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Problem Child 2 (1991)

Published on: 24th February, 2025

A story about divorcées, a 24 year old sixth grader, terrible haircuts, and a lot of vomit.

Listen in as me and returning guest Ben look back on a film that has proven to be a core memory experience for the both of us.

Directed by Brian Levant (A Christmas Story 2, Snow Dogs) and written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Dolemite Is My Name, Agent Cody Banks), The Washington Post called the film "one bratty movie, that's nearly impossible to tolerate, much less like," while the Los Angeles Times said it was "louder and dumber, more preposterous, unfunny and pointless." I guess Ben and I are alone in our nostalgic admiration of this film...

It tells the continuing story of hell-spawn Junior (Michael Oliver) and his adoptive, and endlessly tolerant, father Ben (John Ritter) as they leave the town of Cold River behind them and head to the "divorcée capital" Mortville. There they meet new neighbors, old "friends", and a litany of horny amateur bakers. Immature humor and cartoonish violence reign supreme in this Death-Wish-for-Kids like story. Just make sure you bring your poncho to the carnival...

The film is currently available on Amazon for rent or purchase, Blu-Ray, and DVD.

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About the Podcast

Subversive Cinema
The show about the weird, whacky, and downright wrong entries in cinema history.
There are a lot of films out there, so it's only natural that a decent amount of strange content exists. These are the films we examine.

Each week, I sit down with a guest and we take a look a one of these weird, whacky, or downright wrong cinematic entries. Each of them has something about it that makes it special — I call it the "Subversive Sauce" — and that is recipe we try to break down.

Is it scientific? Absolutely not. Will you learn things you didn't know? Maybe. Might you hear about films worth checking out? Most definitely.

Tune in and see what the subversion is all about!
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About your host

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Art Hall

Art started in the podcasting ecosphere back in 2007 with the outrageous, yet short lived, scripted variety show "WBKR: Buckwilde Radio," which claimed listeners from over 20 different countries. After hanging up his headphones and heading west to move to Los Angeles, he kept podcasting in his heart but only made appearances rather than producing or hosting. It only took a global pandemic, boredom, and the pleading from his buddy, Joe, to get back into the mic booth.