Honey, I Blew Up the Kid Christian Movie Review (1992)

Guidance: Talk Together

This is a light family adventure with mild peril, slapstick conflict, and a little coarse language. Christian parents may want to talk through responsibility, wise stewardship, and how the film treats parental care and ambition.

Why This Guidance Level

This is a broadly playful PG family film, but it is not content-free. The enlarged-child premise creates repeated peril and rescue scenes, and the dialogue includes a few mild insults and rough edges. The bigger issue for Christian families is the way the story frames parental distraction, career pressure, and competence; those themes are handled comedically, yet they still give parents a real opening for discussion.

Faith & Worldview Perspective

The film values family bonds, caregiving, and the desire to protect children, but it also normalizes adult distraction and treats professional ambition as a major driver of conflict. Parents may want to discuss how Christian responsibility puts children’s care ahead of ego or career success, and how wisdom and humility matter in ordinary family life.

Truths Reflected

• Children need attentive care and protection.
• Family responsibility matters more than pride or status.

Tensions to Discuss

• The film makes parental carelessness part of the joke, even though Scripture calls parents to steady, faithful stewardship.
• Career ambition is treated as a strong motivator, which can crowd out the biblical priority of loving service.

Content & Discernment Markers

Occult & Spiritual Content

• Occult material does not stand out here. The story centers on a growth machine, lab experiments, and comic scientific mishaps rather than spiritual practice.

Sexuality & Relationships

• Sexual content is very light. There is a brief teen conversation about liking a girl and going to the movies, but nothing explicit or suggestive.

Identity Themes

• Nick’s growing interest in girls and his worry about being seen as a “nerd” gives the film a mild coming-of-age thread. Parents may want to discuss confidence, kindness, and not building identity on peer approval.

Violence & Intensity

• The main danger is comic but real: Adam is accidentally zapped and grows enormous, which leads to repeated rescue situations, chase energy, and slapstick roughhousing. The film keeps the action playful, yet the child-in-danger setup gives the story its tension. Parents may want to discuss why careless choices can put others at risk.

Language & Humour

• Language stays mild, with phrases like “Oh, man,” “little punk,” “Nerdmobile,” and “I’m sick and tired of this.” The tone is more teasing than coarse, but families sensitive to disrespectful banter may still notice it.

Other Content Notes

• The film repeatedly highlights parental distraction, babysitting logistics, daycare, and work pressure. A few lines about the playpen, the babysitter’s number, and “Hopefully they’ll tire him out at day care” underline how easily family order can slip when adults are rushed. Parents may want to discuss attentiveness and follow-through.

Notable Moments

• Playpen chaos: Wayne insists he fixed the playpen, but Adam keeps getting out, turning a simple parenting task into a running joke about adult confidence and childproofing.

  “I said I could fix it.”

• Accidental enlargement: The core incident is the toddler being zapped by the machine, which launches the whole story and creates the film’s main peril.

  “when Adam comes right up to the machine, he gets zapped along with his stuffed bunny.”

• Career pressure: The lab scenes show a scientist pushing for results while others argue over responsibility and deadlines, giving the film a strong ambition-versus-care theme.

  “Clifford Sterling demands results.”

Discussion Prompts

• Responsibility for children: What do you think the movie says about taking care of children when adults are distracted or rushed?
  • Biblical guidance: Scripture treats children as a trust from God, so parents and caregivers are called to steady, attentive care rather than casual oversight.
  • Scripture: Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4
• Humility and ambition: Why do you think the scientist keeps pushing for results, and when can ambition become a problem?
  • Biblical guidance: The Bible warns against pride and self-promotion, and it calls believers to serve faithfully rather than chase status.
  • Scripture: Philippians 2:3-4, James 4:13-16
• Wisdom in family life: Which characters make wise choices, and which ones act before thinking?
  • Biblical guidance: Wisdom in Scripture is practical and careful; it helps families slow down, listen well, and act with love.
  • Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6, James 1:5