Dennis the Menace (1993)

For what it's worth it's a good movie. Dennis is cute and unintentionally mischievous making him a pest to his neighbor Mr. Wilson. The story's not the greatest but it's good enough to be believed. Everything seems to fall into place such as the gags and the lines. The movie basically chronicles the misadventures both Dennis and Mr. Wilson face everyday. Christopher Lloyd's character as the reclusive serial killer is strange yet fits in still. In conclusion the movie's a great family movie and i'd recommend it to anyone.

"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

Based on the comic strip by hank Ketchum, John Hughes and Nick castle bring the characters of Mr. Wilson and Dennis to the big screen. The movie starts off as Mr. Wilson stepping out onto his porch, getting the newspaper and all of a sudden he hears rattling sounds and figures out a little someone is riding his bike back and a jumpy Mr. Wilson turns around in fear and storms in the house and he hears the loud yell of MR. Wilson by Dennis and the mischievous little 5 year old walks into Mr. Wilson's house and, thinking Mr. Wilson is sick and asleep, shoves an aspirin down Mr. Wilson's throat with his handy little slingshot and for the viewers it was just the beginning of a series of gags and accidental slapstick to the long suffering Mr. Wilson. Also in the movie are other characters from the comic strip who are brought to life including Dennis's hard working parents Alice and Henry Mitchell, The sweet and total opposite of Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Wilson, and Joey and Margaret who build a tree house with Dennis. The plot really begins when Dennis's parents both have to go out on business trips and call a list of babysitters who won't and can't handle Dennis so they turn to the Wilson's and Mrs. Wilson seems thrilled of the idea of Dennis staying the night, but for the lovable grump Mr. Wilson is a night of hell as Dennis messes with all kinds of chemicals in the bathroom and Mr. Wilson ends up drinking toilet Cleansure instead of mouthwash and uses mouthwash as nasal spray. Meanwhile A creepy and sinister looking thief who goes by the name of Switchblade Sam is stealing anything that appeals to him whether it's an apple from a little innocent kid or gold coins from Mr. Wilson's coin collection. The next night after Mr. Wilson yells at Dennis in frustration for unintentionally wrecking his garden party, Dennis rides on his bike and storms into town and into the scary woods where he runs into switchblade Sam. Next is a home alone stylish scene in where the robber wants to take Dennis hostage but he soon finds out that a night with Dennis is not a night of peace. In these scenes we see the petty thief in Mr. Wilson's spot for a night and we see gags and slapstick similar to home alone in which we see the bad guy set on fire and hit on the head a few times. Meanwhile Mr. Wilson, who is upset and feeling guilty about that he said to Dennis, goes around town to look for the little boy and the whole neighborhood also try to find him. The next morning Mr. Wilson wakes up from sleeping on the porch and hears the rattling sounds again but this time he waits in happiness to see Dennis riding back with a bloody and bruised Switchblade Sam who goes to prison and the movie has one big happy ending. I had first viewed this classic when it first came out in 1993 and I was 5 myself just like Dennis. The acting and story are not bad and I enjoyed watching these lovable characters brought to life. All the actors are great including the late Walter Mathau who played the grump with a good heart Mr. Wilson, Mason gamble as a harmless troublesome boy named Dennis, Joan Plowright as the sweet and caring Mrs. Wilson, Lea Thompson and Robert Stanton as Dennis's loving but strict parents and Christopher Lloyd as the real menace of the movie Switchblade Sam. All the characters in this movie are good but I'm one of the few people who liked the villain the best and he was one of the characters that was not in the comic. I'll have to admit that maybe the movie could have done without a villain and maybe he wasn't important to the film but I thought he was an entertaining character and he added to the fun of this movie and to me, without him, I don't think this movie would have been the same. I'm just one of those people that thinks that all movies should have a villain. All in all I give this movie a 9/10 I would have gave it 10/10 but I could have done without the scene where switchblade Sam almost kills Dennis I know they wanted to make him look sadistic but they could have did it in a more light hearted way oh well he's still my favorite character mainly because I just love christopher lloyd anyway to those who have somehow missed this movie in their childhood I recommend it.

