Problem Child 3: Junior in Love
| Problem Child 3 | |
|---|---|
 Dutch DVD cover | |
| Based on |
Characters by Robert Simonds, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski |
| Written by | Michael Hitchcock |
| Directed by | Greg Beeman |
| Starring |
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| Music by | David Michael Frank |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Anthony Santa Croce |
| Cinematography | Peter Smokler |
| Editor(s) | Mallory Gottlieb |
| Running time | 84 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Telvan Productions The Robert Simonds Company MCA Television Entertainment |
| Distributor | NBC |
| Release | |
| Original release |
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| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Problem Child 2 |
Problem Child 3 is a 1995 American made-for-television film and the third and final installment of the Problem Child series. However, it sets off completely different from the second film. In it, Junior is a preteen and is in love with a girl named Tiffany. However, she does not notice him. Things take a mischievous turn when he finds out there are three other boys interested in her as well. In this installment, he is portrayed by Justin Chapman and Ben is portrayed by William Katt. Neither Annie (Amy Yasbeck) nor Trixie (Ivyann Schwan) appear in it, nor are they mentioned. Gilbert Gottfried and Jack Warden are the only cast members to appear in all three films. It neither explains how Big Ben is still rich, since his apparent new wife, LaWanda, is never mentioned, nor how Mr. Peabody went from being a school principal to a dentist. It aired on May 13, 1995 on NBC.
Plot
Junior Healy (Justin Chapman) tells a story from multiple drawings in a coloring book, and it switches to his classroom where he is told by Miss Hicks (Marianne Muellerleile) that he got an "F" for not finishing his science project, and he mentions that "it's all about sound waves", and the bell rings, causing a set of traps to trigger, and her to fall out a window. The audience is told that Murph (Eric Edwards), one of his classmates, told on him, and the principal called his dad, Ben (William Katt), prompting him to take him to get help. They meet Sarah Gray (Carolyn Lowery), a therapist who tests him, and decides that he needs some activities to do, such as boy scouts, sports and ballroom dancing. He takes this harshly, and does not approve of these options.
He is taken to a dance school, run by Lila Duvane (Ellen Albertini Dow), a tyrannical débutante, and hates it at first; then he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Ogletree), a pretty little girl recently moved to town, but Murph — who had asked him to dance with his sister, Bertha (Edwards) — informs him that three boys, the Prairie Dogs' Scout Duke Philim (Brock Pierce), the bad boy and roller hockey team's captain Blade (Jake Richardson), and the flamboyant actor Corky McCullum (Blake McIver Ewing), have already taken her. Junior tries to proclaim his love to her, but fails miserably. At school, he is given a new teacher, the tyrannical Mr. Burtis (Bruce Ed Morrow), who he traps in the same way he did to Miss Hicks at the beginning. He bites an apple and feels pain. He and Ben go to a dentist's office where it is discovered by the infamous Igor Peabody (Gilbert Gottfried) that he needs braces. Ben asks his father, Big Ben (Jack Warden), for a $5,000 loan, which leads to disappointing results.
After meeting the trio and Tiffany, he decides to start with scouting under Scoutmaster Eugene Phlim (Sherman Howard) who is Duke's father. Afterwards he decides to enter hockey which Blade is in. He gets beaten by Blade's team (a scene shows his gear flying up into the air after a critical hit, an obvious parody of the first film). He then takes part in a "Peter Pan" play, where Corky is the main star and he is stuck playing a weed. Ben meets Sarah at Big Ben's, and it is discovered that she was with Scoutmaster Phlim, and subsequently broken up with him.
When Junior comes back to get his braces tightened, he gets his revenge for his humiliation he received from them by releasing laughing gas that knocks Dr. Peabody and Nurse Kiki unconscious. They later wake up wearing braces, with her tied to the patient chair and him hanging from the ceiling fan by his.
Junior begins his plan of getting even with the three boys for tormenting him. During the hockey tournament, Junior beats everyone of the opposing team players, and strikes Blade with a puck (quickly after sticking superglue on his mask). After this, he is banned for life, and then, in the Peter Pan play, he traps Corky by distracting the janitor (Rance Howard), and pulling the rope attached to the suspension harness and crashing it down, severely injuring Corky and Lila Duvane.
After these two schemes, Junior and Ben are challenged by Duke and Scoutmaster Philm to a relay race which consists of a sack race, a tire run, a monkey bar cross, a rope climb, and a canoe race. Junior sabotages every obstacle on their side, and they win.
Duke, Blade, and Corky are all seriously injured and now scared of Junior who finally tries to spend some time with Tiffany. However, she turns out to be a rich, spoiled brat. He pranks her by tying the sash ribbon on her dress to a statue, and as she walks forward, it rips off. In her underwear, embarrassed and laughed at, she runs out crying, and Murph's sister, Bertha, blames Junior and chases after Tiffany. Afterward, he meets a nicer girl; dressed as a witch who is also wearing braces.
Like the beginning, he depicts everyone in a coloring book, and signs off by saying "So long, suckers!" as the words "The End" pop up in the book.
Cast
- William Katt as Ben Healy
Junior's kind hearted father who is in love with Sarah Gray. - Justin Chapman as Junior Healy
The avenging mischief maker, who this time is trying to be with Tiffany by pranking her other suitors. - Sherman Howard as Scoutmaster Eugene Phlim
The aggressive Scoutmaster of Prairie Dogs. He used to date Sarah Gray until she broke up with him, but refuses to accept it and jealously stops anyone else from dating her. His envy comes from low self-esteem due to in kindergarten with another kid with a deluxe box of crayons while Phlim has burnt umber. - Carolyn Lowery as Sarah Gray
A therapist and the ex-girlfriend of Scoutmaster Phlim who developed a crush on Ben Healy. - Eric Edwards as Murph / Bertha
Junior's former bully. - Jennifer Ogletree as Tiffany
Junior's crush who turned out to be not what he expected. - Blake McIver Ewing as Corky McCullum
A snooty, spoiled, and rich child star. - Brock Pierce as Duke
The son of Scoutmaster Phlim and lead member of the Prairie Dog Scouts. - Jake Richardson as Blade
A bully and the captain of a Roller Hockey team called the Weasels. - Gilbert Gottfried as Dr. Igor Peabody
Junior's archenemy who is now his dentist. He is still unscrupulous and conniving. - Jack Warden as Big Ben Healy
Ben's father and Junior's grandfather. He is an extremely selfish and mean tyrant who runs a very successful sport good store that his son works at. He treats his son like dirt and Junior's second archenemy. - Ellen Albertini Dow as Lila Duvane
A mean senior dance teacher who immediately takes a dislike to Junior. - Marianne Muellerleile as Miss Hicks
Junior's nasty teacher who left after one of his pranks - Bruce Ed Morrow as Mr. Burtis
The teacher who temporarily replaced Miss Hicks who is a meaner and stricter than her, until after another one of Junior's pranks. - Jacqueline Obradors as Conchita
Big Ben's maid - Kelli Thacker as Nurse Kiki
Dr. Peabody's mean hygienist - Rance Howard as the Janitor