Movie The Sitter (15)
Jenness Mitchell • Published 20 Jan 2012 08:00
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Superbad's Jonah Hill is not a real babysitter. He more a 'sit on the couch, do whatever I say or I'll kill you' type of babysitter.
Noah (Jonah Hill) takes charge of three rug-rats so as his mother can go on a night out with friends. When his girlfriend Marisa (Ari Graynor) calls and invites him to a party with the promise of sex, the college drop-out bundles Slater (Max Records), Blithe (Landry Bender) and Rodrigo (Kevin Hernandez) into the family minivan and ventures off into the city in what will be an evening none of them will forget.
I'm a massive fan of movies that take place over one day - American Graffiti, Run Lola Run, Hard Candy, New Years Eve and Women in Trouble to name but a few. I like emerging from the cinema hoping to have a night similar to what I've just watched. Personally I think I could take on The Baseball Furies (The Warriors), I've gig-hopped and partied til sunrise (Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist) and have caused havoc during detention (The Breakfast Club). Although Haywire, Madonna's debut W.E. and Eastwood's J.Edgar were released also, The Sitter won my choice of film due to its sole one-night-only premise.
Primarily, I loved the witty jousting between Noah and the kids in which he voiced his opinion and slated their actions in an uncensored manner. I'm sure the Daily Mail would have something to say about profanities aimed at children, but within The Sitter it made for hilarious viewing.
Watching little Blithe get her gangsta rap on whilst done up like a prized turkey raised a few laughs - as did pyromaniac Rodrigo and his continual cherry-bombing of toilets. In the name of political correctness and equal rights, I also liked that when Noah came to the realization that Slater was gay he didn't lambast the teenager and instead gave support and encouragement of what his future will hold. It would have been easy to take a few cheap shots, but instead Slater was portrayed as a popular and handsome youngster who just so happens to like other boys.
Although a comedy I found the bad guys to be too cartoonish. Drug-dealing Karl wasn't exactly the most terrifying. Even when he shot one of his lackeys his performance could have been more chilling given the film's 15 certificate. I also found several parts of the story frustrating (Noah's father refusing to help, Noah getting punched in the face by an annoying woman who stole his minivan, the thieving policemen…).
In respect to the cast, Jonah Hill delivered Noah's lines effortlessly. The 28-year-old has great comedic timing and it's easy to imagine him as a good-time bloke. The kids (Max Records, Landry Bender & Kevin Hernandez) weren't annoying and it was great to see Erin Daniels (Dana from The L Word) get some screen time as their mother. Although surprised to see them in a movie like this, it was Ari Graynor (Whip It, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, Holy Rollers) and Sam Rockwell (The Green Mile, Matchstick Men, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) as Marisa and Karl respectively who gave the film credence.
When I was a teenage babysitter the most torturous part of my evening was trying to put the kids to bed. While The Sitter was exciting in parts, it was no Adventures in Babysitting. Now, that's a classic.
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