Runtime: 94 minutes
Directed by: Nick Castle
Starring: Walter Matthau, Mason Gamble, Joan Plowright, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Robert Stanton
From: Warner Bros.
A movie not in my wheelhouse, but it was something viewed as a 90’s in my youth. When I was even younger, there was a late 80’s cartoon based on a comic strip in the United States… yes, I learned recently that there is an unrelated UK comic strip of the same name. At the time the film was fine; there was question what I’d think of precocious children as an adult.
Well, they were precocious but the child acting was acceptable and even as a middle-aged dude there were some solid laughs. Dennis is a mischievous 5-year old who lives next door to Mr. Wilson, a grouchy curmudgeon. Of course, Walter Matthau was PERFECT, spot-on casting to play Mr. Wilson. That character made me laugh, even if sometimes he was just a jerk instead of a funny jerk.
It’s not just the interactions of him and Dennis that are the entirety of the film. Christopher Lloyd does a swell job himself as a gross, slimy villain named Switchblade Sam, a drifter & a robber. There’s a bit of peril in the third act and Dennis in danger… although just a bit, as it’s a family comedy so Dennis was a menace to Sam.
Sure, I could nitpick, but I’d feel like Mr. George Wilson for doing so. There are chuckles when Dennis is with his friends, and yes I did laugh at the slapstick moments where mayhem happened to Wilson, including more groin-related mishaps or almost groin-related mishaps! It also had several other familiar faces: Joan Plowright as the nice ying to her husband George’s yang, Paul Winfield, Lea Thompson, and much to my amusement, pre-fame Natasha Lyonne and her boyfriend Devin Ratray for a few minutes.
Randomly, it was directed by Nick Castle-yes, The Shape from Halloween-and probably the true highlight: a quality score from Jerry Goldsmith which at times did some heavy lifting. If I hadn’t seen this as a kid, my tune may be different. At times it is incredibly reminiscent of Home Alone—yeah, John Hughes wrote the script. That said, viewing this again as an adult: it’s fine and it tickled my funny bone.
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