Classic Movie Review Adventures in Babysitting

Adventures in Babysitting

Directed by Chris Columbus

Written by David Simkins

Starring Elizabeth Shue, Maia Brewton, Keith Coogan

Release Date July 3rd, 1987

The 1987 film "Adventures in Babysitting," directed by Chris Columbus, remains a nostalgic favorite for many who grew up in the 80s, particularly young girls. Despite some of its outdated elements that haven't aged well, the movie's heart was always in the right place, a quality that many 80s teen comedies lacked.

The film stars Elizabeth Shue as Chris Parker, a resourceful teenager who finds herself babysitting for the Anderson family after her boyfriend cancels their date. Chris is tasked with looking after Sara (Maia Brewton) and Brad (Keith Coogan), who has a long-standing crush on Chris.

The adventure begins when Chris's friend Brenda (Penelope Ann Miller) runs away from home and calls Chris for help. Chris has no choice but to take the kids with her to downtown Chicago to pick up Brenda from a bus station. Brad's friend Daryl (Anthony Rapp) tags along, threatening to tell their parents if Chris doesn't let him join them.

On their way, they encounter a series of mishaps, including a blown tire on the expressway. The group must find a way to get their car fixed and return to the suburbs by 1 AM before the parents get home. They face various challenges, including a quirky tow truck driver, a car thief who surprisingly helps them out of dangerous situations, and even a musical number at a blues restaurant where they sing alongside the legendary Albert Collins.

"Adventures in Babysitting" marked Chris Columbus's directorial debut, and its rough edges are part of its charm. Early in his career, Columbus often explored themes of disrupting suburban normalcy with wacky adventures. Growing up in the Chicago suburbs himself, Columbus displays a fondness for the upper-middle-class lifestyle, even as he uses their experiences as a source of humor when they venture into the unfamiliar city.

While the film doesn't offer profound social commentary, it effectively uses the well-known trope of naive individuals navigating a big city they're unprepared for. The movie's strength lies in its execution, making it an enjoyable and entertaining experience. "Adventures in Babysitting" doesn't pretend to be anything more than a lighthearted and silly adventure, and it succeeds in that regard.

Revisiting the film years later, some may find that it doesn't hold up to their childhood memories. However, for others, it can still evoke a sense of childlike wonder and appreciation. The young cast appears to have had a great time, and while some of Columbus's adult humor may feel awkward or uncomfortable in hindsight, it remains mostly harmless. Most importantly, the film maintains a sense of good-heartedness.

One particularly touching scene involves Sara, the youngest child, who is obsessed with the comic book character Thor. She encounters a mechanic played by Vincent D'onofrio, who resembles her hero. When he is rude to them, Sara, believing he is maintaining a secret identity, offers him her cherished Thor helmet. It's a simple yet heartwarming scene that showcases Columbus's ability to create genuine and touching moments within a comedic context.

While the film does contain some racially and sexually insensitive elements that haven't aged well, it's important to consider the context of its time. "Adventures in Babysitting" was not intentionally malicious but rather a product of a less enlightened era.

Judged by the standards of its day, the film stands as an above-average teen comedy with a positive message and genuine laughs. It's a testament to a first-time director embracing the creative process and delivering a fun and memorable experience. "Adventures in Babysitting" may be silly and nonsensical, but it holds a special place in popular culture that many continue to enjoy and revisit.

Classic Movie Review Mrs. Doubtfire

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) 

Directed by Chris Columbus 

Written by Randy Mayem Singer, Leslie Dixon 

Starring Robin Williams, Sally Field, Mara Wilson, Pierce Brosnan 

Release Date November 24th, 2023 

Published November 27th, 2023 

I feel like our culture has gaslighted us all for the past 30 years. During this time period our culture has maintained a notion that Mrs. Doubtfire is a classic comedy about a father who will do anything to be close to his kids following a separation and divorce from his kind but worn out ex-wife, played by Sally Field. If you look at the film simply through the lens of our culture-wide love affair with the late Robin Williams, you will only ever find people who think that Mrs. Doubtfire is an untouchable comedy classic, ranking among the best family comedies ever made. 

If, however, you view the film without your rose colored glasses, Mrs. Doubtfire is a mess. This is a sloppy and ludicrous movie that stops dead repeatedly so that Robin Williams can do annoying schtick more at home on a mediocre sitcom than in any mainstream feature comedy. But, even more insidious is the bizarre notion that Robin Williams' devoted dad is some kind of hero. This is patently absurd if you actually watch the movie. I recently watched Mrs. Doubtfire for the I Hate Critics 1993 podcast and the consensus among the three of us on the show is that Robin Williams is the villain of Mrs. Doubtfire. 

