Review of Adventures in Babysitting (1987) by Andrew A — 28 Jun 2013

If it's true that there are only 7 basic types of stories then Adventures in Babysitting belongs in the 'episodic journey' genre, structured after Odysseus' voyage in "the Odyssey." Main character(s) start off with some problem that requires a trip, the trip turns out to be much more dangerous than they thought, they have a bunch of interesting encounters and meet strange people, and at the end they get what they want and usually end up solving another problem they weren't even aware of at the beginning. Yada yada. We've all seen Harold & Kumar, we've all read the Hobbit, etc.

To be honest I wouldn't have been bummed out if Elisabeth Shue's companions met the same fate as Odysseus's. At this point isn't it a beaten-to-death cliché to even point out the beaten-to-death cliché of a little kid exclaiming "THAT WAS FUN!" after a serious, life threatening ordeal? And what's with the brother character only being in movies about babysitting? I don't think I need to say much about the brothers' friend, the "I'm a fucking creep and apparently that's a source of comedy" character who once asked Shue if she would rape him. Or the carjacker with, *gasp*, a heart of gold.

But overall the movie was campy and entertaining. It doesn't take itself seriously in any way, and I've got a soft spot for non-action popcorn flicks.

3 / 5 stars. Check it out if you're bored and want to turn your mind off.