Lo spaventapassere

Look, to seriously review a movie like this or rate it with stars is ludicrous unless you're comparing it to others of its kind ...in which case I would have given it 10 stars. This is a goofy comedy in which you must suspend disbelief continuously. That is all it was meant to be. It's just a babysitting movie, get it? Like all the rest, only it tries to bring a little freshness to the table ...and in my opinion, it does.

It showcases Jonah Hill's amazing comedic talents, and we get to see some really good performances by some child actors too. Yes, it's Hill's signature shtick, but look closely and you'll see incredible timing and a guy who is extremely capable of carrying a movie. There are some good jokes written into it, but the film completely relies on the performances, and I doubt anyone associated with it would disagree (well, let's hope they wouldn't).

In my opinion, most of the comedy works the way it was supposed to, and the few half-way serious moments do too. In terms of its edginess, it seems to up the ante on the simple formula flick that it is. It's safe to say that if it suits your sense of humor and you're willing to go for the ride, you'll have a good time. I wish people would quit over-analyzing movies like this. The bottom line is that the jokes are either your cup of tea or they are not.

While I'm not a fan of titles being changed in Germany, this one should have been the original title. I'm sure Bad Santa wouldn't have a problem with that. But Jonah Hill goes from this to his awesome performance in Moneyball? You wouldn't expect that, but the man has talent. This movie is really funny too. And while I am not a fan of watching trailers of movies beforehand, this time it didn't take away too much from the movie (not to mention that there is scene in the trailer, that didn't make the theatrical cut).

Jonah is surrounded by kids and they all have their moments. And while it is anything but PC, it also has its really emotional moments. Most of them may be predictable, but the way it is executed and played really works for the movie and the audience.

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.

You know what this movie is about and I'm not going to go there. What I will tell you is that the movie is better than 5.5/10 it's got now, you just need to watch it relaxed, don't expect it to be a masterpiece, take it as a fun, comedy flick which exaggerates, but not the Rob Schneider kind of way, his movies are painful to watch, this one is simply entertaining. But what about the flaws you say? Oh, it's got many, probably too many to list, but now that I've watched it, I probably couldn't name you three but I could describe you three scenes I laughed most at.

Is it harsh to rate kids' performances? Anyway, they were not at all bad, in my opinion, they were better than that kid in high-praised Hugo.

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".