I realize this is hard for some people to hear but it's true. Williams' Daniel is a terrible person. Every choice he makes, every desperate, sweaty attempt at fooling people, and all of the lying he does to cover his backside, Daniel is a villain. You can try and convince yourself that he does all of these things because he's being kept from his children, but the reality is that he could have been with his children as their father but he chose to be their friend and he chose not to be a good and caring partner to his wife. Those are the facts and I will happily lay them out for you. 

Mrs. Doubtfire stars Robin Williams as Daniel, a father of three whom we meet as he quits his job as a voiceover artist. He does it because he doesn't want to voice a cartoon in which a character is seen smoking. He's concerned about the effect of seeing smoking on kids and I sympathize with that. However, can we pause and consider the level of privilege one must have to be able to quit a good job over a moral disagreement like this? A lot of us aren't in a financial position to be able to quit a job simply because we have a minor qualm. 

So, why does Daniel feel comfortable walking out on his job? It's because his wife, Miranda (Sally Field) has a great job, a well paying job. It's a job that makes their life together with three kids possible and provides him the freedom to think he can quit his job on a whim. Quitting as he does allows Daniel time to pick up his kids from school and get home in time to throw a birthday party for his son that includes a petting zoo and dozens of kids who run around their house crawling on the furniture, throwing trash on the floor and bringing the pets from the zoo into the house. 

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media 

Classic Movie Review Adventures in Babysitting

Adventures in Babysitting (1987) 

Directed by Chris Columbus 

Written by David Simkins

Starring Elisabeth Shue, Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp, Maia Brewton 

Release Date July 3rd 1987

This weekend a minor 80’s gem turns 30 years old with little fanfare but plenty of positive memories, especially for young girls. Adventures in Babysitting is a lovely little 80’s nostalgia piece that, though some of its unintended politics haven’t aged well, the film’s silly little heart was always in the right place and that’s more than can be said about most 80’s teen comedies.

Adventures in Babysitting casts the winning and refreshing young Elizabeth Shue who gets roped into babysitting for The Anderson family after her no-goodnik boyfriend (Bradley Whitford) breaks off their date to a fancy restaurant. Having nothing better to do, Chris accepts the babysitting money to sit with Sara (Maia Brewton) and Brad (Keith Coogan), a boy two years younger than Chris and nursing a years long infatuation with her.

Read my full length review at Geeks.Media 

Movie Review Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Lightning Thief (2010) 

Directed by Chris Columbus

Written by Craig Titley 

Starring Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Uma Thurman 

Release Date February 12th, 2010

Published February 11th, 2010 

All Percy Jackson needs is a little forehead scar to complete the shadow of Harry Potter that lurks all throughout this unexceptional effort to craft another teen appeal sequel machine. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, based on a popular series of novels from an author achingly jealous of the millions raked in by J.K Rowling, even goes so far as to hire former Potter director Chris Columbus just to make sure you don't miss the connection.

Logan Lerman is the titular Percy Jackson, a gap model good looking kid rendered a nerd for the purpose of making him relatable. As we join the story Percy and his pal Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) are sitting by the pool waiting for the plot to kick in. When it finally does, Percy finds out that he is a demi-god, the long abandoned son of the god Poseidon (Kevin McKidd from TV's Grey's Anatomy).

This is revealed to Percy after one of his teacher’s morphs into a bat-winged demon and tries to kill him for stealing Zeus's lightning bolt. Zeus is played by that master of stern blandness Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings). Zeus's bolt is the most powerful force in the universe and somehow he has allowed it to be stolen by a kid who can hardly pass a 10th grade lit class. This does not speak well of the Gods.

The embarrassment and anger is likely to lead to a war of the gods unless Percy, Grover and Percy's assigned love interest, fellow demi-god Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), can find the bolt and the thief and return them to Mt. Olympus which for tourism purposes is located in the Empire State Building.

At least J.K Rowling had the inventiveness to create her own world from scratch in Harry Potter, Percy Jackson rips the work of hundreds of years for its remarkably dull characters. Drawing on centuries of stories about the gods and their offspring, the story of Percy Jackson as adapted by Craig Titley from Rick Riordan's unexceptional book series, manages to be dull about characters with unlimited powers and astonishing back stories.

Then again, this is only the introduction. Percy Jackson is set to be a film series and thus all that is required here is a primer on Percy and the other lead characters including the aforementioned gods, best friend, love interest and Pierce Brosnan as, arguably, the most dignified half-man half horse in film history.

Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on Percy Jackson, the Olympians and the lightning thief. It is, like so many modern studio features, merely a sequel machine meant to pump out just enough plot for us to come back next time. Why should anyone really ask anymore from a film with such a limited goal?

Sure, J.K Rowling and her film partners have taken her work and enhanced and enriched it on screen with each subsequent film to the point where the film work is as grand as or even grander than it is on the page. But why should every movie have to have such aspiration, especially when modern audiences don't seem to require that much hard work.

Ah, Percy; for a compromised rip-off teen friendly franchise you're not so bad.