Adventures in Babysitting (1987) Touchstone/Action-Comedy RT: 102 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, some violence and peril, sexual references) Director: Chris Columbus Screenplay: David Simkins Music: Michael Kamen Cinematography: Ric Waite Release date: July 1, 1987 (US) Cast: Elisabeth Shue, Maia Brewton, Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp, Penelope Ann Miller, Bradley Whitford, Calvin Levels, Vincent Phillip D’Onofrio, George Newbern, John Ford Noonan, John Davis Chandler, Ron Canada, Albert Collins, Linda Sorenson, Dan Ziskie. Box Office: $34.3M (US)
Rating: *** ½
I had such a strong feeling about the teen comedy Adventures in Babysitting that I made a point of seeing it opening day, first show. It looked funny in the previews and I still had something of a crush on star Elisabeth Shue from The Karate Kid (1984).
Basically, it’s After Hours for the teenage set. A babysitter and her three charges have a series of misadventures after getting stranded in the big, bad city (in this movie, Chicago). To put it simply, Adventures in Babysitting is one of the best teen comedies of the 80s. I still think it’s riotously funny all these years later. Everything about it works. The script, by David Simkins (The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.), is well-written and intelligent. Chris Columbus, in his directorial debut, keeps it lively and good-natured. It has this air of innocence about it. I liked it so much that I saw it a second time with my cousin and his wife at an El Paso movie theater where the crowd seemed to really enjoy it. It’s a fun movie.
After her boyfriend (Whitford, Billy Madison) bails out on their anniversary date to a fancy restaurant, high school senior Chris Parker (Shue) reluctantly accepts a babysitting gig. Originally, she was only supposed to watch 8YO Sarah (Brewton), but older brother Brad (Coogan, Hiding Out) decides to stick around after learning his crush will be babysitting.
Chris receives a frantic phone call from best friend Brenda (Miller, Kindergarten Cop) asking her to pick her up at the bus station where she ended up after a failed attempt to run away from home. The kids coerce Chris into taking them with her on what’s supposed to be a quick in-and-out trip to the city. Joining them on this impromptu excursion is Daryl (Rapp, Dazed and Confused), Brad’s sex-obsessed best friend. The trouble begins when they get a flat tire on the freeway. When they finally make it into the city, they almost immediately fun afoul of the leader (Chandler, The Outlaw Josie Wales) of a car theft ring. Chris must protect her charges from the bad guys while trying to make it to the garage where the car is being repaired.
Adventures in Babysitting is one of those movies that have a lot of good parts, but I think most would agree that the best is the scene in the blues club. Chris and the kids find themselves on stage forced to sing a number because “nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.” Hence, we get “Babysitting Blues”.
Another great thing about Adventures in Babysitting is that the kids are neither cloying in their cuteness nor totally obnoxious. They’re actually pretty cool. Sarah is obsessed with the superhero Thor; she uses up all of Brad’s acne cream to paint yet another portrait of the Norse god of thunder. This leads right into a great bit involving a garage mechanic (D’Onofrio, Full Metal Jacket) who looks exactly like you-know-who. Brad is like any 15YO boy confronted with the object of his crush. He tries to impress; she sees him as a kid. Daryl is just plain hilarious. Like all boys his age, he’s a little sex fiend. He’s the best friend that all parents dread.
One of the movie’s running gags is a Playboy centerfold that so closely resembles Chris, people think it’s really her. Guess who brings the magazine on the trip in the first place? In the lead, Shue is terrific. She’s cute and charming, but she’s no dumb blonde. Chris may be out of her element in the Windy City, a far, FAR cry from the suburbs, but she’s neither helpless nor ditzy. Ditzy would be Brenda who has her own set of experiences at the bus station, especially after her glasses are stolen and she can’t see. Miller is quite funny in this movie. Whitford excels in playing preppy jerks; he was also the nemesis in Revenge of the Nerds II which came out less than two weeks after Adventures in Babysitting. How else would you describe a character who tools around in a red Camaro with a license plate that reads “SO COOL”? The operative term here is “tool”.
Some have criticized Adventures in Babysitting for its unrealistic depiction of life in the big city. To them I say, lighten up. It’s a comedy; it’s supposed to make you feel good. We all know that a confrontation with a street gang wouldn’t end the same way in real life as it does here. It’s like the comical depiction of a massive street riot at the end of Police Academy (1984). I like that Adventures in Babysitting paints a fantastical portrait of nighttime Chicago (it was shot primarily in Toronto, but never mind). It’s still a dangerous place. The kids get chased several times by the bad guys. At one point, Sarah finds herself clinging for dear life to the side of a skyscraper. But Columbus makes it seems like a ride at an amusement park. I like that. I like that the one car thief (Levels) is an ally. I like that Chris gets help from a nice guy (Newbern, Father of the Bride) at a fraternity party. Not for one minute is Adventures in Babysitting believable, but does it need to be? No, absolutely not! Summers are made for silly teen comedies that leaving you feeling like you’ve gotten your money’s worth. I can’t think of a single negative thing to say about this movie. It’s just great!
TRIVIA TIDBITS: It’s worth noting that Adventures in Babysitting is the first PG-13 movie released by Disney or any of its divisions. D’Onofrio also appeared in Full Metal Jacket as Private Pyle that summer. Talk about two radically different roles.
