| Director | Paul Flaherty |
|---|---|
| Genre | comedy film |
| Runtime | 90 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $19 million |
| Box office | $7.4 million |
At a Catholic school in 2050, elderly priest Father Clifford Daniels catches a boy named Roger attempting to run away after blowing up the gym because he was not allowed on a basketball team, as his parents forbid Roger from partaking in any contact sports. To dissuade Roger from running away, Clifford tells the boy a story of his own youth, stating that "when people like you and I get frustrated, it can cause a lot of damage".
As a 10-year-old in the 1990s, Clifford is a troublemaker who never lets go of his toy Brachiosaurus named Steffen and is obssessed with visiting Dinosaur World, a theme park in Los Angeles. While flying with his parents to Honolulu on his father Julian's business trip, Clifford intentionally causes the pilot to make an emergency landing in Los Angeles and is subsequently banned from the flight.
To be able to resume the trip, on a suggestion by Clifford himself, Julian phones his brother Martin to have Clifford temporarily stay with him. Martin accepts, thinking this as the perfect opportunity to prove to his fiancée Sarah Davis how well he interacts with children, unaware of Clifford's antics. Upon their reunion, Martin reveals to Clifford that he designed Larry the Scary Rex, a Dinosaur World attraction, and thus can get into the park free of charge. Martin promises to take him there, but has to break it the next day when his boss Gerald Ellis orders Martin to redesign his plans for the city's public transit system in two days. At a gas station, Clifford attempts to sneak away by posing as someone else's son in a dinosaur costume, but Martin catches him. As a punishment, Martin tells Clifford the Dinosaur World trip is canceled.
Enraged, Clifford humiliates Martin during Sarah's parents' wedding anniversary with several pranks, culminating in Martin's arrest after Clifford calls in a fake bomb threat to city hall, made from mixing audio of Martin's previous scolding with an answering machine. Released on bail, Martin scolds him again, insisting that he write a confession to the police. Clifford later tricks Martin into catching a train to San Francisco, where Sarah has traveled on the request of Ellis attempting to seduce her. Back at Martin's home, Clifford throws a party for strangers in exchange for a trip to Dinosaur World. When Martin returns home, he boards an already (self) tied-up Clifford up in his room; Sarah later frees him and takes him with her. As Martin arrives late to Ellis's presentation of the new transit system, the city model, rigged by Clifford, explodes, costing Martin his job.
A now psychotic Martin kidnaps Clifford and takes him to Dinosaur World after closing hours, and makes him ride Larry the Scary Rex. After going through it once, Clifford seems to enjoy himself, so Martin increases the ride's speed repeatedly. When set to hyper speed, the ride malfunctions and Clifford's cart crashes, leaving him dangling above the jaws of a robotic dinosaur. Martin rants about what Clifford's antics have cost him, but he eventually risks his life and rescues him. Clifford apologizes, but Martin will not hear it, and calls him a force of destruction that eventually everyone gets to hate.
Father Clifford tells Roger how he was devastated to hear those words, and how it forced him to see the error of his ways ("If you destroy everyone who stands in the way of your dreams, then you'll end up alone with no dreams left"). He had sent 287 apology letters to Martin, which were returned unopened. When Roger asks about what happened to Sarah, Clifford reveals that she and Martin were married, and he was invited as the ring bearer. Through a gesture from Sarah, Martin finally forgives Clifford and gives him a kiss on the head.
Moved by the tale, Roger decides to write 287 letters asking for forgiveness. Father Clifford takes Steffen out of his pocket, saying "Mission accomplished, old friend."