There's a scene in PROBLEM CHILD 2 where Junior Healy, the little terror who wreaked havoc in the original PROBLEM CHILD, happily volunteers to refill the lemonade pitcher of several children trying to earn a few pennies selling the beverage at a small-town social event. Junior urinates in
the pitcher and returns it, filled with sparkling ice cubes, to the unaware children who, in turn, sell a glass of the stuff to an equally unsuspecting town father. Oliver lets out a devilish giggle as the poor man gulps down the concoction. This "inspired" moment is typical of the level of humor
perpetrated by the filmmakers throughout the film.
Picking up where the original left off, this sequel finds Junior (Michael Oliver) and his hapless father Ben (John Ritter) arriving in a new town; presumably, the town where Junior and his dad previously resided threw them out. A cruel, sadistic little monster, Junior is barely settled in his new
surroundings when he finds some damage he can do. One of Junior's more spectacular accomplishments is his innovative adjustment of the mechanism that propels the tilt-a-whirl amusement park fun ride. He turns up the speed and causes the petrified riders to puke all over each other--in grotesque
chain reaction--which causes the gawking crowd surrounding the ride to vomit tidal waves of recently consumed hot dogs, Cracker Jack and soda pop. For more fun, Junior sets off sticks of dynamite in the local grade school toilets, causing one bare-bottomed teacher to rise abruptly to the occasion
as the explosive discharges.
It seems that nothing is too mean, vicious or far out for Junior to attempt. Does he ever get what he really deserves in the end? You bet he doesn't! Some films are immoral, others are gross, while still others are shamelessly violent or uninhibited. A few features have been fairly vile, perhaps
even downright depraved, but this one manages to encompass all of the above.
Even more dreadful than its genuinely trashy predecessor, PROBLEM CHILD 2 is a morally bankrupt film totally lacking any artistic merit. Produced by Robert Simonds and directed by Brian Levant from a screenplay by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, this venture stands alone as a shining
example of unmitigated gall. Apparently the money to be made off this messy movie was too appealing for the likes of John Ritter, Laraine Newman, Jack Warden and others to pass up. Here's hoping there won't be a "Problem Child 3." (Violence, sexual situations.) leave a comment
