Excellent, smart action film.

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Dennis the Menace repackaged for Christmastime has the troublesome kid tormenting elderly neighbor, Mr. Wilson (this time, Robert Wagner) during the holiday season. Although Dennis intentions are noble (he wants to bring the Christmas spirit to grouchy scrooge, Wilson), it often comes with disastrous results. Wilson's expensive stamp collection is ruined as is the front of his house when Dennis' antics, unsupervised even if well intended, cause more harm than good (the stamps were meant for sent Santa letters and there were lights haphazardly placed resulting in explosion and fire!). Couple those instances with a cookie made by Dennis (his use of kitchen foods, many of which don't quite mesh well together, included in a blender mess) that disrupts Wilson's blood pressure and an "accidentally" stolen Christmas tree meant for his home (Dennis felt Wilson's home needed Christmas spirit) further complicate matters. After an equally disastrous Thanksgiving special on stage that goes awry when Dennis lets free accidentally a chicken (he opens the cage to get it some water!), there was an insurance clause called "the Dennis clause" that says if the menace causes damage the family owes those financially harmed by him! An appeal to "Christmas Spirit" (played by a spirited and very appealing Godfrey) for helping Wilson find "Santa" (essentially the spirit of the season) leads to a brief middle-of-the-film "Christmas Carol". Innocuous, family-friendly, ooey-gooey fare is harmless and forgettable. Wagner amuses as a grumpy old-timer who Bah-Humbugs his way through the movie until he realizes that he was similar to Dennis as a child (when visiting the past), understanding that his wife truly loves the holiday (she keeps a single ornament in a drawer), and is shown that his words (the season is "S"tupid) can lead to rotting the spirits of Dennis resulting in a tragically lonely future. With Louise Fletcher as Wilson's tolerant wife (how she calmly deals with Dennis' damage to her home and husband is commendable!), George Newbern and Kim Schraner as Dennis' long-suffering but patient parents enduring numerous cost-increasing disasters thanks to their son, and Isaac Dumford as an insurance agent who benefits significantly from the damage caused by Dennis. Dumford is an antagonist with a bullying son (to Dennis, who is an itty-bitty tyke), he insists not be a "loser". Dumford's son challenges "Mitchell" (Dennis' nickname said with extra malice) to a bike race but Dennis doesn't have the "Mite-y Bike" as of yet, hoping Santa delivers this to him on Christmas morning. Almost exclusively for kids, this aims to please those about ten or younger. Maxwell Perry Cotton is just too sweet and cute, without that "problem child" mischievous edge to him, that makes him the least bit convincing as the Dennis the Menace we associate with that beloved character. Wagner gets into the part as Wilson, an oft-endangered and nervous senior just wanting to be as far away from Dennis as possible.

Isn't being six years old GREAT? You can burn down someone's house, break their wrist, sprain their neck, poison them with cookies, get them arrested for something you did... And STILL come out smelling of roses. At least, that seems to be The Moral Of The Story here. Why, this kid causes more trouble in one Christmas than his namesake from The Beano (no connection BTW) has in his entire 70 year career. And get this... He does it all WITH THE BEST OF INTENTIONS and WITH NO MALICE WHATSOEVER.He didn't mean to let the turkey out so it could cause havoc and ruin the Xmas play... he was only giving it water. He didn't mean to knock down the entire display at a local department store... he was simply trying to remove some sticky decoration from a lady's posterior. And he didn't mean to destroy Mr Wilson's expensive stamp collection... he only thought the dude had a lot of letters that needed mailing. Yet, despite all of this being admittedly innocent shenanagins, the fact still remains... the kid is a troublemaker on an epic scale. It doesn't matter if he does it intentionally or not... he should come with a health warning. Particularly around his neighbour poor old Mr Wilson.That's the whole problem here. We're SUPPOSED to feel contempt for this ogreish crank as he tells Dennis off and wants to avoid the little tearaway like the plague. Then, get an attack of the warm fuzzies as Wilson realises 'the error of this ways' later on, by ripping up the IOU for 45000 dollars that Dennis's family owes him due to the situations their miscreant had perpetuated and joining the neighbours for mulled wine and mince pies. But, guess what... I found myself 100% on the side of the alleged Bad Guy.All he wants is a quiet life. He's worked hard, he's retired... he wants to enjoy his paper and stamp collection in peace. But his selfish, blinkered wife keeps inviting Dennis round for visits... She ignores her husbands insistence he doesn't want anything to with the kid, and disaster never being far behind when the jinx turns up. Despite all the pain and misery this little terror inflicts on her better half over the course of the movie, she STILL allows him open access to commit further atrocities on her beloved till the end. The lady is a moron. A good ending would be: Mr Wilson packing his bags, and leaving his dumb wife and the tiny hellion next door, and enjoying his retirement in the Bahamas.But, nope... Mr Wilson gets a visit from an angel, who reminds him that as a boy he was very much like Dennis is now. And...? That still doesn't excuse the chaos piling up in the present. I bet Wilson was never a walking calamity on the scale of that tyke, anyway. Then, in scenes that aren't a rip-off at all from It's A Wonderful Life, we see Dennis's parents saying they'll have to sell their house... to pay for the damages caused by their errant kid. And Dennis having a tearful soliloquy about how Christmas stinks because Mr Wilson is angry at him. Finally, a vision of the future where Mr Wilson is all alone because of his bad attitude.So, let me get this straight... You let your child run off unsupervised... create arson and discord wherever he goes... and somehow, the main victim of all his anarchy (Like I said, whether intentional or not) is somehow painted as in the wrong?! Have I caught the bus to Crazytown? Mr Wilson is upset because his property is destroyed, he's ended up in the hospital TWICE and a collection he spent YEARS amassing has gone for good. What's he supposed to do? JUMP for joy? Yet somehow, in the illogical, insane world of this film... He's seen as a horrible Scrooge for getting a bit cranky at the brat who caused it all.What a load. Especially the part at the end where he APOLOGISES to the family responsible for his torture. And, get this... the last joke of the film shows Dennis running over Wilson on his brand new bike... So the 'cycle' (ha ha) will continue. But because Dennis is a cutie with dimples and a smile as wide as the ocean, and doesn't MEAN bad stuff to happen, it excuses all sins... right? Try telling that to a court when you kill the poor old fella. Which WILL happen one of these days, mark my words...3/10

