Problem Child is a weird, chaotic mess of a movie

Should you watch Problem Child? Only if you have a high tolerance for screaming and movies that seem to hate their own characters. It’s perfect for people who grew up on 90s slapstick and don’t mind a protagonist who is essentially a tiny, mustache-twirling villain. If you’re the type who likes gentle, heartwarming stories, you’re going to be annoyed within the first ten minutes.

The whole thing feels like a fever dream where someone decided that Home Alone wasn't cruel enough. John Ritter plays the dad, and he’s doing his absolute best to look like he isn't questioning his life choices on set. Poor guy. He’s stuck with a kid who has this permanent, unnerving smirk that makes me want to lock my doors.

Wait, why is this funny?

There are moments where the movie tries to make you feel bad for the kid, but then he immediately does something genuinely awful to an innocent person. It’s wildly inconsistent. I found myself laughing at a birthday party scene that goes off the rails, but then felt bad about it immediately after. 🤡

The pacing is all over the place. One minute we’re in a quiet kitchen, and the next, there’s a giant birthday cake explosion or someone is falling out of a tree. It’s like the editor just threw a bunch of scenes into a blender and hit pulse until it looked like a movie.

• The grandfather is arguably the most annoying person on screen, and that’s saying something.
• I’m pretty sure the house in this movie was rebuilt ten times during filming.
• The cat scene. You know the one. Still haunts me a little.

It’s nowhere near as clever as The Battle of the Century, which at least had the decency to make the chaos feel like art. Here, it just feels like someone had a budget for fireworks and a bad attitude. Still, there’s something weirdly magnetic about how hard it leans into being unlikable.

If you watch it, don't look for a moral. There isn't one. It’s just 80 minutes of people getting hit in the face with stuff. Maybe that’s enough for a Saturday night, but I definitely felt like I needed a long nap after the credits rolled. 🙄