Dennis the Menace

For me, this cinema version featuring the innocent mischief of cartoonist Hank Ketcham's precocious hyperactive preschooler, Dennis (The Menace) Mitchell, is a classic sleeper. Remarkable performances by Mason Gamble (as "Dennis Mitchell") and Walter Matthau (as "Mr. Wilson") help to mold the screenplay into a delightful light-hearted comedy intended for the whole family. I, personally, look forward to the day that its presentation is offered in DVD format.

This is far from a perfect family comedy, but I consider it one of the most underrated ones. Amy Sakasitz as Margaret Wade is rather annoying and the usually excellent Christopher Lloyd is sadly over-the-top and distracting as Switchblade Sam complete with a subplot that was a little too violent and doesn't fit with the overall tone of the movie. However, Dennis the Menace despite what its reputation and rating suggests is actually very entertaining and does a pretty good job with the transition from comic to movie. It has been criticised for taking too much ideas from the Home Alone movies and I suppose that's true with the sight gags, but I personally think the sight gags are funny. The cinematography is good, the soundtrack is fun, the story while predictable is well structured and interesting, the pacing is brisk and the direction is efficient. And the acting with exception of Lloyd is not bad at all. Mason Gamble thankfully isn't the annoying brat I was expecting prior to seeing this film, instead he is cute and funny as the mischievous yet well-meaning Dennis, while Walter Matthau from the facial expressions to the delivery of the dialogue is brilliant as Mr Wilson. Joan Plowright is also very touching and Lea Thompson and Robert Stanton also do well as Dennis's parents. In conclusion, it is a decent and entertaining film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This movie is without a doubt identical to the comic strip. The characters look exactly alike, especially Dennis's parents. And I don't think anyone could have played a better Mr. Wilson than Walter Mattau. This is what makes the movie so good. Another familiar actor is Christopher Lloyd (from the "Back to the Future" trilogy and "The Pagemaster) who plays the robber. I remember when I rented this at my local grocery store, I saw the scene where the robber kidnaps Dennis and ties him up. Then Dennis tells him the only right way to tie him up so that he won't be able to get away. The robber has handcuffs and the key falls into the beans he's cooking. Dennis is forced to feed the robber beans in order to find the key. After this the robber farts in the fire. This scene was cut when shown on TNT. Watch this movie and see for yourself how wonderful it is.

Nick Castle's directing is amazing. The timing, the perfect camera angles, the rapport between the cast, and much more, are just remarkable. This little boy, Mason Gamble (who won the Young Artist Award for Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Motion Picture Comedy in this film) is amazing at such a young age. This movie brings the comic strip alive MUCH better than the old TV show ever did. Jerry Goldsmith's music is perfect, Walter Matthau perfectly portrays the grumpy old Mr. Wilson in a way he couldn't even achieve in Grumpy Old Men. In fact, I have no problem proclaiming he has never been funnier. Christopher Lloyd is pure genius as an evil thief. I won't spoil it at all, but trust me when I say that Dennis the Menace manages make life miserable for Mr. Wilson and others, and comes out squeaky clean, as a child hero like him must. WATCH IT, BE IN A GOOD MOOD, AND YOU WILL LLOOVVEE IT! (Of course, if you naturally just don't like one of the actors in the movie or come with some other sort of bias, I can't help you.)

This film is a great little family comedy. I loved it as a kid, and it still holds up today. Walter Matthau is delightfully miserable, Mason Gamble is chasing, and Christopher Lloyd is unrecognisably fiendish. Get the popcorn, sit the kids down, and enjoy...whilst remembering to tell the kids not to try ANYTHING Dennis does!