Everyone has had a teacher, a babysitter or some other figure of authority that they found attractive (in one way or another) when they were younger. Their raging hormones and wandering minds, mixed with the attention and compassion those authority figures provide, cause romantic thoughts and feelings to begin to bud. Cole (Judah Lewis) is in a similar situation with his babysitter, Bee (Samara Weaving). Cole is what many in his school might call a wuss (they use a particularly more vulgar term--but I will be kind); he is afraid of beginning to drive, he is afraid of needles and he is afraid to confront the people who bully him on a regular basis. His babysitter has, for years, helped to keep him safe and make him feel better when others made him feel unwanted or unwelcome. Cole’s closest friend, Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind), convinces him to stay up late one night to see what his babysitter does after dark. He has no expectations, but the things he sees absolutely blow his mind. His view of Bee, himself and the world around him will be forever shaken after the events he has witnessed involving The Babysitter.
McG’s The Babysitter is the epitome of a corny teenage drama. The dialogue is horrific, the acting is impressively bad and the plot, a new and compelling kind of ridiculous. Casting director Rich Delia manages to construct a crew of misfit actors to create somewhat of a makeshift cult. This group of oddballs consists of Bee, Max (Robbie Amell), Sonya (Hana Mae Lee), Allison (Bella Thorne) and John (Andrew Bachelor--better known by his Youtube name, King Bach). Each actor portraying someone in this group has proven themselves to have the talent to survive in the difficult world of Hollywood. They clearly possess enough talent to carry a film as a lead or supporting character. Throughout The Babysitter, however, each of the five appear to fail miserably in their attempts to portray their roles. It is all clearly an act, and something about their bogus performances are endearing. They are fun, exciting and engaging in their chaotic banter and their ridiculous actions throughout Cole’s journey. Lewis is fairly new to the game of acting and is already a star. His acting is also silly, but his role requires a bit more intensity and development than the others. He shines as he attempts to compete with the other large personalities on screen. The competition ends when it becomes clear that Lewis’s talent is remarkable and he possesses the ability to do everything asked of him.
Writer Brian Duffield creates a wonderfully terrible script that is not for everyone. The audience that he is able to reach, the ones attracted to bad humor (and acting), blood and gore and jump scares, are impressed with his ability to construct such ridiculousness. Again, the dialogue that he creates is nothing short of trash, but it is engaging. Every word spoken has the ability to reach the audience and make them consider the genius behind The Babysitter. The humor, regardless of how raunchy and horrible it becomes, is entertaining. Duffield appeals to the right people and does not concern himself with those who might consider this film vile. He focuses on the people in front of him rather than trying to impress the world. He finds his niche and drives home a story of obsession and drama that finds its audience and keeps them occupied from beginning to end.
The Babysitter has all the makings of a cult classic. It possesses the right amount of humor, some emotional relevance (that leads to some attachment from the audience) and the cast has the ability to create both nonsense and intensity from beginning to end. The somewhat misfit of a cast comes together to create a truly enjoyable experience that continues to surprise audiences the further the film progresses. The film, as previously mentioned, is not for everyone, but if anything I have said about the film sparks even the slightest interest, I highly suggest you give McG’s The Babysitter a chance.
Comments