SnoopyStyle Chris Parker (Elisabeth Shue)'s big anniversary date gets canceled at the last minute by boyfriend Mike (Bradley Whitford). With nothing to do, she goes to babysit Thor obsessed little Sara Anderson (Maia Brewton). Her geeky brother Brad (Keith Coogan) is in love with Chris. His nerd friend Daryl Coopersmith (Anthony Rapp) comes over. Chris' friend Brenda (Penelope Ann Miller) tried to run away from home and is left penniless in downtown Chicago. Chris drives downtown and is forced to take along the three kids. She gets a flat tire and the adventures in babysitting begin.This is a second rate John Hughes wannabe movie. There's even a musical interlude although it's not really done right. It has the distinction of being Chris Columbus' first directing effort who would also direct similar movies like Home Alone. Elisabeth Shue is likable enough but she's not really America's sweetheart type. She's into her 20s by then and a bit too old to play a teen. It's basically a harmless kid movie playing up the suburb downtown divide. Shue is kind of broad with her naivety but there are a few chuckles.

John Wayne Landry I was 15 years old when I first watched this and while I knew even then that Adventures In Babysitting was aimed at a younger demographic like I was then,some of the content in this movie was appreciated even more by adults who had watched it.It's really a matter of individual interpretation what constitutes a great movie,but this one is actually a lot better than most give it credit for.Even though Elisabeth Shue was previously in The Karate Kid,I didn't really pay attention to her until this.She sure was a hottie then!Keith Coogan had pretty much fallen off the face of the Earth after this,Anthony Rapp has had a few projects on the go since,& I've seen Maia Brewton on an episode of The Wonder Years and appearances on a few other programs too.If you don't care to go out of your way to watch it,at least give it a chance if you're channel surfing on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Shawn Watson Adventures in Babysitting is one of those movies that all of the kids back in the day saw apart from me. No particular reason, I just never got around to it. With the new Blu-ray I figured now would be right time to catch up on what I missed.It's not a John Hughes movie, but it does have a similar aesthetic and is set in a cold, snowy Chicago (a common Hughes theme), and it's the director debut of Chris Columbus who worked with Hughes on the first two Home Alone movies. Babysitting is quite similar in that is has a bunch of kids/teens getting into all kinds of hi-jinks while evading and outsmarting crooked grown-ups.Elizabeth Shue plays Chris Parker (no relation to Jennifer Parker from BTTF) a girl who has been stood-up by her sleazeball boyfriend and ends up babysitting for a wealthy couple while they go hob-nobbing in the city. Though content to sit in the house all night she gets a frantic call from her friend Brenda (Penelope Ann Miller) who is trapped in an inner city bus station and needs rescued. Multiple detours and deviations make the rescue no easy task. I guess in this sense the movie feels a little bit like Planes, Trains and Automobiles.It's all inoffensive and good-natured, though I was surprised to hear a couple of F-bombs in there, and some of the dialogue is a little raunchy. Babysitting is no classic, but has lasting appeal and is a fun ride. Michael Kamen also provides a score which sounds like a Die Hard prototype, lending a little more weight to the adventure than would be typical. Stay watching until after the credits for an extra scene.

davidjanuzbrown There are certain films that I never tire of and this is one of them. It goes without saying that this film has everything you could possibly want in a film and more. It has a flawless cast headed by Elisabeth Shue (Chris), Maia Brewton (Sara), Keith Coogan (Brad), and Vincent D'Onofrio (Dawson). Spoilers ahead: Here is a little bit of how the film starts out. Chris who is babysitting Sara and Brad (His Friend Daryl (Anthony Rapp) also stayed over), and they had to make a trip into Chicago to pick her friend Brenda (Penelope Ann Miller), who ran away from home, and they essentially go through hell trying to pick up Brenda and get back home. Some of the things they went through included being chased down by the mob (Daryl stole a copy of Playboy that has betting information, because he saw the centerfold is a dead ringer for Chris), and ending up in in an all-black blues bar, with the rule being "Nobody gets out of here without singing the blues.", so they have to singing "Babysitting Blues", which not only the owner but all the customers get into. Finding out that the guy she was seeing, is actually a creep who instead of being sick (As he claimed), was taking another woman out to dinner. She thought it was beneath her to strike back, but Daryl did not. He kicked him in the ass, and his face fell straight into a cake. Having their car break down and have to be towed to Dawson's Garage, without enough money to get the repairs, and without the money can't get home). This is a great scene, because Sara thinks he is Thor (He looks like him), and is able to melt his heart, and he gives them a break on the price. There are about 4 or 5 other incredible scenes that I love in this movie, and there is not one wasted moment from start to finish. It goes without saying I love this movie and although I have seen thousands of films, it cracks my Top 10. Saying I give it 10/10 is redundant.