Movies Like Problem Child (1990)

Problem Child is a 1990 comedy, family film from Dennis Dugan with a MovieMagicScore of 6.2/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Problem Child 2 and Problem Child 3.

Comedy Family

Problem Child 2

1991

Junior and his father, Ben, move from Cold River to Mortville. Junior becomes threatened by Ben's desire to date again and find a new mother for Junior, and sabotages each of his dates.

5.9

MagicScore

Problem Child 3

1995

Now a pre-teen, Junior has fallen head over heels for a classmate who doesn't even notice him, but does notice three other boys – a child star, a hockey player and a Boy Scout – who are rivals to Junior. This means war!

4.7

MagicScore

The 'Burbs

1989

When secretive new neighbors move in next door, suburbanite Ray Peterson and his friends let their paranoia get the best of them as they start to suspect the newcomers of evildoings and commence an investigation. But it's hardly how Ray, who much prefers drinking beer, reading his newspaper and watching a ball game on the tube expected to spend his vacation.

6.8

MagicScore

The Saratov Approach

2013

An inspirational true story. On what seemed like any other day, Elders Travis Tuttle (Corbin Allred) and Andrew Propst (Maclain Nelson) are approached by Nikolai (Nikita Bogolyubov) to teach a friend. But then the missionaries experience the unimaginable - they are kidnapped, beaten, and held for ransom. While their families, friends, and the world pray for their safe release, Tuttle and Propst are tested physically, emotionally, and most of all spiritually.

6.1

MagicScore

Abigail

2024

A group of criminals kidnap a teenage ballet dancer, the daughter of a notorious gang leader, in order to obtain a ransom of $50 million, but over time, they discover that she is not just an ordinary girl. After the kidnappers begin to diminish, one by one, they discover, to their increasing horror, that they are locked inside with no normal little girl.

6.7

MagicScore

Ruthless People

1986

Sam Stone hates his wife Barbara so much that he wants her dead. He's ecstatic when she's taken by a duo of kidnappers who want $500,000 ransom in exchange for her life. Fully intending to ignore every one of the kidnappers' demands in the hopes that they do him a favor and murder her for him, the two confused kidnappers have to figure out how they're going get their money, and what they're going to do with the overbearing Barbara.

6.6

MagicScore

Fargo

1996

Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!

7.8

MagicScore

Home Alone

1990

Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister makes the most of the situation after his family unwittingly leaves him behind when they go on Christmas vacation. When thieves try to break into his home, he puts up a fight like no other.

7.4

MagicScore

Dirty Harry

1971

When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

1992

Instead of flying to Florida with his folks, Kevin ends up alone in New York, where he gets a hotel room with his dad's credit card—despite problems from a clerk and meddling bellboy. But when Kevin runs into his old nemeses, the Wet Bandits, he's determined to foil their plans to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve.

6.8

MagicScore

#11

Home Alone 3

1997

9-year-old Alex Pruitt is home alone with the chicken pox. Turns out, due to a mix-up among nefarious spies, Alex was given a toy car concealing a top-secret microchip. Now Alex must fend off the spies as they try to break into his house to get it back.

5.3

MagicScore

#12

Home Alone 4

2002

Kevin McCallister's parents have split up. Now living with his mom, he decides to spend Christmas with his dad at the mansion of his father's rich girlfriend, Natalie. Meanwhile robber Marv Merchants, one of the villains from the first two movies, partners up with a new criminal named Vera to hit Natalie's mansion.

4.5

MagicScore

#13

Momo

1986

Momo is a young orphan girl who lives in the ruins of an old Roman amphitheater and becomes friends with everybody in the neighborhood. But when a powerful international corporation starts stealing everybody’s time, nobody has any time left for her, let alone their friends or families. Momo, together with Master Hora, the custodian of time, are the only ones who can go up against the time thieves before all is lost forever.

7.0

MagicScore

#14

Fear City: A Family-Style Comedy

1994

A second-class horror movie has to be shown at Cannes Film Festival, but, before each screening, the projectionist is killed by a mysterious fellow, with hammer and sickle, just as it happens in the film to be shown.

7.5

MagicScore

#15

Ransom

1996

When a rich man's son is kidnapped, he cooperates with the police at first but then tries a unique tactic against the criminals.

6.7

MagicScore

#16

Ilo Ilo

2013

During the late 1990s, a busy working-class Singaporean couple hires a Filipino woman as a maid and nanny to their young son.

6.9

MagicScore

#17

Julia

2008

An alcoholic becomes involved in a fellow A.A. member's plan to kidnap her young son from the boy's wealthy grandfather.

6.7

MagicScore

#18

Woyzeck

1979

Having fathered an illegitimate child with his lover, Marie, feckless soldier Franz Woyzeck takes odd jobs around his small town to provide some extra money for them. One job is volunteering for experiments conducted by a local doctor, who puts Woyzeck on a diet of peas. This serves to drive him close to madness, and the discovery that Marie is involved in an affair with the local drum major exacerbates the situation. Pushed too far, Woyzeck resorts to violence.

6.6

MagicScore

#19

The Little Princess

1939

A little girl goes in search of her father who is reported missing by the military during the Second Boer War.

6.6

MagicScore

#20

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot

2024

Led by Donna and Reverend W.C. Martin, 22 families from a rural Black church in the small East Texas town of Possum Trot adopt 77 of the most difficult-to-place kids in the foster system and kickstart a movement in the process.

7.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Problem Child?

The top films similar to Problem Child by MovieMagicScore are Problem Child 2 (5.9), Problem Child 3 (4.7), The 'Burbs (6.8). Each shares comedy/family themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Problem Child worth watching?

Problem Child holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.2/10 from 878 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Problem Child?

Problem Child (1990) is a comedy, family film directed by Dennis Dugan, starring John Ritter, Jack Warden, Michael J. Oliver.

Where can I find more recommendations like Problem Child?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more comedy recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Problem Child 2 Movies like Problem Child 3 Movies like The 'Burbs Movies like The Saratov Approach Movies like Abigail Movies like Ruthless People

About movies like Problem Child

This ranked list pairs Problem Child (1990), a comedy and family film from Dennis Dugan, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of John Ritter take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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