappas .... Additional Voices (voice)
- April Winchell .... Additional Voices (voice)
Cancellation
unknown date 1993 - unknown date 1994
Trivia
- Obvious fake cat when the cat jumps on the Grandfather and his Grandfather falls down the stairs.
- It was considered by some to be offensive towards adopted children.
- When Ben is standing on the bridge watching the truck drive away with his wife in the back, he has the rifle in his hand. Ben and Junior turn around to walk back to the car and the rifle disappears. It seems unlikely he would have left it laying on the bridge.
- The poster for the movie was a spoof of the poster for Parenthood (1989).
- In the scene where Ben Healy angrily walks up to junior's bedroom is an obvious reference to the film The Shining (film) (1980).
- When Junior's dad is about to spank him in his room, the position of the globe on his bed changes.
External links
- Problem Child watch movie trailer at videodetective.com
"Problem Child (1990 film)"