Dennis the Menace

If you are after a comedy that actually makes you laugh out loud, Dennis the Menace is available in Australia on Netflix and Hoopla, and in the US on Hoopla right now. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Walter Matthau sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. Available now on Netflix — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Dennis the Menace is worth clearing space for. Dennis the Menace does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. Mr. Wilson's ever-present annoyance comes in the form of one mischievous kid named Dennis. But he'll need Dennis's tricks to uncover a collection of gold coins that go missing when a shady drifter named Switchblade Sam comes to town. The chemistry Walter Matthau and Mason Gamble bring to it does a lot of the heavy lifting. It was released in 1993. Dennis the Menace earns its laughs from character rather than situation, which is why it does not wear thin the way pure farce tends to. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Dennis the Menace is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Walter Matthau sets the tone, but the supporting cast is where a lot of the best moments come from. A reliable pick for any night you want quality comedy without the homework.