Big Dumb Movie · Big Dumb Movie Podcast Movie Reviews

Problem Child 2 (1991) feat. MICHAEL OLIVER – Episode 109

·3 hr·2 clips

Michael Oliver explains how the TV edit of Problem Child 2 removes the fart audio but keeps Gilbert Gottfried's reaction.

Cory opens with a big welcome. He, Brother Josh, and Michael Oliver sit down with Problem Child 2 like it is a special occasion, and the episode makes a point of how unusual it is for the podcast to have an actor from the movie on the mic. Cory notes that this was the sequel he watched a little more as a kid, and that sends the discussion into a mix of childhood memory and blunt movie judgment, with the panel treating the film as both a favorite and a messy blast of bratty energy. The movie's lunacy comes up fast. The hosts lock in on the fact that Junior will go as far as projecting a movie onto the side of a house, and they frame that gag as part of what makes the sequel stand out. Ben Healy has a miserable night, and the conversation follows him home into the wreckage of Junior's latest stunt before piling on with Big Ben, who shows up broke, moves in, and keeps being a problem for the rest of the story. Jack Warden gets his due. Cory talks about how often Warden seems to play a cranky elderly asshole, and Michael Oliver gets pulled into that shared memory of the actor as an angry, crotchety presence. The house gag gets a technical sidebar too, with the group explaining that the projection on the side of the house would have been added in post because of how cameras and lighting work, which leads to the funny image of extras cheering at a blank wall like it is a sporting event. The panel keeps cracking jokes. The handoffs stay loose, the tangents stay ridiculous, and they keep bouncing between specific movie details and memories of the culture around movies like this. Michael Oliver stays warm throughout. He sounds genuinely honored to be there, and the episode lets that feeling sit alongside all the profanity, nonsense, and affectionate trash-talk that makes the show work. The movie's uglier edges are not glossed over. The hosts call out how brash and insane the film is, but they do it with the kind of comic affection that comes from knowing exactly what kind of movie they are talking about. The episode ends on listener business. After the recap and the banter, the show asks for ratings, written reviews, YouTube subscriptions, and thumbs up, then signs off like a crew that knows its audience and is trying to keep the lights on.

As heard by us

A filthy, specific hangout around Problem Child 2.

Big Dumb Movie turns Problem Child 2 into a loose, guest-heavy hangout, with Michael Oliver back alongside Cory and Brother Josh for the first time.

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Why you'd press play

For a rowdy Problem Child 2 discussion with Michael Oliver in the room.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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