Lo spaventapassere

As some other reviewers have noted, what we have here is a blatant rip-off of the 1980s movie "Adventures In Babysitting". I wouldn't have minded that fact had "The Sitter" been entertaining, but it isn't for two big reasons:

(1) The characters are extremely annoying. They are foul-mouthed, mean, cruel, and downright stupid at times. I really didn't care if they would succeed in their aims or not.

(2) The movie just isn't funny. There is a mean-spiritness to most of the humor that makes it hard to take. Oh, there are a couple of one-liners that are somewhat amusing, but otherwise the humor is loud and grating.

Although "Adventures In Babysitting" wasn't a great movie, it is Oscar worthy compared to "The Sitter".

"You done messed with the wrong babysitter."

As fat boy comedies go, The Sitter is just another caricature-ridden, offensive satire with kids. Noah (Jonah Hill) does much of the politically-incorrect heavy lifting while the kids stick to flatulence, groin punches, and world-weariness to make Noah seem downright naïve.

Noah is on suspension from college when he is recruited to sit for three eccentric kids; Slater (Max Records), a pubescent, gymnastics-viewing, just emerging gay boy; a kick-butt tween, Blithe (Landry Bender), who finds a few too many hotties, including round Jonah; and a very young, adopted El Salvadoran, Rodrigo (Kevin Hernandez), who has a surly attitude and a penchant for explosives. The evening, to which one must "make love," or so one of their street friends rhapsodizes, has episodes that mostly allow fledgling writers Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanakato to indulge their fascination for f bombs and stereotypes that mostly hover around or in street gangs.

There is little logic to the sequences that involve oral sex, cocaine, and nightclub naughtiness, none of which the children should be exposed to but which the tubby Noah justifies in platitudes about their need to see the world. As in Bad Santa, the irreverence is amusing and probably filmed not in the presence of the kids.

What saves the film from oblivion is Slater's coming out and Noah's gentle encouragement for Slater to be who he is. It's refreshing to hear the discussion about a young person and to respect his orientation in a film generally without respect for much of anything.

The gang is rife with caricature and cliché, especially when it eventually decides whether or not to help Jonah out of his difficulty with drug dealer Karl (a leather-clad, gold-chained Sam Rockwell). The language and mannerisms of the gang are egregiously stereotyped. But then so is schlubby Noah, a fat boy hero in a fat boy comedy.

Why is it that I end up watching The Sitter. Yes people, over films like Girl wit the Dragon Tattoo and Young Adult, which were both playing at the theater we went to. Well, why? Because I was with a girl, and she decided to see The Sitter. Blasphemy!

The Sitter is just as formulaic as you expect, a guy decided to babysit and problems tart appearing. We've seen this all before, but not quite as horrible as this. The film, from the opening shot, becomes the sort of obnoxious kid you can't shut up who says all the wrong things. The film's dialogue is pretty atrocious, and it thinks its being funny when it really isn't. The film calms down a bit as it goes along, but for a story like this to work, no matter how formulaic, unoriginal, and predictable, you need good dialogue at least. That is the problem. I seriously cringed so many times.

It's not all horrible, since there are a few laughs here and there, and Jonah Hill tries his best so much. In a way, I can't help but hate him for taking this role, but without Hill it would be even worse. Also, the only real likable character here is Max Slater's, who manages to have some more quiet moments in the film, but even he is completely two- dimensional. Skip this please, and what's even worse is that I could have been able to see Dragon Tattoo or Young Adult. Such shame taste some audiences have, although to be fair the girl I went with didn't like it much either. Hopefully she learns.

One of those situations that continue to spiral out of control and you're not quite sure how it's gonna turn out, very entertaining, with the exception of a few bits most adults would enjoy.

Contrived? Oh yes. Predictable? Very. Outrageously fun with a good heart to the characters? YES

Before watching it I saw that 99% of critics( and viewers by the looks of it) hated this movie with a passion. They complained it was "predictable" and "unfunny". Well, so what if it was predictable? Most movies are, answer me this how many movies have you seen where you were genuinely surprised at the ending. So naturally, my expectations were lowered. But I thought the acting by the children was really good and Jonah Hill was as funny as usual. Also, it dealt with a prevalent issue in many kids' lives, coming out as gay. It dealt with this in a respectful and not overly-sentimental way.

Basically this movie is not trying to bag an Oscar and it is not high- art melodrama stuff and it's not even close to being one of my favourite films. So watch it if you like a good,rowdy comedy.