- Genius Bonus: The book that Patricia helps Mimi read at the end is The Call of the Wild by Jack London.
- Memetic Mutation: The neighbor lady's scream, thanks to the Nostalgia Critic.
- Nightmare Fuel: Some of the things Mimi does are unintentionally disturbing. The various animal death scenes and the whole "staring at a naked woman" thing come to mind.
- Retroactive Recognition: Dominic Keating plays Ian, a fashion photographer.
- Romantic Plot Tumor: Most of the plot is centered around Mimi-Siku changing Michael's life, or Richard's dealings with the commodity stocks and the Russian Mafia. However, the plot completely stops for a few minutes so that Mimi and Karen can have a cute romantic scene at the pond.
- Strawman Has a Point: A lesser example happens when a frantic Richard is trying to get Karen to come out of her bedroom. Granted, he's really stressed over Mimi eating his beloved pets and hitting on his daughter, as well as the fact that the Russian Mafia is pissed off at him and on their way, but when Michael tries to talk him down by mentioning one of his own fatherly revelations, Richard has none of it, and brings up a valid point:Michael: Richard, screaming is no way to deal with a child, all right?
Richard: Oh, what? Are you suddenly Dr. Spock here? You've been a father for three days. And you're giving me lessons? That's good.
Michael: You sound like an idiot.
Richard: I'm a parent! Therefore, I'm an idiot! I have spent every day for the last twelve years worrying about my kids. About their safety, about their happiness, about their crooked teeth! [Beat] No offense, Andrew.
Andrew: None taken.
Richard: But of course, none of this means anything to you, because in the next few days, your son will be gone! - Unintentionally Sympathetic: We're supposed to hate Charlotte for being an uppity fashion designer who dislikes Mimi-Siku so much. However, from her point of view, she's just been introduced to a teenager with virtually zero social skills, who peeps on her in her bed while she's sleeping, and who lets his pet tarantula wander around freely. She does make an effort—even if a bit misguided—to befriend Mimi when she first meets him, but that niceness evaporates when he acts out of line. It also doesn't help that she seems genuinely sweet to Michael whenever the two are alone together.
- Unintentionally Unsympathetic: The movie likes to claim that it was Michael's workaholic personality that drove Patricia off and that it was his own fault for never spending time with his son, but really look at it: it only took a year into their marriage until she decided to leave out of nowhere and stay away for well over a decade, not telling him that she was pregnant with his kid at the time. After denying him the divorce, she makes a fool of him to the local people in his brief time there and then guilt-trips into bringing their son back to New York City with him. Since she raised him completely on the native Venezuelan culture while keeping him ignorant of American culture and customs (aside from being able to speak English), all of the Cringe Comedy and Nightmare Fuel Mimi-Siku causes throughout the movie is her fault.
- What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: The various scenes of animal cruelty and Mimi's zero tact with women, most notably him peeking at Charlotte while she's in bed may have some in the audience asking this question.
Both the original movie and remake are on Roger Ebert's Most Hated Film List.