Update at November 2008 I had been looking for this DVD locally, ever since I noticed Jessica in American Pie 1, and I had expected it to be very different to the Dennis known in the UK. It is. * This feels like a story for boys, not the sort of thing that I normally watch. Girls are few and roughly stereotyped, but so is Dennis, here age 5ish, so that balances out. A dominant theme as Dennis and the retired neighbour, Mr Wilson. A key secondary theme as Dennis and the burglar. The main girl in this is Amy Sakasitz, aged around 5, who plays Margaret, a rough tough who bullies two boys to tidy out their tree fort to make it into a home. Should one be surprised that her doll gets stolen by the bad guy, especially given how she has used her doll on one of the boys? As a loser type male to female I did find Amy age 5 as there to show Big Girl hazards. I normally avoid stuff written for boys. Except for early American Pie. Natasha as early mid teens? She is on screen for less than a minute, but it does link neatly with her other stuff that I have seen. She is a different sort of Big Girl. One of a long stream of baby sitters who tend to not settle down with Dennis. Parents only choose her as a last resort. Joan Plowright and Lea Thompson as mature women who seem there to show a side of women that I remember well from age 3ish. Angels who can make one really believe that female is so superior to male. Dennis dealt with nicely by these, it is obvious that such makes him more of a boy. He is a scrambled wreck though, but an effective wreck. Could be that Dennis feature has a stronger link with Trickbaby than to most other Natasha, but that would be despite these two. * A couple of years after this, Natasha is in the Woody Allen musical as narrator cum DJ, a major role. I am finding the music difficult as the actors who can sing their love songs well enough are key exceptions. A not obvious story as what is said is not what is implied, but it is fun. A couple of years later a whole batch of features which could relate to her having past school leaving age, they include Pie 1. Three years before, 1990, A Man Called Sarge, which I have not seen yet because the disk prices are a problem. If it is truly 'Airplane' type humour then I might not be able to relate to it too well. I am guessing that she only has a small role in this, descriptions say arab girl in a WWII desert war movie, a role she got after she had moved to Israel to see if immigration fitted okay. I am reminded of her song in Cheerleader. 1986 and Pee-wee's Playhouse season 1, affordable. Pee-wee seems to have been respected by kids and critics, both. I find it difficult, but with some nice bits. Maybe this is best for the under 8's. Natasha, amazingly beautiful, a gem, if loud and with one rabbit tooth missing, was in short parts of half of the episodes of season 1: 1-01, 02, 06, 08, 12, 13. Problem. My IMDb search for Pee-wee got blocked by the net nanny on the UK public access system I use. If me writing Pee-wee here gets a batch of Dennis comments blocked in the UK then it is me that will get trouble and that will not be blaming a fall guy? The Mighty Ducks Are The Champions (1992) tells me that Pee-wee does not have the same meaning in the USA. So, in the search I used a different presentation: no hyphen, no capitals. Heartburn 1986 is unlike the Natasha I have come across so far. It is maybe intended for women with a mature taste in people stories. It is not a comedy, even though some advertisers and others think that it is. Her age 5 or 6, I have noticed her in brief seconds of wedding scene 2, occasionally blatant Natasha, near the piano, dressed in peach, even asleep. * All of her early work is available on disk, unusual. Heartburn and Pee-wee and Dennis and also Everyone and I assume also Sarge as pointers to Natasha's later roles, not uncommon? I am reminded of the Buffy episode about inspiration, 6.07, Once More With Feeling. There is the impossible question of where the talisman came from. As a big baby I am finding Natasha to be one of the key actors whose earliest work I can look to for considering assorted aspects of reality. Others include the three girls in Annie 2 of 1995. These are people I prefer not to ignore, if not role models. I cannot relate to the role model idea. Natasha faces the IX elle aspect of reality and does that distinctively. If I ever face IX elle then her early stuff says that others do, too.