Chris (Elisabeth Shue) is attempting to battle her way through life. She has a boyfriend who she adores, but she’s stuck babysitting, even though she may be a bit too old for that job. Now, after her friend desperately needs her help, she must endure a new fight. As she and the children she’s babysitting traverse the terrifying streets of Chicago, they must lean on one another in order to survive. These Adventures in Babysitting are unlike anything you’ve seen before.
While Adventures in Babysitting isn’t a Disney film, it sure feels like a cheesy eighties Disney production. It’s full of corny jokes, subtly crude humor, and a series of lessons to be learned by younger audiences. However, it’s honestly better than most Disney original films that were released around that time. The adventure that exists in this film is quite fun, and while there are moments of boredom or uncomfortability that exist throughout, the film as a whole is more entertaining than I had anticipated.
The crude humor is what makes Adventures of Babysitting so entertaining. Hearing the previously innocent Shue utter the word “fuck” or teenaged kids make inappropriate sexual jokes heightened what the film had to offer. I’m all for the raunchy comedy and encourage films of this nature to use it in order to attract viewers, and that’s exactly what writer David Simkins and director Christopher Columbus do here. Those aforementioned cringeworthy moments are balanced out by the comedy, and everything manages to marry quite beautifully in the grand scheme of things.
I’m honestly impressed by the acting. We all know that Shue can hold her own, and that she’s capable of conveying emotion and keeping viewers entertained, but the other, incredibly young talents manage to surprise said viewers. Adventures in Babysitting sees Maia Brewton (Sara), Keith Coogan (Brad), and Anthony Rapp (Daryl)–all still children at the time and incredibly young in their acting careers–drive Adventures in Babysitting forward and invite viewers in from the opening moments.
The cheesiness that exists in the film does lend itself to some entertaining moments, but overall it takes something away from Adventures in Babysitting. These moments are a bit too in your face, and they ultimately become far too exaggerated. Intentional exaggeration can be welcomed, but when it happens seemingly by accident it feels entirely too unnatural, forced, and underwhelming. That is how those cringeworthy moments played out in Adventures in Babysitting. Had these occurrences transpired differently the film would have been beyond okay, but legitimately good. Again, this film possesses the oddities that made Disney films appealing to younger audiences in the eighties, and while that’s great for many, viewers (like me) who struggled to find those films entertaining will likely feel the same way about Adventures in Babysitting. I’m not mad that Touchstone chose to follow in Disney’s footsteps, because, honestly, who doesn’t want to find as much success as Disney? However, I sometimes struggle to find the appeal in those types of films. With all of that being said, Adventures in Babysitting excels in terms of casting and acting (and the fundamentally hilarious vulgar humor). This film is sure to surprise expectedly underwhelmed viewers and continue to appeal to those who tend to appreciate this sort of cringeworthy escapade.
Directed by Christopher Columbus.
Written by David Simkins.
Starring Elisabeth Shue, Maia Brewton, Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp, Calvin Levels, Vincent D’Onofrio, Penelope Ann Miller, George Newberrn, John Ford Noonan, Bradley Whitford, Ron Canada, John Davis Chandler, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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