2017’s “The Babysitter”, directed by McG.
Starring Judah Lewis, Samara Weaving, Ken Marino, Leslie
Bibb, Emily Alyn Lind, Robbie Amell, Hana Mae Lee, Bella Thorne, and Andrew
Bachelor.
What is it about?
12 year old Judah Lewis lives a sad life, being picked on by
pretty much the entire world. Sheltered by his parents (Ken Marino and Leslie
Bibb), he only has his older alluring babysitter (Samara Weaving) to help him
have a chance of maturing into a teenager. Trying to impress his cute neighbour
(Emily Alyn Lind), he spies on Weaving after he’s supposed to be sleeping, and
finds out that she belongs to a cult that sacrifices people. Will Lewis be able
to survive the world’s most deadly babysitter?
Why is it worth seeing?
Writer Brian Duffield’s script creates a post-post-modern
kitsch filled genre mocking horror piece (similar to “Scream”), both aware of
itself and winking constantly. Existing in a cartoonishly mean world, Lewis’
adolescent character struggles through being bullied by the entire town he
lives in, and it’s only the existence of Weaving’s Manic Pixie Dream Girl
(thanks Nathan Rabin) that he can rely on for inspiration. Able to create lists
of her favourite hypothetical sci fi team ups, Weaving does an admirable job of
at first being the wet dream inspiration that adolescent boys lust after,
before turning into an assured maniac cult leader.
Creating set ups that he refuses to follow through with,
director McG keeps things hip and flashy, which is distracting and detracts
from the already thin pastiche that is created here. Lewis’ character takes
turns making adult decisions that are smart in one turn, and than baffling the
next. But “Babysitter” isn’t trying to elevate the genre, it’s trying to send
it up. Entertainingly irreverent but instantly forgettable, after it winks at
us at the end- we get to wonder how long til’ the sequel comes out.
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