ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING

'''Adventures in Babysitting''' is a 1987 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.

Contents

Plot

Cast

Production

Remake

References

External links

Plot

Chris Parker (''Elisabeth Shue''), a high school senior agrees to babysit Sara Anderson (''Maia Brewton'') after her boyfriend Mike (''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 arrogant and sex-obsessed best friend Daryl (''Anthony Rapp'') into the city to rescue her. An accident on the highway, and Chris' realization that she's 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.
''Adventures in Babysitting'' was adapted into a American television pilot of the same name 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.

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 arrogant and sex-obsessed best friend.

★ ''Calvin Levels'' as Joe Gipp

★ ''Vincent D'Onofrio'' as Dawson / Thor

★ ''George Newbern'' as Dan Lynch

★ ''John Ford Noonan'' as Handsome John Pruitt

★ ''Ron Canada'' as Graydon

★ ''Albert Collins'' as Himself

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. This scene was added to stretch out the bus station segments. It was not in the original script.
Sara is a fan of The Mighty Thor. In one scene, when Chris, Brad, Sara and Daryl pick up Chris's car at a mechanic's garage, they meet the mechanic, Dawson (Vincent D'Onofrio), who Sara thinks is Thor in his secret identity.
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".

Remake

Main articles: Further Adventures In Babysitting

In May 2005, producer Lynda Obst and Walt Disney Pictures announced their intention to remake the original film with a new name.^[1] In July 2006, the studio cast Raven-Symoné into the lead role with Miley Cyrus also starring. Tiffany Paulsen will write the script.

References

1. Disney, Obst take on remake

External links

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