He's back! Dennis the Menace Mitchell (Maxwell Perry Cotton) is about to put on a show, with his school class' Thanksgiving play. In the audience are his adoring parents, Henry (George Newburn) and Alice (Kim Schraner) as well as grouchy neighbor, George Wilson (Robert Wagner) and his long-suffering wife Martha (Louise Fletcher). But, naturally, the play doesn't go off as planned. Dennis lets the live turkey out early, for a drink of water, and the play's gal-star is allergic to feathers and starts screaming. Soon all heck breaks loose and the stage is in tatters. But, for the Mitchells, it goes from bad to worse, as they discover the school has a "Dennis clause" in its insurance plan and Henry and Alice will have to pay for the damage their son caused. Wow. Off Alice goes to a mall job as a gift wrapper, for the family needs more income to pay bills. But, having to take Dennis with her, it is not long until more havoc and damage is done. So, to keep her job, Alice arranges for Martha and George to babysit Dennis, much to the older man's chagrin. Naturally, Martha has to run to the supermarket and George naps, only to find Dennis has messed with his prized stamp collection. Uh oh. George is pretty hot and Dennis decides that his older neighbor needs the "Xmas spirit", a list his teacher compiled to make the holidays more enjoyable. This involves looking for gifts for Martha, making cookies and putting up a tree. But, at every turn, things go wrong and the Mitchells have so many bills, they fear they may to have to sell the house AND can not give Dennis the prized bicycle he covets for Christmas. But, can Mr. Wilson have a change of heart, especially after a visit from a Christmas angel? All right, this film may not be perfect but, I still found it good holiday entertainment, made for those kiddies who need help to pass the time until the big holiday arrives. Wagner, long a leading man hearthrob, is very nice as the grouchy Wilson, with Fletcher complimenting him well as his kinder wife. Cotton is as adorable as they come, although perhaps more innocent than mischievous. Newburn is one very handsome, kind father figure, hope he pops up in more films soon, and Schraner is also lovely in her understanding-mother role. The film, most likely on a lower budget, has nice sets, costumes, and camera work while the storyline, which is a heavy borrower from other flicks, is certainly lively enough to please most everyone. All in all, if you are looking for a good holiday film for your loved ones, this is one to consider.

Dennis is inspired by a classroom lecture about Christmas celebrations, and goes on a reckless rampage of "well-intentioned" destruction. Don't expect the exuberant Dennis who touches adult hearts with his ingenuous spirit. Expect a misguided kid whose ill-conceived crusade involves trespassing, persistent obsession, vandalism, and ignoring warnings. Aimed at three year old kids with a slapstick approach, the violent accidents are supposed to be funny and cute. They're neither.Dennis's parents do nothing, as the kid marks a "checkoff" list of good deeds to "help" Wilson. One fiasco after another. Damage, destruction, injury. Then he tries another item on the list. Damage, destruction, injury. Then another. Damage, destruction, injury. And on and on. No jury in the world would convict Wilson if he bought some pit bull attack dogs to devour this little psycho next time he sneaks on to the property. And then blow up the Mitchells' house. Anyhow, the story then throws in a weakly contrived "Christmas Carol" sequence in for a moral tag. In spite of a hopeless script, the cast all do a pretty decent acting job. You may not notice the actors by this time though; you'll be too busy rolling your eyes. Uses the Dennis moniker, but it's really a thinly disguised cheap rip off of Home Alone.