Adventures in Babysitting (1987)

Director:

Chris Columbus

Writer:

David Simkins (written by)

Release Date:

1 July 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

She thought babysitting was easy money - until she started hanging out with the Andersons.

Plot:

Chris Parker agrees to babysit after her "dread" date stands her up. Expecting a dull evening, Chris settles down with three kids for a night of TV...

Plot Keywords:

Bus Station | Flat Tire | Babysitter | One Night | Thor

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Elisabeth Shue	...	Chris Parker
Maia Brewton	...	Sara Anderson
Keith Coogan	...	Brad Anderson
Anthony Rapp	...	Daryl Coopersmith
Calvin Levels	...	Joe Gipp
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Dawson / 'Thor' (as Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio)
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Brenda
George Newbern	...	Dan Lynch
John Ford Noonan	...	Handsome John Pruitt
Bradley Whitford	...	Mike Todwell
Ron Canada	...	Graydon
John Davis Chandler	...	Bleak (as John Chandler)
Dan Ziskie	...	Mr. Anderson
Allan Aarons	...	Janitor #1
Marcia Bennett	...	Nurse

Also Known As:

A Night on the Town (Australia) (UK)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

UK:15 (TV rating) | UK:PG (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (Certificate #28566) | Australia:M | Finland:K-10 | Iceland:L | Sweden:11 | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2003) | UK:15 (video rating) (1988)

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Silver Screen Partners III

Trivia:

Sara wears a backpack with a picture of Gizmo on it. This is a reference to Gremlins (1984) which was written by Chris Columbus.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the scene where the car has been hi-jacked and the kids asked to be dropped off at the nearest mall and the hi-jacker says "This ain't no Boise, ID". At the time, there wasn't a mall in Boise, ID.

Quotes:

Mrs. Parker: That was Mrs. Anderson, she wants to know if you can babysit tonight.
Chris: [sees the look Brenda gives her] No, tell her I can't.
Mrs. Parker: Why not?
Chris: Because I want to sit at home and be depressed.
Brenda: Oh, sit for the Andersons, that'll depress anyone.
Chris: Mom, I'm too old to babysit.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Movin' Out (Brian's Song) (#6.2)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Bring It On Home To Me

Just a FUN movie!

Why does this movie have such a low rating on this site? This is such a good movie! Ok, I'll admit, the story is pretty odd, but it's still very good, and it's a great adventure.

All the actors do a great job in the film. Elizabeth Shue looks as beautiful as ever and does a great job as Chris Parker. Keith Coogan does a great job as well. Other notable cast members are Vincent D'Onofrio, Penelope Ann Miller, Geroge Newbern, Bradley Whitford, and Lolita Davidovich. Also, I have to hand it to director Chris Columbus, he did a superb job with this film. Amazingly enough, this was his first directorial effort too. Good job Chris! It's always good to see where directors come from, if you didn't know, he went on to do "Home Alone", "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York", "Mrs. Doubtfire", "Bicentennial Man", and "Harry Potter: The Sorcerer's Stone", just to name a few.

There are so many good things about this film! This movie's got action, adventure, and comedy. The comedy in the film is absolutely fantastic! There are a few scenes that crack me up just thinking about them. ...And there are a great number of quotable lines that everyone that has seen this movie will remember.

Anyhow, I strongly suggest you see this film! I really hope that you enjoy the film if you haven't seen it already. Thanks for reading,

-Chris