Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead

3 Comments

1. Nicoletta Carlone

   October 5, 2010 at 1:21 pm

   Review by Nicoletta Carlone for Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead
   Rating:
   I first saw this movie when I was 9 in 1991 and have liked it ever since. Christina Applegate plays a sixteen year old with slackerish older brother and other snotty syblings trying to survive while mom’s away and the babysitter croaks. To cope, she finds an ad for a fashion designer and replies with a fake resume and enters the corporate world of a fashion company. She even gets as far as having a fashion show (repleate with bad 1980’s style clothes) and getting hit on by a fellow co-worker who thinks she’s over age. She does manage time in all for a little romance of her own with a beau that drives a fast food delivery truck. To appreaciate this movie, you have to take it with a grain of salt, and a sense of humor.

   Anytime it is on TV, I will give it a watch. The plot is a little cynical but fun, but that’s what you get from a movie called Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead. I would recommend this movie for pre-teens on up as it has some adult themes.

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2. Lonnie E. Holder

   October 5, 2010 at 11:42 am

   Review by Lonnie E. Holder for Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead
   Rating:
   Thinks are looking up for the Crandell children. Mom (Concetta Tomei, “Deep Impact” and “Picket Fences”) is going to Australia for two months. Things seem like they are going to be great until a babysitter shows up. The babysitter seems like a sweet little old lady until mom leaves. The babysitter then turns into a militant, giving the children orders and rules and telling everyone that she will tolerate no infractions.

   The children can hardly believe their bad luck. Now they will be stuck with the babysitter from hell. After meeting to discuss their situation, the children elect Sue Ellen (also called Swell, played by Christina Applegate, “Married with Children”) to go speak to the old lady. Swell knocks on the old lady’s bedroom door and enters when she fails to answer. Swell discovers that one problem was solved, but another created, when she learns that the babysitter is dead.

   After another meeting of the children, they decide to take the old lady to a mortuary and drop her off with a note. Unfortunately, the children neglect to remove the money their mother left from the old lady’s clothes, as they learn after they return home. Swell and brother Kenny (Keith Coogan, who starred in another classic comedy, “Adventures in Babysitting”) decide that one of them has to get a job. A flip of the pizza box and Swell starts looking for a job while brother Kenny hangs around the house and smokes pot.

   Swell’s first job is at a hotdog place, where she gets the joy of cleaning out the grease pots. Swell decides there has to be a better job she can get, so after a little creative resume writing, she lands a high-paying job as an executive administrative assistant for Rose Lindsay (Joanna Cassidy, “Blade Runner” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”). In spite of obstacles placed in her way by a receptionist and her toady, Bruce, played by a David Duchovny before his “X-Files” days, Swell manages to excel in her job, accidentally learning to delegate and even design.

   Of course, things are not smooth sailing for working girl Swell. There is the office letch, who keeps trying to become intimate with Swell, not knowing she is only 17 years old. Swell is also trying to have a little romance of her own, with the brother of the receptionist who is trying to back stab Swell at the office. Brother Kenny is more anxious to hang out with his friends than take care of his siblings and the house. To top it all off, mom keeps calling, wondering how things are going and probably wondering why she is unable to speak to the babysitter.

   I would limit viewing to children at least 14 years old and above because of the behavior of the children. You may wish to limit viewing to an even older age for some children.

   This movie is not only good; it is a funny and enjoyable movie for adults. This movie is probably the best thing Christina Applegate has done to date outside of her continuing role on “Married with Children.” A few of the gags fall flat, but the bulk of them work, and Applegate does an excellent job of making you feel sorry for her as her dream summer becomes a nightmare, all the while laughing at the things happening around her. As a light comedy this movie works, and is one that I will watch again.

   Enjoy!

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3. Kelly

   October 5, 2010 at 11:20 am

   Review by Kelly for Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead
   Rating:
   Christina Applegate is surprisingly good in this cult classic playing Sue Ellen. After the babysitter dies from old age, she finds herself responsible for her four younger brothers and sisters for the entire summer. As much as she hates it, Sue Ellen has to get a job to support them all. When she applies for a receptionist job with a clothing manufacturer, her fabricated resume lands her a job with the chief executive. This is a lighthearted movie with many funny scenes.
   

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