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Dennis the Menace

Play trailer Poster for Dennis the Menace PG 1993 1h 36m Kids & Family Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
28% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Mischievous Dennis Mitchell (Mason Gamble) makes the life of neighbor George Wilson (Walter Matthau) miserable with his overactive energy and inadvertent troublemaking. Because his parents must leave town for work and can't find a babysitter for Dennis, they ask George and his wife, Martha (Joan Plowright), to take care of him. But when burglar Switchblade Sam (Christopher Lloyd) breaks in to steal George's gold coin collection, he takes Dennis as a hostage, and crusty George must save the boy.
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Dennis the Menace

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Critics Consensus

Walter Matthau does a nice job as Mr. Wilson, but Dennis the Menace follows the Home Alone formula far too closely.

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Critics Reviews

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Patricia Bibby Associated Press Jun 12, 2018
What saves this movie from insipidness is an endearing performance by Walter Matthau as the cantankerous Mr. Wilson. Go to Full Review Ty Burr Entertainment Weekly Jul 7, 2010
D
Its unholy mixture of peppy sadism and pious, self-righteous sentiment comes straight from Hughes' crabbed cinematic heart. Go to Full Review Todd McCarthy Variety Jul 22, 2008
Very young children may find the numskull, by-the-numbers gags here amusing, but teens will consider this kids' stuff and adults will be pained. Go to Full Review Common Sense Media Editors Common Sense Media Aug 14, 2019
2/5
Comic strip-based comedy has peril, scary villain. Go to Full Review Malcolm L. Johnson Hartford Courant Apr 9, 2018
A kid's picture that can delight crabby adults, too. Go to Full Review Quentin Curtis Independent on Sunday Dec 7, 2017
As Dennis, the charmless Mason is a Gamble that hasn't paid off. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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John K @WQCMI May 19, 2026 Walter Matthau and Christopher Lloyd are pretty good, but they can't save this movie. I'm from the UK and had no idea there was a US version of Dennis the Menace, it was just boring. See more Diandre R @RT53139537 May 15, 2026 This is one of the most underrated kids’ movies of all time. I’m turning 38 in a few months, and this movie still makes me laugh hard. First, we don’t talk enough about how good Mason Gamble was as Dennis Mitchell. He played that role perfectly. Walter Matthau and Christopher Lloyd’s physical comedy in this movie is also top-notch. I love this movie so much. See more Bingo J. @Bingo_Jeff Mar 23, 2026 Zach would hate this movie See more Samuel H. @Samuelhaubner Jan 24, 2026 Dennis might be able to capture a whole country. See more Shoten N @Shoten Jan 12, 2026 Don't know why it's rated so low. It's such a good movie. See more Joy B. @9mr_0 Jan 6, 2026 الفلم جيد للاطفال فقط . بس خلي انتقده. الاعتماد المفرط على الكوميديا الطفولية السطحية بدون قصة حقيقية. غياب التطور الدرامي للشخصيات الشخصيات الثانوية كانت كارتونية ومابيها اي عمق وحتى الشخصيات الرئيسية كان ادائها ضعيف . تكرار النكات والمواقف بشكل مزعج . الاخراج عرض القصة بطريقة سريعة و تصوير فوضوي مع موسيقى مزعجه. مثل ما قلت هو جيد للاطفال راح يستمتعون به . See more Read all reviews
Dennis the Menace

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Cast & Crew

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Nick Castle

Director

Walter Matthau

Mr. George Wilson

Mason Gamble

Dennis Mitchell

Joan Plowright

Mrs. Martha Wilson

Christopher Lloyd

Switchblade Sam (Town Robber)

Lea Thompson

Mrs. Alice Mitchell

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Dennis the Menace

Dennis the Menace (1993) Dennis the Menace (1993) Dennis the Menace (1993) Dennis the Menace (1993) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Mischievous Dennis Mitchell (Mason Gamble) makes the life of neighbor George Wilson (Walter Matthau) miserable with his overactive energy and inadvertent troublemaking. Because his parents must leave town for work and can't find a babysitter for Dennis, they ask George and his wife, Martha (Joan Plowright), to take care of him. But when burglar Switchblade Sam (Christopher Lloyd) breaks in to steal George's gold coin collection, he takes Dennis as a hostage, and crusty George must save the boy.
Director
Nick Castle
Producer
Ernest Chambers, John Hughes, Richard Vane
Screenwriter
Hank Ketcham, John Hughes
Distributor
Argentina Video Home, Warner Bros.
Production Co
Warner Brothers
Rating
PG
Genre
Kids & Family, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 24, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 25, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$50.2M
Runtime
1h 36m
Sound Mix
Surround
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