The Babysitter

Supposedly "steamy" thriller is adapted by director Guy Ferland from the story by Robert Coover. It basically functions as a vehicle for then up and comer Alicia Silverstone, cast as the title character. She's a high school student sitting for middle aged couple Harry and Dolly Tucker (J.T. Walsh and Lee Garlington), who have three kids. She inspires fantasies in not only the lecherous, drunken Harry but her estranged boyfriend Jack (Jeremy London) and his shady associate Mark (Nicky Katt). Even her male charge Jimmy (Ryan Slater, Christians' kid brother) gets in on the act.

This should have made for a more watchable experience, but it fails to be all that interesting, whether it follows the activities of the aimless youth or the weary older generation. There are so many fantasy sequences that viewers may feel challenged to keep track of when the film is actually showing "reality". Also, people may feel cheated that Silverstone isn't showcased to sexier effect. Apparently, she wouldn't do this film until the nude scenes were cut. Adding to that problem is the fact that her character (not to mention most of the characters here) just isn't that compelling.

This impressive cast certainly has worked with better material. One does feel embarrassed for the late, great Walsh. Garlington has a somewhat meaty role as his wife who is despondent over not being more desirable to her worthless husband. George Segal and Lois Chiles, as their friends throwing the party that they attend, have precious little to do. Too much time is spent with London and the amusingly smarmy Katt as they prowl around the Tucker home, and it takes the film too long to get going.

Fans wanting a Silverstone fix would be better off revisiting "Clueless" or even "The Crush".

Six out of 10.

The Babysitter hasn't got much in the way of a plot. It explores the mind of (but not limited to) members of the male sex at different ages. This is concerning their sexual fantasies and advances towards a beautiful young girl, both when they are sober and more so when they are drunk. The men involved include the husband, his young son, the babysitter's boyfriend and his old 'God's Gift' friend.

Has neither the style nor the substance to make it a cult classic. An erotic thriller without any traces of sex or justifiable nudity. Jennifer, the babysitter is an one dimensional person without any depth or insight or even any symbolic meaning. The Babysitter(1995) has a good premise that wasn't explored deeply and the fantasy scenes are bland and surreal less. The Babysitter(1995) is a film that would be much better in the hands of someone like a Luis Bunuel, Nicolas Roeg, Terry Gilliam, or a Abel Ferrara. J.T Walsh's performance is so good that it belongs in a Luis Bunuel Movie rather than this terrible excuse for a motion picture.

I caught this on a boring summer afternoon on, surprise!, Lifetime. The story itself COULD be promising- an innocent teen babysitter is unwittingly the object of obsession for virtually every man she encounters in one night- but the filmmakers try to turn it into a masterpiece of surrealism that it obviously is not. The acting is pretty shallow and most of the 'fantasies' are just downright creepy, not thought provoking. The movie will leave you feeling like you just dropped a massive amount of acid. Don't waste your time.

I've sometimes disliked or out right hated films that are almost universally applauded in a film that I dislike so I'm glad to see that my own sentiments with this film are generally the same as many others within this community...

Let's begin by saying this film is strange....very strange... but strangeness in a film is not always a negative, but when the film is boring and lacking in any kind of momentum...well that's when it starts running in to problems...

So effectively here we have Alicia Silverstone as the babysitter (playing a sort of Lolita type). Whilst Ms Silverstone is quite alluring and ever so slightly delectable there's not much else worthy of praise within the film...

If we look at the competing parties for Lolita (sorry the babysitters affections) we have straight-laced Jack, cool street-wise Mark and more disturbingly the father of the children whom the babysitter is minding namely Harry Tucker. Through psychedelic and maniacal flashbacks the film tries to present a story from each of their perspectives (of course the film shows you what they want you to see which is far removed from the reality of what actually happens). Aside from the Babysitter, the only other person I felt a bit sorry for was Jack whom you felt that if he had just been himself that he may have got somewhere with the Babysitter (as opposed to him listening to Mark and his misguided attempts at self-confidence).

Of course there are 2 sides to a coin and looking at things from another perspective we have Dolly Tucker (whom is the wife of Harry). Whilst she puts on a strong front for most of the film, once the alcohol kicks in she shows her true colours and starts indulging in her own fantasies (at least in her own mind). All these things seem to act as a driver to what little plot there is here, but none of these arcs add up to much in the way of suspense, enjoyment or just good all round audience involvement.

To be blunt, The Babysitter is not very good plain and simple. Even the acting from everyone involved is pretty poor and at times the film has an odd theatrical feel about it. I could see what the filmmakers were trying to do here, but they made a right mess of it.