Adventures in Babysitting (PG-13)

Released July 1st, 1987, this Chris Columbus directed film opens with its star, ’80s cutie Elisabeth Shue, singing and dancing along to the classic song “He kissed me” as the credits role in a comic sans type of font, unveiling right from the jump that “Adventures in Babysitting” is at the very least going to be a fun time. My avid readers recognize three of my favorite film vices; real time stories, comedies with simple plots, and of course the ’80s, and all three are enshrouded within this gem.

High school senior Chris Parker (Shue) is getting dressed to the nines in preparation for a date with her stud boyfriend, which she bills as the eventual “greatest night of her life.” Looking beautiful, her plans are quickly dashed when Mike (Bradley Whitford) cancels the date with an obviously phony excuse. Now free, Chris accepts a job babysitting at the neighboring Anderson’s house. The Anderson children eagerly await her arrival; Brad (Keith Coogan) is a pimple conscious high school freshman with an intense crush on Chris, and Sarah (Maia Brewton) an eight-year-old rabble-rouser with an unhealthy obsession with the superhero Thor.

Chris receives a phone call from her high strung best friend Brenda (an unrecognizable Penelope Ann Miller in her debut performance) advising she is in trouble. Brenda has attempted to run away from home but is now stranded, moneyless and blind (due to the theft of her glasses) at the bus station in downtown Chicago. Brenda pleads with Chris to come and pick her up and take her back to her home in the posh suburbs of Oak Park. Chris reluctantly agrees and Brad, Sarah, and Brad’s geeky friend Daryl (Anthony Rapp) pile into Chris’ mother’s station wagon and set out for the city. The seemingly routine trip quickly goes awry when the car blows a tire on the expressway – an event that turns out to be just the first falling domino – and Chris is forced off the road into a seedy section of town.

Everyone has had plans for a perfect evening go askew, and as a result the situation Chris finds herself in is both comical and sympathetic. As her day begins she is preparing for a romantic dinner with the man she loves and just a few hours later, she and her charge are experiencing a lifetimes worth of adventures in one night. The perils include an encounter an ominous tow truck driver with a hook for a hand (John Ford Noonan), a well-intentioned carjacker (Calvin Levels), a fraternity party, a gang fight, a Blues lounge, a constantly recurring Playboy magazine, and pursuit from an organized crime boss (John Davis Chandler.)  “I don’t think you’re parents will ever ask me to babysit again.” She tells Brad, who quips “If they do, I’d ask for a buck more an hour.”

I would jump through a ring of fire to wake up in 1980. The decadence of the decade is captured in its music, style, and of course films. The primary device of this movie is a nearly impossible scenario today – the car breaks down and they have no cash. In 2013, the babysitter and each of the children (sadly the eight-year-old included) would produce a cell phone and a simple call for help would cancel the entire adventure before it even got started. In 1987, the world was a bit different.

“Adventures in Babysitting” is not “Citizen Kane” (thank God). It’s a simple comedic tale that is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. It doesn’t require in-depth analysis; it’s just merely a great movie.