Dennis the Menace (1993)

So much average

A Disappointing Continuation

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

For those who remember Jay North as the lively little kid who seems to take an almost fiendish delight in tormenting grumpy neighbor Mr. Wilson, this new Dennis The Menace feature film will bring back some good memories. Warner Brothers even had the foresight to cast Hollywood's number one specialist at curmudgeon roles Walter Matthau as the ever grumpy Wilson.Young Mason Gamble is Dennis Mitchell, problem child deluxe. Parents Robert Stanton and Lea Thompson have trouble getting babysitters as Dennis's reputation is known far and wide. The next door neighbor Wilsons played byz Matthau and Joan Plowright take him, at least Plowright makes the offer.The usual mayhem follows with Matthau the brunt. But when robber Christopher Lloyd steals Matthau's valuable coin collection, Dennis is on the case. What follows is what you see in the Home Alone films.Gamble made a nice and appealing Dennis. But even natural scene stealers like kids are up against it when dealing with Walter Matthau. Poor Gamble didn't have a chance.Dennis The Menace is a nice family film for a family movie night.

In 1959, a character named Dennis the Menace was made into a comic strip cartoon. Now, it is adapted by film. Dennis the Menace stars Mason Gamble as the troubled kid who keeps bothering his next-door neighbor, Mr. Wilson, played by Walter Matthau. The movie center around the neighborhood where Dennis engages in mean-spirited pranks that even injured Mr. Wilson. Lea Thompson plays Dennis' mother. She said that Dennis is out of school and on summer vacation. But, why in the world would a brat like Dennis would even be out of school when he was mean to Mr. Wilson? I don't know, but the background is not quite right. Another character is Switchblade Sam, played by Christopher Lloyd. Now, his character is menacing as Dennis. Why? Well, to put it in one way, Switchblade Sam is a probably an escaped convict or a killer. His character is not right for this movie. Especially in a kids movie. As for Mason Gamble, he is an annoying little kid, who I think has no respect for Matthau's character. In one scene, Wilson plans to have a party over his house, and the flower he was growing was blooming when the moon was out. Suddenly, Dennis pop out of the house to say that Wilson's house is robbed by Switchblade Sam. It seems that somebody must have pick Mason Gamble by mistake. This movie deserves a 2 star rating. ★★ 2 stars.

This is the film adaptation of Hank Ketcham's comic strip of the same title. In most cases, film adaptations of comic strips or TV shows simply suck, but with this one not only they did a pretty good job but also made something much better than what it's based on.Dennis is much more likable in this film than in the cartoons. But, before saying more on this, let me say that the cast was very well thought and selected. The actor chosen to portray Dennis's father, for example, looks exactly like the character from the comic strip. It's as if he was the human version of that character. And he is very well on his role. Pretty Lea Thompson does well as Dennis's mother, in a much better role than "Lorraine" from 'Back to the Future' trilogy. Hank Johnston is excellent as Gunther Beckman. Walter Matthau... well, they couldn't have chosen a better Mr. Wilson than him! Joan Plowright is just as good as Mrs. Wilson and Mason Gamble steals the show as Dennis Mitchell.Mason Gamble is unbelievably cute. The title suggests that Dennis is a menace. To a point he is, but without meaning to. Dennis is absolutely adorable, loving, sweet, very nice to everyone and innocent. He does many mistakes and often annoys people (particularly the cranky Mr. Wilson), but he doesn't do for bad. He isn't a mean-spirited child, unlike the sadistic kid from those stupid 'Problem Child' movies. Plus, Dennis is really funny and at times so dramatic that he becomes even more hilarious.The character Margaret Wade is simply annoying. No wonder that Dennis and his friend Joey dislike to be with her. I mean, with a girl like that, can you blame them? Another character I have no sympathy for is Andrea, co-worker of Dennis's mother. What Dennis does to her at the end (even though innocently) is deserved, seriously. Mrs. Wilson is a very nice old lady and she's very good to Dennis - she actually treats him as a son (or a grandson).Walter Matthau is, like I said, the best Mr. Wilson ever. And his facial expressions are priceless! He's hilarious, even though he is a grumpy old man, sometimes highly apathetic. For example, the part when he says to Gunther «Gunther, I'm just talking to your daddy on the telephone. He's going to the ice cream store. He wants to take you with him. Hurry up and go home!»... that's kinda mean of him. Imagine the disappointment of the kid when he gets home. But even meaner than that is when he says (despicably) that Gunther is a foot short for his age and cross-eyed. Plus, later in the movie he says some very nasty things to Dennis. Devin Ratray ("Buzz" from the first 2 'Home Alone' films) has a minor role as Mickey, the boyfriend of Polly (one of Dennis's babysitters). Christopher Lloyd stars as Switchblade Sam, a bandit, but he isn't a likable character. He's filthy, mean and looks sinister, maybe too much sinister, does not fit well in the general nature of this comedy/family movie. Hank Johnston's role as Gunther is minor. Too bad, really. I wish he had a bigger role in the film. Yet it is surprising how, despite his minor role, very brief appearances and almost no dialogs, he manages to be hilarious. Gunther is, just as much as Dennis, unbelievably cute, sweet, loving, innocent and completely adorable. Yet there is something about him that makes him funny. Maybe it's his facial expressions which are innocent and hilarious at the same time - and his crossed-eyes also make him funny, as well as when he says "a apple" instead of "an apple" and when he waves goodbye to the burglar in the end. There are many hilarious moments and lines in the movie. Classic humor, the kind of humor that can cause you some good laughters. There's plenty of them I could mention, but then I wouldn't finish writing this.

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.