Adventures in Babysitting

Infobox Film
name = Adventures in Babysitting


caption = Theatrical poster
director = Chris Columbus
producer = Debra Hill
Lynda Obst
writer = David Simkins
starring = Elisabeth Shue
Keith Coogan
Maia Brewton
Anthony Rapp
music = Michael Kamen
cinematography = Ric Waite
editing = Fredric Steinkamp
William Steinkamp
distributor = Touchstone Pictures
released = July 1, 1987
runtime = 102 min.
country = United States
language = English
budget =
gross = $34,368,475 (USA) (sub-total)
amg_id = 1:902
imdb_id = 0092513
followed_by =

"Adventures in Babysitting" is a 1987 comedy film written by David Simkins, directed by Chris Columbus, and starring Elisabeth Shue, Bradley Whitford, Maia Brewton, Anthony Rapp, Penelope Ann Miller, Keith Coogan, and a brief cameo by blues singer/guitarist Albert Collins. Although it is set in Oak Park and Chicago, Illinois, with much of the action taking place in the city itself, the movie was filmed primarily in Toronto.

Plot

Chris Parker (Elisabeth Shue), a high school senior, agrees to babysit Sara Anderson (Maia Brewton) after her boyfriend Mike Toddwell (Bradley Whitford) cancels their anniversary date. Sara's older brother Brad (Keith Coogan), who has a crush on Chris, decides to stay home and hang around. When Chris' friend Brenda (Penelope Ann Miller) calls from a Chicago bus station, having made a failed attempt to run away from her family, Chris reluctantly takes Sara, Brad, and Brad's sex-obsessed best friend Daryl Coopersmith (Anthony Rapp) from their safe suburban surroundings into the city to rescue her. A flat tire on the highway with no spare and Chris' realization that she has failed to bring her purse launches the group into a series of unlikely predicaments, including detainment by a car theft ring (from which Daryl steals a "Playboy" magazine filled with incriminating notes), pursuit by the criminals, a blues club where they're forced (by Albert Collins) to sing of their ordeal before leaving, a gang fight on a train which leaves Brad slightly injured (as well as a moment at a hospital where the others are briefly led to believe Brad is dead), and a final incident with their pursuers on the Smurfit-Stone Building in Chicago.

Cast

*Elisabeth Shue as Chris Parker, a high school senior whose boyfriend cancels their date, so she goes to babysit the Andersons.
*Penelope Ann Miller as Brenda, Chris' best friend, terrified while in the bus station.
*Bradley Whitford as Mike Todwell, Chris' jerk boyfriend who canceled their anniversary date for another girl.
*Maia Brewton as Sara Anderson, an 8-year-old girl who idolizes Thor.
*Keith Coogan as Brad Anderson, a 15-year-old boy who has a crush on Chris.
*Anthony Rapp as Daryl Coopersmith, Brad's sex-obsessed best friend.
*Calvin Levels as Joe Gipp
*Vincent D'Onofrio as Dawson/Thor
*George Newbern as Dan Lynch, a college student
*John Ford Noonan as John Pruitt
*Ron Canada as Graydon
*Albert Collins as Himself
*Lolita Davidovitch as Sue Ann

Production

This was the first PG-13 film released by a Disney film division and was released as "A Night on the Town" in the United Kingdom. In the scene in the bus station with Brenda, the actor who portrayed the hot dog salesman originally improvised his line as "then I don't have a fucking weiner!" Columbus loved the line, but executives at Disney wanted to keep the picture more family-friendly so the line was removed (although, ironically, the word "fuck" is used twice in the final cut). This scene was added to stretch out the bus station segments. It was not in the original script.

Bradley Whitford, who played Mike Todwell in the film, was actually 27 years old at the time of shooting. He was uncomfortable with the age difference, but director Chris Columbus put him at ease by allowing him to use his own Camaro in the movie. The car is later seen with Whitford's real-life license plate "SO COOL".

The movie's title was parodied in an episode of Disney's television show, "That's So Raven", "Adventures in Boss-Sitting" and an episode of "The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3" as "Misadventures in Babysitting".

Valerie Bertinelli was one of the actresses who auditioned for the role of Chris Parker. [Bertinelli, Valerie, "Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time" (2008). Free Press.]

Anthony Rapp and director Chris Columbus would reunite 18 years later for the film adaptation of the musical Rent, which originally starrted Rapp on Broadway.

Television pilot

"Adventures in Babysitting" was adapted into an American television pilot [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235164/ Adventures in Babysitting (1989) (TV)] ] of the same name for CBS in 1989. The pilot starred Jennifer Guthrie as Chris Parker, Joey Lawrence and Courtney Peldon as Brad and Sara Anderson, Ariana Mohit as Brenda, and Brian Austin Green as Daryl. It was not picked up for series.

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0092513|title=Adventures in Babysitting