Adventures in Babysitting (1987)

A babysitter must battle her way through the big city after being stranded there with the kids she's looking after.

Director:

Chris Columbus

Writer:

David Simkins

Stars:

Elisabeth Shue, Maia Brewton, Keith Coogan

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elisabeth Shue	...	Chris
Maia Brewton	...	Sara
Keith Coogan	...	Brad
Anthony Rapp	...	Daryl
Calvin Levels	...	Joe Gipp
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Dawson (as Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio)
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Brenda
George Newbern	...	Dan
John Ford Noonan	...	Pruitt
Bradley Whitford	...	Mike
Ron Canada	...	Graydon
John Davis Chandler	...	Bleak (as John Chandler)
Dan Ziskie	...	Mr. Anderson
Allan Aarons	...	Janitor #1
Marcia Bennett	...	Nurse

Storyline

Chris Parker agrees to babysit after her "dream" date stands her up. Expecting a dull evening, Chris settles down with three kids for a night of TV... and boredom. But when her frantic friend Brenda calls and pleads to be rescued from the bus station in downtown Chicago, the evening soon explodes into an endless whirl of hair-raising adventures! Babysitter and kids leave their safe suburban surroundings and head for the heart of the big city, never imagining how terrifyingly funny their expedition will become!

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Plot Keywords:

flat tire | playboy magazine | babysitter | urban setting | babysitting | 

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Taglines:

She thought babysitting was easy money - until she started hanging out with the Andersons.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 July 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Night on the Town

Filming Locations:

150 N. Wells Street, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$34,368,475

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners III

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the kids are driving through the alleyway with the car thief, the exterior setting was the same setting used in The Fly (1986), which starred Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, and which was also filmed in Toronto. The setting was used for the exterior shots of Seth Brundle's apartment/laboratory.

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Goofs

While driving into the City of Chicago, the Sears Tower on the right (meaning they were coming from the south side), but later on, when Pruitt is towing away the car, the Sears Tower is on the left (meaning they're going back south). Plus, they're coming from west suburban Oak Park, which means they shouldn't of been coming from the south going into the city.

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Quotes

Brad: I just think you should give other guys a chance.
Chris: Like who?
Sarah: Don't say it! Don't say it!
Brad: Like me?
[Chris laughs]
Brad: What's so funny?
Chris: Well, it's just that... you're just a child.
Brad: And you're just a girl in love with an asshole.
Chris: Brad...
Brad: Forget it!

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Crazy Credits

Shot of the thug who chased the little girl outside of skyscraper whimpering about being stuck out there.

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Alternate Versions

On television broadcasts, during the subway scene, "fuck" is changed to "fool."

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Connections

Referenced in Cheers: Adventures in Housesitting (1989)

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Soundtracks

The Brady Bunch Theme
Words by Sherwood Schwartz
Music by Frank De Vol
Performed by The Brady Bunch
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

User Reviews

A Cult-Movie for the Entire Life

In the suburbs of Chicago, the seventeen year-old Chris Parker (Elisabeth Shue) is in love with her boyfriend Mike (Bradley Whitford). When Mike stands her up and cancels their dinner in Chicago, Chris accepts to babysit the siblings Sara (Maia Brewton) and Brad (Keith Coogan). But her friend Brenda (Penelope Ann Miller) calls her telling that she decided to run away home but now she has repented; she begs Chris to rescue her from the bus station in downtown Chicago. Chris makes a deal with Sara and Brad and when she is ready to drive to downtown, Brad's friend Daryl (Anthony Rapp) overhears the negotiation and blackmails Chris to go with them. However, when they are on the expressway, Chris has a flat tire and she realizes that she has forgotten her purse in the house. The mechanic Pruitt (John Ford Noonan) stops this tow truck and offers to truck the car to his garage. Chris sees no other option and accepts the offer in the beginning of an unforgettable night of adventures in Chicago.

"Adventures in Babysitting" is one of those adorable cult-movies for the entire life. I saw this movie in the 80's and since then, it has become one of my top movies ever. There are unforgettable scenes and maybe my favorite is when Albert Collins says that nobody leaves the club without singing a blues. The 25th anniversary Blu-Ray is really a worthwhile shopping. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Noite de Aventuras" ("One Night of Adventures")

Note: On 16 April 2019, I saw this film again.