...Non dite a mamma che la babysitter è morta!

This film is sort of like a perfect time capsule for what life was like before the internet. What a trip.

OK the premise is dumb--A mom is going on vacation to Australia for two months. She has five children and leaves them with a tyrannical babysitter. The babysitter dies (of natural causes) within the first 15 minutes and the kids basically have to live alone all summer...but need money for food. The oldest one is 17 year old Sue Ellen (Christina Applegate)and she easily gets an executive position (just like real life, right?) at a fashion agency and, naturally, is incredible at her job. And her brothers and sisters learn values from her example...

Sounds horrible, but it's well-acted (especially Applegate and a drop dead gorgeous Joanna Cassidy), it moves quickly, is very funny, has a great soundtrack of new AND old songs and I enjoyed every minute of it! Not a great movie by any means, but if you can turn off your brain for 2 hours, you'll really enjoy it!

I remember watching this film when I was about ten and I loved it. I remember being motivated to see it in the first place because Married with children reigned supreme in our house and I loved Christina Applegate. In this movie she didn't disappoint either, as she was not only good in it, but played a character wildly different from mean, dim witted Kelly Bundy. Instead she played Sue Ellen Krandle a decent ,level headed, but restless young woman who is uncertain about her future. Sue Ellen has a contentious relationship with her siblings and mother,but she also is willing to strive for their approval and respect. In other words she is a regular seventeen year old. More mature than her siblings but not quite ready to take up the mantle of an adult. When her mother goes to Austraila, Sue Ellen thinks that she is going to have a care free summer of fun in the sun, when a woman comes to the door and her mother introduces... the babysitter. When mom leaves the seemingly sweet grandma like gem, reveals a nastily terrifying tyrant underneath, and Sue Ellen and her siblings try and keep cool heads. The old be careful what you wish for scenario surfaces when the baby sitter sees Sue Ellens punk brother's bedroom and is literally shocked to death. Sue Ellen finds the woman's corpse and to make a long story short her and her siblings are left for two months with out money or adult supervision. This movie is not perfect from a technical standpoint. It a predicable cheesy fantasy full of scenarios that in real life would be incrediblbly dark. However, for some reason, the acting, the engrossing action pact scenes and the love you have for the respectful a, fresh and resourceful sue Ellen and hate you have for the bad characters emotionally engross you. This movie couldn't hold up today, but for its time, and because the memories it brings I will always love it.

Just saw it again; the cast carries a silly plot, in much the same way as a '40s screwball comedy but with an 80s/90s sensibility and awareness. Applegate and Coogan are really outstanding here, and the supporting cast is smart enough to either support or stay out of the way, as necessary. It's pure humor with no big message, which apparently was a virtue 60 years ago but is unforgivable now. I'd best describe the humor as, "Hilarity ensues as fish out of water learn to breathe air."

I'd give it a very solid 6.8 out of 10, worth a rental or a Netflix hit, but not a $20 purchase.

Tom

I remember watching this film when I was growing up, I loved it then and I still love it.

Despite the fact it's obviously predictable, it's a fun film that's well acted and directed and has a great soundtrack.

Christina Applegate is quite impressive as Sue-Ellen, as is the rest of the cast.

Most of the characters are quite black and white with the obvious "baddies" getting their comeuppance towards the end of the film. Predictable films howeverm, aren't always bad. Especially if they are well acted and the characters are interesting. The only character that was meant to be nice that I found utterly annoying, was Josh Charles as Sue-Ellen's sugary sweet suitor, Bryan. His acting was great don't get me wrong, but I think it's safe to say Bryan wouldn't be MY type!

If anything else, this fun film is easy to watch and will remind most people in their mid 20's of their adolescents.