Dennis 2: Dennis Strikes Again!

the first one was so cute. not one of the original actors returned for the sequel. it really doesn't even have a plot. there's nothing likable about rickles' mr. Wilson, unlike the walter matthau character in the original. and the dennis character can't hold a candle to the first! the 2 crooks in this are just plain silly. betty white is fine as mr.s Wilson, but we don't even get to know her. and the characters of dennis' parents are so wooden, they could have just used cardboard cutouts instead. the margaret character was just plain silly. i don't even know why they wasted their time to make a sequel. please don't waste your time with this stinker.

I really liked Dennis the Menace with Mason Gamble and Walter Matthau, the Switchblade Sam subplot aside. It was entertaining and cute and Matthau was just brilliant. I was expecting this sequel to be terrible. To my surprise, it wasn't, but it was rather mediocre still.

The costume and set design are not too bad, in fact it is colourful, while the camera angles are quite good too. Don Rickles does do a worthy job replacing Matthau, and Betty White is good value as Martha. The music was also okay at best.

Though I wish I could say the same for the script and story, but I can't. The script and dialogue are not really that funny and come across as childish, while some of the gags are predictable and poorly timed. The story is thin and not always that well thought out, while the direction is lacklustre, the film is too rushed for my liking and is too short. Some of the actors do good jobs, but the characters are not so easy to relate to, they are not very well written at all and come across as silly. Dennis is annoying to me this time around in alternative to cute and funny, while the less said about Margaret the better.

Overall, the film is not terrible, but it is rather mediocre. 4/10 Bethany Cox

I must admit, I liked this direct to video film. George Kennedy and Don Rickles are fun to watch in this movie. The good thing is Dennis is not an obnoxious, disgusting kid who's obsessed with gross pranks and such. Instead, one annoying thing Dennis does during the movie is turn carwashing soap into cotton candy. Not necessarily funny, but at least I can keep down my meal while watching the movie. Of course that is until Carrot top comes into view in the film. The film features Golden Girl alumnus Betty White as Mrs. Wilson, and some other people you've never even heard of before. How exciting! HUH? HUH???

What can I say, I loved the original and though Walter Matthau is somewhat missed, Don Rickles does a fine job of replacing him. Unlike most films where you can't stop thinking about how much better the original actor would have been, you start wondering who's better: Matthu or Rickles?

Not as funny or sweet as the original but still worth a peek.

3/5 stars -

John Ulmer

This is a cute, good-natured take on the Dennis the Menace story. You have vivid cinematography and appropriate directing/editing, some fine veteran actors doing their bits with utter comic professionalism, and amusing situations. It is all light-hearted, the villains are simply played for laughs (they could have given the Carrot guy more to do), and Don Rickles manages to keep his hammy tendencies under control. To take this seriously or think this is anything more than a vehicle for everyone to have fun is to miss the whole point - there is a definite place for films like this.

Most of all, it is simply nice seeing some familiar faces better known from many, many other roles and venues just buckling down and giving amusing performances that are just right for the characters. Come on, where else are you going to see ol' Don Rickles leap off a diving board or hang from a roof or have a hockey puck stuck in his mouth?

Kids (at least the ones I know) enjoy the Walter Matthau version, and they should this one, too. It is a family show that showcases the adorableness of all involved with tongue-in-cheek shenanigans and knowing silliness. Personally, I think Rickles is better suited to the Wilson role simply because he is inherently hammier and better supplied with expressions of pain and frustration (which are called for constantly in this role). The Matthau version was fine, too, just a little less saccharine and clearly intended for theaters. This no doubt intentionally plays like a tv movie, but a very good one.

A classy production in the Disney channel mold with no pretensions, perfect for family viewing.