Review of Adventures in Babysitting (1987) by Johnny T — 11 Jun 2014

After scripting such 80s mainstays as Gremlins and The Goonies, Chris Columbus made his directorial debut with this easy-to-take effort that primarily benefits from a charming performance by Elisabeth Shue. The movie's verve and energetic cast do much to rescue the film from its own faults: the clumsy dialogue mixed with the clever, and the jokes that fall flat among terrific ones. Adventures in Babysitting firmly establishes Columbus' unique brand of family-friendly entertainment with a decidedly irreverent edge. There's nothing earth-shattering or wholly original about Columbus' directorial debut that rocked mid-1980s Hollywood. Adventures in Babysitting is a classic "road picture" populated by unique tertiary characters and wacky mixups. By the end of the film, I'd had a couple of real laughs and a few interesting moments, but that was about all. This is really just innocent material with a tendency to flout basic guidelines and stray from the perimeters of believability. Adventures in Babysitting might not be a great movie, but it's a damn entertaining one that has managed to stand the test of time rather beautifully all the same.

VERDICT: "In The Zone" - [Mixed Reaction] These kinds of movies are usually movies that had some good things, but some bad things kept it from being amazing. This rating says buy an ex-rental or a cheap price of the DVD to own. If you consider cinema, ask for people's opinion on the film. (Films that are rated 2.5 or 3 stars).