When he was just a baby, Junior’s mother left him in a basket on a stranger’s doorstep. He then found himself bouncing from home to home as each new parent couldn’t take his antics anymore, and handed the basket off to another unsuspecting party. After being passed around over thirty times, 7-year-old Junior (Michael Oliver) finally ends up at St. Brutus Orphanage, where he terrorizes the other orphans and even proves to be a challenge for the strict nuns. While the other kids are well-behaved, and writing letters to people like Queen Elizabeth and Desmond Tutu, Junior’s pen pal of choice is Martin “The Bow Tie Killer” Beck (Michael Richards). Junior even dons a bow tie in honor of his idol and hero. The nuns have finally reached their breaking point, and demand that this red-headed demon child be removed from the orphanage—and manager Igor (Gilbert Gottfried) may just have found the perfect couple to pawn Junior off on.
Ben (John Ritter) and Flo Healy (Amy Yasbeck) have been trying to have a child of their own for years with no luck, and once they discover that Flo is infertile, they give up on the idea. Ben is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet, always wearing his heart on his sleeve. Ben’s father (Jack Warden) was never much of a dad to him, and sees Ben’s endless kindness as a sign of a weakling and a pushover. For the past 10 years Ben as worked at his father’s sporting good store, where he sees other dads planning camping trips with their sons—something he would love to experience with a son of his own. However, Ben’s wife Flo is all about materialistic things, and social status. When he suggests the idea of adoption, her response is “I don’t wear second-hand clothes, and I won’t have a second-hand kid, adoption is out.” But as she sees the other people in their suburban neighborhood getting invited to parties and other social gatherings, an adopted child may be her only way to break into the social circle.
When the Healys visit the orphanage, Junior puts on his best fake manners in order to sell the adoption, and soon becomes the newest member of the Healy family. However, Junior can only pretend for so long. It’s just a matter of time before he’s up to his usual tricks, and scamming and terrorizing the neighborhood—in particular, bratty next-door neighbor Lucy (Colby Kline). The Healys quickly realize they have made a major mistake, but can they figure a way to tame this wild beast, or will they become the latest people to pass off Junior for someone else to deal with?
Problem Child is a classic 1990 comedy that still holds up quite well over 30 years later—though some of the language used would likely be frowned upon in today’s culture. Junior is like an evil Eddie Haskell, who is an expert on turning on the fake charm, and playing the sweet child whenever he needs to manipulate a situation. However, he can also be quite nasty and vindictive to those who are mean to him. When he sees the Bow Tie Killer on the news, he discovers a role model and kindred spirit, and so he constantly dons his own bow tie—with his PJs, baseball uniform, or whatever he happens to be wearing. This creates this fun contrast of dapper looking young boy with a bratty red-headed hellion.
Young star Michael Oliver didn’t really act much beyond the first two Problem Child movies, but he does a nice job with this role. Initially, the character does a lot of obnoxious yelling as he terrorizes the orphanage, but there is also this deeper layer of sweetness and vulnerability to the character. Junior is trying to cover up his fear of being abandoned again and keeping people at a distance by acting out and causing trouble. But in the processes, he is creating his own self-fulfilling prophesy.
John Ritter is perfectly cast as the ever-nice and always-accommodating guy who lets people everyone walk all over him, but who also desperately wants a father-son relationship like the one he wished he has as a kid. And Amy Yasbeck is also a lot of fun as his self-centered wife who sees Junior more as a social-circle accessory than as a child to be loved. Once the Healys discover they’ve adopted the spawn of Satan, Flo immediately wants to return him, like a bad dish at a restaurant. But Ben wants to try to love this child like none of his previous families did. He is determined to turn Junior into his perfect little son. But even someone as pure, kind and selfless as Ben has his limits when it comes to Junior’s shenanigans.
It had been decades since I last watched this movie, so I didn’t remember many of the details, but I fully enjoyed it all over again. There are loads of laughs (as long as you don’t find Junior too obnoxious and annoying), mixing physical comedy with some humorous dialogue and situations. The violence is more on the cartoony side, like a Wile E. Coyote or a Home Alone. It has a great main cast, and Michael Richards is also a lot of fun as the criminal who Junior aspires to be—and could become if he stays on his current path.
Universal had previously released Problem Child as a barebones Blu-ray in 2017. Mill Creek’s new Retro VHS releases comes at similar price but with one of the company’s signature Retro VHS slipcovers. The video presentation is a bit of a mixed bag, but overall quite good. The opening sequence is a bit heavy on the grain, but after that, the scenes generally look a lot cleaner, with just a pleasant amount of grain, and a solid level of detail. Even though the stereo audio track isn’t as immersive as a more modern surround option, it still provides clear dialogue throughout, and a more-than-satisfying, full sound that successfully captures all of Junior’s antics.
The Blu-ray disc comes packed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase, with a Retro VHS carboard slipcover that makes the release look like a classic VHS rental tape. The details on these slipcovers are really fun, and the design even extends to the spine as well, allowing these discs to displayed like a collection of VHS tapes on your shelf. The front and back cover art under the slipcover is nearly identical to Universal’s release. Universal’s previous Blu-ray release did not include any bonus material or a digital copy, and this Blu-ray doesn’t either—it is barebones with just Subtitle On/Off and Play options on the main menu.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:20:47)
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:11
- Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English SDH
Extras:
-
There is no bonus material included.
Final Thoughts:
Problem Child is a fun film that still holds up quite well over 30 years later. Junior can be a handful, not just for the other characters, but also for the viewer. However, the film does a nice job of giving this possibly one-dimensional character some layers, so he’s not just 100% unlikeable brat. The rest of the cast also help to balance things out and play well off one another. Mill Creek’s release is barebones, but features a solid presentation as well as a fun Retro VHS slipcover. The release is an easy recommendation for any fan of the film, cast, or those who have never seen this classic comedy. Those who already own Universal’s previous Blu-ray release should have no reason to double-dip, unless they really want the new slipcover.
PROBLEM CHILD – RETRO VHS/BD
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