TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews I'm strongly considering starting a petition to introduce some kind of penalty for casting Nielsen and/or Lloyd in comedies if they are not going to be funny in the least. Suburban Commando and Mr. Magoo, I'm looking at you! But not directly, because that has proved a hazardous practice. And then there's of course this. It's not just those two, either; nothing in this is worth as much as a brief smirk or chuckle. Also wasted is Matt McCoy who you may remember from... uh... well... give me a minute... The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Yeah. That'll do. The three are given so little material to work with that their performances in this aren't particularly memorable, and yet they are by far the best of the bunch. It's no surprise that the kids are the worst. The girl is especially unconvincing. Having forgotten the concept of humor, the writer settles for coming up with a bunch of weird quirks(!), and hopes that it'll pass for character development, as well. Your suspension of disbelief will probably all be spent immediately when this actually asks you to swallow Tony Rosata being Leslie's son. So, you're not likely to buy the simplistic cookie-cut plot, there's no good acting, and the jokes and gags offer nothing to laugh at. Once you've watched one of these crappy, tired and bland family films, you've seen them all. Why bother? I recommend this solely to those who feel utterly compelled to take in each of these wretched things. 5/10

Amy Adler Russ and Valerie are having discussions about starting a family. The couple live in a posh apartment and run an auction business that deals with valuable collectibles. At the same time, a dedicated adoption agency owner takes a mini vacation and leaves the orphanage in the charge of his father (Leslie Nielsen). Father Harry is in the rental business and he gets the brilliant idea to "rent" some of the children of the orphanage to couples like Russ and Valerie. Harry, who becomes aware of the couple'e dilemma, offers a family of siblings for a 10 day rental period! Brandon, Kyle, and Molly move into the apartment with their temporary parents, with amusing consequences, as the new caretakers are inexperienced with kids. But, where is the possibility of a happy ending? This is a darling family film. The actors, including Nielsen as the wheeler-dealer and Christopher Lloyd as the kind apartment doorman, are all wonderful. The script is snappy and fun and the overall production values quite high. Yes, if only life could be this way! Orphaned children everywhere deserve a chance to prove that they are lovable and can give so much joy to the parents who are considering adoption. If you want to show a film to your family that is rooted in good values but is also highly entertaining, find this movie. It is guaranteed to have everyone laughing, even as their hearts are melting.

Devotchka This wasn't a particularly good movie, but it wasn't awful either. Incredibly and sometimes charmingly predictable--like a Leave It to Beaver episode--Rent-a-Kid is neither very interesting nor particularly memorable, but it's pretty harmless. It's typical made-for-TV fare, really, devoid of well-developed characters or relationships, and in the end everybody is a good guy. But it doesn't insult one's intelligence and the kids are fairly cute--unlike the typical obnoxious, irritatingly precocious brats that usually plague this sort of movie. Rent-a-Kid makes for entertainment only if you're really bored, but at least you won't feel worse about the world after having watched it.

ligbob Obnoxious Yuppies rent three kids to see if they will like being parents. Suspension of disbelief is required, of course, because in real life there is a shortage of non-dysfunctional kids to be adopted. The dad is a real jerk and the mom is very likeable. Good for kids.