15 Movies You Loved As A Kid (That Are Actually Terrible)

4. Dennis The Menace

Dennis The Menace
Warner Bros.

Would anyone even remember this adaptation of the iconic comic character if not for Walter Mathau's needlessly committed performance as Mr. Wilson?

As a kid, it was easy to identify with the title character (Mason Gamble) and get invested in the breezy sense of adventure, but watched in adulthood, Dennis the Menace is both annoying and honestly a bit queasy.

First and foremost, Gamble's relentless shouting is more painful to the ears than it is endearing or cute, and Christopher Lloyd's possible-paedophile villain just feels tonally out-of-sync with the rest of the film.

It gets +1 for an hilarious, subtle joke about Dennis' parents having sex, but outside of Mathau's performance, this falls incredibly flat as the rambunctious comedy it so desperately wants to be.

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Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.