For whatever reason, this film has been somewhat underrated since its release in the early nineties. I suspect that much of the apathy stems from the fact that audiences at that time had reached the saturation point with "Little kid outsmarting the bad guy" slapstick (Home Alone 1 and 2, The Three Ninjas series, etc). Still, this version of Dennis Mitchell's escapades is well worth a look, and is certainly holds its own against other John Hughes films with a similar (ok, "identical") premise.
The highlights of the film include winning performances by Mason Gamble and Walter Mathau as Dennis and Mr. Wilson, respectively. Mason Gamble was one of the more talented child actors to grace the screen at the time- if you're able to see more than a 'cute kid' and listen to his inflection, he's actually pretty funny. Mathau, of course, is Mathau and brilliant. It's somewhat annoying that the film decided to go 'PC' in portraying Alice Mitchell as a career woman, but other than that, the casting of the parents and Martha Wilson was perfect. The musical score was also excellent- whimsical, nostalgic, without coming across as cloying.
There were only two problems with the film, but they were big ones. First, the director did not adequately develop Wilson's friendship with Dennis, which makes the end scenes seem forced and trite. The only recollection I have of Wilson even speaking civilly to Dennis before he 'ran away' was when he briefly explained why he kept his coins in a safe. Other than that, their relationship was nothing but snarls, grumbling, and apologies. Secondly, the introduction of Switchblad Sam was a typical (and oh so tired) 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). Christopher Lloyd's performance was over-the-top and distracting, taking away from what could have become a semi-classic children's film.
The highlights of the film include winning performances by Mason Gamble and Walter Mathau as Dennis and Mr. Wilson, respectively. Mason Gamble was one of the more talented child actors to grace the screen at the time- if you're able to see more than a 'cute kid' and listen to his inflection, he's actually pretty funny. Mathau, of course, is Mathau and brilliant. It's somewhat annoying that the film decided to go 'PC' in portraying Alice Mitchell as a career woman, but other than that, the casting of the parents and Martha Wilson was perfect. The musical score was also excellent- whimsical, nostalgic, without coming across as cloying.
There were only two problems with the film, but they were big ones. First, the director did not adequately develop Wilson's friendship with Dennis, which makes the end scenes seem forced and trite. The only recollection I have of Wilson even speaking civilly to Dennis before he 'ran away' was when he briefly explained why he kept his coins in a safe. Other than that, their relationship was nothing but snarls, grumbling, and apologies. Secondly, the introduction of Switchblad Sam was a typical (and oh so tired) 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). Christopher Lloyd's performance was over-the-top and distracting, taking away from what could have become a semi-classic children's film.
