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 | babysitter | urban setting | babysitting | bus station | 

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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

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

This was Chris Columbus's first directing job since his senior thesis film at NYU in 1980. He said it gave him the confidence to be back on a set again.

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Goofs

When the kids are in the upstairs bedroom of the home near the end of the film and Chris comes up to give them the all's clear, heavy traffic can be seen outside the second floor window, even though the street outside is shown as a quiet suburban neighborhood and practically empty on the following scene.

NOTE: Per Google street view of the filmed location (4 Valleyanna Drive in North York, Toronto ON per itsfilmedthere.com), there is a four-lane avenue backing the property. This explains the traffic, assuming the window behind Brad and Sara is at the back of the house.

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Quotes

Mrs. Parker: That was Mrs. Anderson, she wants to know if you can babysit tonight.
Chris: [sees the look Brenda gives her] No, tell her I can't.
Mrs. Parker: Why not?
Chris: Because I want to sit at home and be depressed.
Brenda: Oh, sit for the Andersons, that'll depress anyone.
Chris: Mom, I'm too old to babysit.

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Crazy Credits

The title does not appear until five minutes after the opening credits.

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version (released as "A Night On The Town") was cut by 8 secs for a PG rating to remove uses of the word 'fuck'. Later video versions were released under the original title and uncut after being upgraded to a 15 certificate.

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Connections

Referenced in Revenge: Addiction (2014)

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Soundtracks

Bring It On Home To Me
Words and Music by Sam Cooke
(ABKCO Music)
Performed by Sam Cooke
Courtesy of RCA Records

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")