Babysitters In Film

17 January 2012

The Sitter

When the world’s most irresponsible babysitter takes three of the world’s worst kids on an unforgettable overnight adventure through the streets of New York City, it’s anyone’s guess who’s going to make it home in one piece.

Starring Jonah Hill (Knocked Up, Get Him To The Greek) and Sam Rockwell (Moon & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), The Sitter is a new level of twisted and debauched hilarity from the director of Pineapple Express, David Gordon Green.

To celebrate the release of The Sitter on 20th January 2012 we take a look at other babysitters in film to see how Jonah Hill compares.

- Mrs Doubtfire (1993)

In this classic family comedy, Robin Williams plays Daniel Hillard, a father of two not able to accept that he won’t be able to see his two children every day when faced with a divorce from his wife.

In order to remain a part of their lives, he creates and transforms himself in to the stern but lovable housekeeper Mrs Doubtfire.

Hilarity ensues - well, any kid would get a shock when they walk in on their elderly female housekeeper going to the toilet standing up.

A heart-warming and hilarious story unfolds as Daniel Hillard fights to save his marriage and his family while learning a few home truths along the way.

- Uncle Buck (1989)

Lazy, selfish and notoriously unreliable (much like Jonah Hill in The Sitter), Buck (John Candy) hardly seems thrilled at the prospect of babysitting his brother’s three children, and the feeling’s mutual.

To begin with, Buck carries on with his normal life around the kids; smoking, bowling and arguing with long term girlfriend Chanice, but it’s not long before Buck gets sucked in to the children’s lives, taking particular interest in the motives of the eldest daughter’s much older boyfriend, Bug.

It’s embarrassing enough when your Dad tries to talk to you about sex, let alone your Uncle.

Gradually though, Buck earns their trust and learns what it means to have responsibility. And Macaulay Culkin’s in it, so what’s not to love?

- The Sound of Music (1965)

She can make clothes out of curtains, she sees the good in everything and you know your hair will always look better stood next to her - is there a better nanny than Maria in The Sound Music?

After her convent sends her to the Vontrapp family home to help care for a Naval officer’s children, she quickly finds herself not only falling in love with the children, but for their father too.

She hastily returns to the convent in shame but the children can’t live without her and luckily they don’t have to, as it turns out that Captain Vontrapp is pretty fond of her haircut and curtain dresses.

- Mr Nanny (1993)

Hulk Hogan is a former pro-wrestler who can take on any man in the ring, but when it comes to kids, he’s met his match. When hired as a male nanny/bodyguard to take care of a rich professor’s children, he finds himself the main target for all their dastardly pranks.

Luckily for the kids, he doesn’t hold a grudge, as he comes to the rescue when the children are kidnapped as part of a blackmailing scheme to do with their father. Arguably worth it just to see Hulk Hogan in a tutu. Arguably.

- Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991)

Christina Applegate plays Sue Ellen in her first major role in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. As the eldest of five, she is delighted to find out her mother is leaving town for three months - time to party, or so she thinks.

When a decrepit babysitter turns up on the doorstep, Sue is not impressed and the old lady turns out to be pure evil. The kids’ hell comes to an end when the babysitter pops her clogs and presumably goes to hell herself.

With the body of an old lady to get rid of and four other kids to feed, it looks like Sue is in charge until their Mom gets back...

- Adventures in Babysitting (1987)

Babysitting generally involves getting paid to tolerate someone else’s kids and watch television. And that’s what Chris Parker (Elisabeth Shue) was expecting when she agreed to babysit after being stood up by her boyfriend.

When she gets a phone call from a distressed friend begging her to pick her up from a dodgy bus station down town, she obliges, with kids in tow.

Somehow they manage to get caught in the middle of a mafia deal and Chris’ night isn’t quite as dull as she was expecting.

Jonah Hill himself has said that The Sitter is a throwback to Adventures in Babysitting, although we can expect less family comedy and more absolute filth.

The Sitter will be released in cinemas nationwide by Twentieth Century Fox on 20th January 2012