Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead
by Stephen Herek
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DVD details
Actor: Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy, John Getz, Josh Charles, Keith CooganDirector: Stephen Herek
Brand: EMI
Producer: Brian Reilly
Producer: Caroline Baron
Producer: Davis Guggenheim
Producer: Jeffrey Silver
Producer: Julia Phillips
Writer: Neil Landau
Writer: Tara Ison
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Original Language); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-12-12
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Hbo Home Video
DVD Reviews of Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead
DVD Review: Huh... hmm... hmmmmm....
Summary: 3 Stars
This was a movie that my sister always watched back in its hey-day. I watched along as well since I thought Christina Applegate was purty. Hey, I was a kid back then! Who didn't find her attractive? But looking at it nowadays, I never realized the outrageous clothes the women wore. Did it really reflect that era? Not that I find the clothes to be horrendous, just absolutely... stunning and flashy, I guess. A mixture of grunge and '80s fashion. Ahh, the early nineties was such a fantastic era. Nowadays, it's dull. These are the thoughts that come to mind whenever I view this movie.
The plot snypnosis are as follows and plainly simple. Five kids are being baby-sat by a sinister old lady while their mom goes away on a trip in Australia. But early into the film, the old bag croaks on them. The kids, not knowing what to do exactly, put the woman in a foot locker (it looks like one) and dump it off at the nearest morgue or mortuary. The mother left money for them, but they find that there isn't any... they soon realized that the old lady had it with her the whole time. To gain money, the two older kids, Sue Ellen (Applegate) and Kenny (Keith Coogan), flip to decide who gets a job. Sue Ellen ends up finding a job. Kenny on the other hand has to do housework and take care of the kids... but he's a lazy bum that only "tokes it" with his other stoner buddies.
Sue Ellen gets a job at a clothing design company. She turns in a resume that's not necessarily true (who doesn't do this?) and gets immediately hired by the head honcho Rose Lindsey (played by the wonderful and beautiful Joanna Cassidy). Unfortunately, Sue Ellen runs into a competition with a co-worker named Carolyn (played by Jayne Brook). In truth, Carolyn wanted to get the position that Sue Ellen got and is not too pleased with that. Carolyn has a side-kick named Bruce (David Duchovny) and both strive to expose Sue Ellen for who she really is: a phony. Rose absolutely adores Sue Ellen and not once gets after her. She loves her too much. And Rose has a man of her own named Gus (John Getz), who unfortunately became attracted to Sue Ellen on first sight.
The kids strive to survive on their own for the summer. Naturally, they run into some problems along the way, but they manage to stick together. It's basically one of those kiddie fantasies where they can run amuck without any adults to ruin the fun.
It's good for teenagers and kids, but it may seem dated to today's standard. At times, you'll find it cheesy (can you believe that us guys ran around saying "ROCK AND ROLL!" when we're energetic and enthusiastic?) and the designs may be outrageous to some. Oh well, expect yourself to find today's style dated in a few years. The ending is of course so cliched, almost "Risky Business"-like, but still enjoyable.
The hidden gem found in this movie is change, most notably in the two older teenagers. They miraculously matured based from what they've done, especially the brother. He went from some grungy stoner to a well-attired young gentleman. And instead of completely neglecting school, he decides to continue his education and even plans to pursue college. Sue Ellen became more responsible by paying more attention to her family rather than just looks, boys, and partying. She also pays more attention to her job in the end, which also resulted in actually saving the jobs of many people and even the business.
So don't write it off as some crappy teen comedy. At least it has a better message than most teen movies.
Description of Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead
The day after Mom leaves for a summer vacation in Australia, the kid's strict babysitter drops dead. The kids decide not to tell Mom, so that they can party.Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: PG13
Street Date: 08/30/05
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
Language: ENGLISH
Foreign Film: noSubtitles: no
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: yes
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve
Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead aspires to be a cross between Home Alone and Risky Business, with Christina Applegate as an inadvertent scam artist who gets in over her head and somehow pulls it off. When her mother goes to Australia for two months, Sue Ellen (Applegate) thinks she's going to be in charge--until an elderly tyrant of a babysitter arrives. But on the very first night the old lady has a heart attack and keels over. Sue Ellen and her siblings leave the body at a mortuary, only to discover afterward that all the money their mother had left for the summer was in the babysitter's clothes. So Sue Ellen has to get a job. Thanks to a trumped-up resume, she ends up as an executive assistant at a clothing manufacturer. For a while she keeps her head above water by skillfully exploiting a friendly coworker, but her brothers and sisters are running amok at home and a venomous receptionist has it in for her at work. The role-reversal humor of Sue Ellen having to mother her siblings is unsurprising, but Applegate is unexpectedly appealing; her scenes with Josh Charles (Dead Poet's Society, Threesome) have a sweet chemistry. Joanna Cassidy (Blade Runner, The Laughing Policeman) plays Sue Ellen's boss and a young David Duchovny (The X-Files, The Rapture) is a weaselly clerk. --Bret Fetzer
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