Dennis the Menace (1993) on Netflix
Five-year-old Dennis Mitchell is a source of mischief for George Wilson, his next door neighbor. When his parents travel, Dennis stays with the Wilsons, and the thief Switchblade Sam arrives.
- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb5.7/1069,947 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes28%
Trailer
Plot summary
Dennis Mitchell is five years old and a constant source of mischief, above all to George Wilson, the retired man next door. Dennis's parents, Henry and Alice, both go out to work, and he spends his days with Joey McDonald and Margaret Wade while his dog Ruff follows him. The children repair an old treehouse in the woods, and the thief Switchblade Sam comes to town. When business trips call Henry and Alice away, Martha Wilson is the only person willing to take Dennis in, which infuriates her husband.
Cast
- Kellen Hathawayas Joey
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Dennis the Menace (1993)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Matthau had originally planned to stay aloof from Gamble because Mr. Wilson does not like children, unlike Matthau, but this was abandoned on the first day of filming when Gamble immediately recognized him as Mr. Wilson, ran into his arms and started showing him affection.
- According to Matthau, Christopher Lloyd's performance as Switchblade Sam was so terrifying that it frightened one of the child actors, who could not work for two days after.
- Mason Gamble won the role of Dennis Mitchell after beating a reported 20,000 children who had auditioned for the part.
- Mason Gamble received a nomination for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star at the 14th Golden Raspberry Awards, but won Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Motion Picture: Comedy at the 15th Youth in Film Awards.
- Production president Terry Semel wanted Tim Burton to direct the film, but executive producer Ernest Chambers, a longtime friend of Ketcham, rejected the idea and hired John Hughes as writer and producer, based on his work on the Home Alone films.
- Hughes hired Patrick Read Johnson to direct the film after seeing Spaced Invaders, but Johnson left after having "creative differences" with Hughes, and Nick Castle was hired to replace him.
- Don Rickles was announced as replacing Matthau in the role of Mr. Wilson, a move that may have spurred from the lack of confidence that Warner Bros. felt in Grumpiest Old Men following the underperformance of My Fellow Americans, a film from which Matthau withdrew for health reasons.
