Andrew (24)
Dave Enkosky (15)
Wayne (13)
Pete (12)
Mike (11)
Sir Phobos (11)
Andy (9)
justin (9)
Lauren (8)
Fitz (7)
Thanks to Heather’s Top Ten Movie Prostitutes, I’ve had Elisabeth Shue on the brain. Turns out Ms. Shue has a birthday in a couple of days, so what better reason to revisit another of her iconic roles?
After accepting an unwanted babysitting gig, the sitter’s friend calls begging them to come into the city. The sitter and the three kids are en route when they run amok of a pair of thugs and are taken on a wild chase through town.
Wait. That’s the synopsis for Jonah Hill’s upcoming film, The Sitter, which touts the tagline “Where No Babysitting Movie Has Gone Before.” Except Adventures in Babysitting‘s Chris Parker (Elisabeth Shue) has already been there, done that, and done it rather well.
When her beau, Mike (Bradley Whitford), bails on their anniversary dinner, Chris agrees to sit for the Andersons’ Thor-obsessed little girl, Sara (Maia Brewton). Sara’s older brother, Brad (Keith Coogan), is crushing hard on Chris and disses his bud Daryl (Anthony Rapp) in favor of sticking around. No sooner than Chris arrives her friend, Brenda (Penelope Ann Miller), calls, afraid for her life at the bus station in downtown Chicago. Chris loads Sara, Brad and now Daryl into her mom’s station wagon and heads out of the suburbs. One flat tire and a jealous tow truck driver later, the four find themselves running from car thieves and running out of time to make it home before the Andersons.
Adventures in Babysitting is a fun, fast-paced comedy that flows smoothly from one outrageous scenario to the next. This is helped by the soulful music, which pairs well with the suburbanites’ antics and is often inserted into the moment. In the opening Chris shakes her groove thang to the Crystals’ Then He Kissed Me. Later she’s forced to belt out her babysitting stresses alongside blues man Albert Collins. Even later she finds the time to dance with clean-cut college guy, Dan (George Newbern), to a slow jam performed onscreen by Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes.
Babysitting doesn’t just feature musical cameos. Vincent D’Onofrio makes a brief, but satisfying appearance as Chris’s final obstacle to reclaiming her mother’s wagon. Watch closely and you’ll notice Chris Columbus uses his directorial debut to hock one of his successes as a writer, Gremlins.
The bizarre and random chain of events works largely because of the actors’ performances. The exasperated Chris, the fearless Sara, the chivalrous Brad and the dickish Daryl are totally believable, even if their predicament isn’t. Columbus also keeps the pace snappy by interspersing the troubles of Chris and Company with the fish-out-of-water hijinks of the stranded Brenda. Those snippets feature my second favorite line, “You slip me the cash, I’ll slip you the wiener.”
Great dialogue, direction and acting come together to make Adventures in Babysitting a classic. The upcoming film, The Sitter, does not even acknowledge the greatness that has come before. For that insult, I’d like to quote Chris Parker, “Don’t fuck with the babysitter.”
Twitter: callmesirphobos
October 4, 2011 3:16 pm
God, it’s been years since I’ve watched this, and I own the DVD. I should dust it off.
I don’t even remember all the dance/musical stuff. Or the D’onofrio Thor cameo (I’m assuming that’s what it was). I remember it being in a parking garage?
Good stuff. Time to rewatch.
Twitter: waywardjam
October 5, 2011 6:39 am
I only remembered Shue’s opening dance stuff, but all the other musical moments really stuck out this time. Yep, D’Onofrio was “Thor” and was in a garage.
Enjoy the rewatch!
Twitter: manilovefilms
October 4, 2011 3:34 pm
Not gonna read this just yet. I have a question. I see your 4-heart rating, but this is another 80s “classic” I never saw. Do I neeeed to – is it really that good? I get the feeling that it will be much more dated than most and I won’t care for it much at all.
Twitter: callmesirphobos
October 4, 2011 3:49 pm
If I remember correctly, the action shot on the cover….happens in the movie. How effective it is, well, I don’t remember.
Twitter: waywardjam
October 5, 2011 6:50 am
That action shot doesn’t exactly happen like that, but the basic idea is there for one of them. They all get to do a little tightrope walking in one scene which is fun.
