Review of Problem Child (1990) by Scott M — 26 Sep 2011

I do not know if it is right to pass judgment on a film based on the first ten minutes.

I'll describe my reaction to Problem Child from what I saw.

Take the most irritating child 'actor' in Hollywood, and cast him in a film playing an obnoxious brat.

By the first commercial break, I decided 'This is rubbish', and promptly changed channels.

Does the film improve from there? Is it right to make a verdict on a a film without watching all of it?

Nineteen years later, Problem Child resurfaced on Saturday afternoon television. Against my better judgement, I taped it, then watched it.

I still hated this film.

Problem Child is classed as a 'black comedy.'.

Wikipedia has this to say about it as a genre of humor.

According to screenwriter John Truby, when black comedy is used as a basis for a story's plotline, it involves a society in an unhealthy state and a main character wanting something which, for whatever reason, is not a thing that will be beneficial to himself or society. The audience should usually be able to see this for themselves, and often a supporting character within the story also sees the insanity of the situation. The main character rarely if ever learns a lesson or undergoes any significant change from the ordeal, but sometimes a relatively sane course of action is offered to them.

Whether audiences were supposed to find the title character in Problem Child annoying or endearing in an ironic way, I do not know.

This film never got a theatrical release in my country. Instead, it went straight to video.

If you every get the chance to sample just a few minutes, you would understand why.