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Walter Matthau, Mason Gamble, Joan Plowright, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson ... see more see more... , Robert Stanton , Paul Winfield , Amy Sakasitz , Kellen Hathaway , Billie Bird , Daiana Campeanu , Bill Erwin , Melinda Mullins , Devin Ratray , Arnold Stang , Ben Stein , Jane Jenkins , Janet Hirshenson , Natasha Lyonne , Hank Johnston , John Hughes

John Hughes continues the trend he began with the Home Alone series in Dennis the Menace, the Hughes-scripted film version of Hank Ketcham's long-running comic strip, cartoon show, and television come... read more read more...dy. The film opens as Dennis (Mason Gamble) is seen careening down a sidewalk in a beautiful and idealistic suburban town on his training-wheeled bike -- cans on string clattering behind him, baseball cards flapping in the spokes of the wheel, his red wagon filled to the brim and his dog following him. "Hey! Mister Wilson!" he screams and slams his bike to a halt in front of his much put-upon neighbor, Mr. Wilson (Walter Matthau). Half of the film concerns vignettes of small-town Hank Ketcham life as Dennis' mom Alice (Lea Thompson) starts a new job, Dennis stays over at his friend Margaret's (Amy Sakasitz) house, and Mr. Wilson and his gentle, well-meaning wife, Martha (Joan Plowright), mind Dennis during the night of a big garden party. Through all this, Dennis continually gets into Mr. Wilson's hair. But then the Home Alone plot kicks in -- with an unsubtle dose of O. Henry -- when Switchblade Sam (Christopher Lloyd) makes an appearance. Switchblade Sam is a homeless drifter who combs the neighborhood stealing purses and small home items. But when Switchblade Sam steals Mr. Wilson's collection of gold coins, Dennis comes to the rescue and inflicts Dennis the Menace-type tortures upon the thief in order to reclaim the coins for Mr. Wilson. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Flixster Users

44% liked it

239,519 ratings

Critics

23% liked it

22 critics

PG, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Nick Castle Jr., Nick Castle

Release Date: June 25, 1993

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DVD Release Date: January 28, 2003

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Stats: 6,593 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (6,593)

  • LoughnerWasLucid
    April 20, 2012
    LoughnerWasLucid
    OH HELL YEA!!! im bustin this one out tonight! and i aint talkin about Nicky Hilton.
  • 76Majikat
    December 31, 2011
    76Majikat
    A highly amusing kids film with a big Home Alone influence I'm sure. Walter Matthau was ideal for the role of Mr Wilson and the film as a whole is a fun watch
  • DreamExtractor
    October 2, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    Dennis the Menace is a bad movie, but kids will love it and thats the important thing, that its target audience loves it, and to be honest its pretty funny.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    September 9, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Dennis the Menace is actually a decent family comedy film that has good moments of comedy. I thought the film was decent, and does bring on a few chuckles. Christopher Lloyd plays the films villain and he used to scare me as a kid. The film is not perfect, but it's fun for what i... read moret is. Dennis the Menace is a decent family film, but not one of the classic films. I felt that it lacked something really special to truly make this film a classic. But for what it is, Dennis the Menace is a fun film that is worth seeing once. This is the perfect film to watch as a family, and it has some good, entertaining moments. But as I've said about many films of this caliber, Dennis the Menace is not a film that has stood the test of time, and I don't consider it a classic by any means. The film is decent at best, never great. The cast are good, but the here is of course Christopher Lloyd as the villain, he really has an intense evil look to him that makes you uneasy. Dennis the Menace is a decent film for what it is, and though it won't be remembered as something good, it's still an entertaining film to watch as a family. The film most likely make you smile, but it's not the best. Keep your expectations fairly average for this one, and you may not be disappointed.
  • ajv2688
    May 23, 2011
    ajv2688
    A really fantastic kids movie based on the old TV show and cartoons of Dennis the Menace. The story starts out simple, and gets more complicated and even scary at times. I loved this movie when I was a kid, and I think kids today will like it too.
  • Chiefilms
    March 26, 2010
    Chiefilms
    The script is insanely good for a kids' comedy, colorful cast, I still can't figure out why 90's child actors were so good, Nickelodeon and Disney have blown hard nuts since Y2K, well Disney has never been good on TV except for Even Stevens; Shia Labeouf actually has yet to make ... read morea movie as good as that show. John Hughes gave up his adult/teenage oriented comedies by the 90's, focusing on da chillren for his screenplays with movies like Beethoven and Dennis. Christopher Lloyd is a hideous creeper, one of the all time creeper roles.
  • deano
    March 18, 2010
    deano
    This family comedy film based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip and TV comedy series is just good and that stands on something solid. It's a bit like Home Alone movies. Walter Matthau was wonderful in his comic performance as Dennis' neighbour, Mr. Wilson. And Mason Gamble i... read mores alright as the title role.
    Switchblad Sam, played by Christopher Lloyd, was a typical writer John Hughes device, although it was surprisingly violent compared to his other films (watching a cute little five year old force feed and then accidentally set a villain on fire was slightly disturbing, to say the least).
  • fb733768972
    January 18, 2010
    fb733768972
    Hilarious! One of the first movies I've ever seen! I have to say it's good, just because of that!
  • ythelastman89
    November 20, 2009
    ythelastman89
    A priceless movie, full of great moments. It's one of the few kid themed movies that can still be enjoyed by adults as well. Christopher Lloyd made for a perfectly creepy bum/kidnapper with nothing to lose. It has decent child performances and is a great story of man vs. child.
  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    Walter Matthau was well cast, I loved the cartoon but this was awful! Destroy that child!

View All Dennis the Menace Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr
July 7, 2010
Ty Burr, Entertainment Weekly

Its unholy mixture of peppy sadism and pious, self-righteous sentiment comes straight from Hughes' crabbed cinematic heart. Full Review

Todd McCarthy
July 22, 2008
Todd McCarthy, Variety

Very young children may find the numskull, by-the-numbers gags here amusing, but teens will consider this kids' stuff and adults will be pained. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Mr. Hughes and Mr. Castle try hard to re-create a kind of timeless, idealized comic-strip atmosphere, but except for the performances of Lea Thompson and Robert Stanton... nobody in the movie seems in... Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Those good qualities are undermined, unfortunately, by the Switchblade Sam character, who is dirty, threatening and scary. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Most children will get a kick out of it, although adults roped into accompanying their offspring may find themselves yearning to escape through the nearest exit. Full Review

Joe Brown
January 1, 2000
Joe Brown, Washington Post

Beyond the booby traps and plentiful pranks, Dennis the Menace is truly a treat for all ages. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

The comic has been condensed into a sweet-naturedly nutty motion picture with the buoyancy of a clutch of colored balloons. Full Review

April 26, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

John Hughes' vision of Dennis is much more menacing than Ketcham's fans and parents of small children might reasonably expect. Full Review

January 26, 2006
Time Out

A smooth blend of sentiment and slapstick. Full Review

Ken Hanke
August 11, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Someone ought to pay for this.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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    • Dennis Mitchell: Hey, Mr. Wilson!
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  • John Hughes comedy of a kid who lives next to Mr. Wilson?  Answer »
  • "One time i swallowed my allowance and i had to wait a week and a day to get it back" is a quote from what movie  Answer »
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