Dylan, I do think it’s one of those “you would have loved it when you were twelve,” but it does have some great comic moments. Bradley Whitford plays the douchey boyfriend to a tee.
Twitter: manilovefilms
October 4, 2011 9:50 pm
Nice – Whitford is quite good at playing a douche, that’s for sure.
I’ll give it a try some time. I’m trying to fill out all of my “classic 80s” holes, and this would seem to be one of them, so in due time…
Twitter: waywardjam
October 5, 2011 6:53 am
Yes, Whitford is a goto douchebag.
It held up better than I anticipated. I wavered b/w 3 1/2 and 4 hearts, but the dialogue and actors took it up a notch. It’s no Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but I’d compare it to Uncle Buck or The Burbs. A bit dated and silly, but still worth viewing when you’ve got a free afternoon.
Twitter: heather_kenobi
October 5, 2011 12:12 pm
Not dated. Cheesy in the same way as Masters Of The Universe, etc. Stuff that might have been cool (or even cringe worthy) back when I was a kid has a different kind of entertainment now. I can laugh at the dumb stuff and smile at the nostalgia of the generation it represents so well. Definitely watch, the worst case scenario is an absolutely adorable Shue in it, and that won’t hurt your eyes……or any other part of your anatomy.
This is one of my favorite films of all time. Can we talk about the fact that the irritating red head in this film is played by the soon-to-be-famous Anthony Rapp?? Anthony Rapp, people!
Twitter: manilovefilms
October 4, 2011 9:49 pm
Are you saying that Rapp is soon-to-be-famous now or was soon-to-be-famous then? Of course, in either case, I would likely disagree.
Sure, he went on to Dazed and Confused and Broadway, but I’d say he’s famous (and known) only to a select few.
Twitter: waywardjam
October 5, 2011 6:56 am
I was surprised when I saw Rapp was the annoying little punk! Guess I only really thought of him as the Broadway actor from Rent.
I meant that he was soon-to-be-famous at the time of the film, and I’d argue that he’s done pretty well for himself. One iconic role is enough–and he IS Mark from “Rent” to me.
Twitter: heather_kenobi
October 5, 2011 12:09 pm
There’s some common thread of cheesy teenage movies with kids and the hot female lead that is just undeniable. I feel exactly the same way about “Don’t Tell Mom, The Babysitters Dead”. I could watch this and that on repeat for a week and never get tired of either of them. I dig it, and thanks for the shout out to my hoes and tricks Wayne.
Twitter: waywardjam
October 5, 2011 1:25 pm
You’re very welcome. After all, hoes and tricks need love too.
I love that Keith Coogan is in both babysitter movies. Seems almost a requirement that The Sitter should have him make a cameo. You can bet DTMtBD will make an appearance here before long.
Twitter: MarkusWelby1
October 5, 2011 5:43 pm
I remember this for being the first film ever to showcase the mighty Thor on film!
Twitter: waywardjam
October 11, 2011 7:17 pm
No offense to D’Onofrio, but Hemsworth looks better as a blonde God of Thunder.
Twitter: callmesirphobos
October 11, 2011 7:49 pm
Careful there. D’Onofrio will wear you like an Edgar suit.
Twitter: waywardjam
October 11, 2011 8:12 pm
Ha! Good point. I wouldn’t want him to string me up and torture me in his bizarre yet stylish dreamscape either.
Twitter: callmesirphobos
October 11, 2011 8:41 pm
True. I would prefer to not have my intestines slowly unraveled like a garden hose.
Tarsem did that one, didn’t he? I’ve had the Blu-ray of The Fall sitting in my collection forever, but I haven’t popped it in yet.
Twitter: waywardjam
October 12, 2011 12:55 pm
He did. The Fall is beautiful and much more engaging than The Cell.
I love Adventures in Babysitting. Elizabeth Shue is amazing in that film. I wish she was in more movies, but none of her performances comes close to the one in this film (except maybe her underrated turn as Jennifer in Back to the Future Part II). Chris Columbus proved with this film that he could be a top-notch director, though unfortunately his career has been spotty. I’m glad to see you giving this movie a moment in the sun.
filmverse.wordpress.com
Twitter: waywardjam
October 11, 2011 7:39 pm
I love Shue and wish she’d work more often. Gotta agree with you on Columbus; he’s done some great films and a few that I don’t ever want to see again.