The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Review Request: Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991)

What would you do if the elderly babysitter hired by your mother dies and you and your siblings are left alone for two months? Well, you might ask why these kids are going to be without their mother for two months? Get ready…you will ask yourself dozens of questions watching Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. This early 90s dark comedy is a wild concept that keeps getting more absurd with each new scene, character introduction, and decision made by any of the characters. This is the perfect example of a film that you must suspend all disbelief to enjoy because you will be racking your brain about how this was even possible for the entire runtime. But it is a wild fun time too!

What do you get when the director of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure takes the reins of this ridiculous dark comedy set up? Stephen Herek goes all in on this wild concept and pulls no punches. Each performance is slightly over-the-top and the whole tone of the film is unserious. There are even plot threads that are quite serious like sexual harassment in the workplace (unfortunately involving a minor), embezzlement, and inappropriate dumping of a corpse. But no fear, Herek never lets the film take itself too seriously, so these things are all played for laughs (for the most part). The film does ground itself a bit more in the third act and that is when it finally finds some sincerity and heart (which you would wish had started about an hour before the film does).

Is this a story that will draw you in and get you invested? This one is a bit of a struggle. There are just too many plot threads that are entirely unbelievable. The fact that the mom would just go on a two-month vacation is wild in the first place. The babysitter part is over in the first ten minutes. This is a story about growing up and taking on responsibility which works quite well by the final 20 minutes. Some of that growth (specifically with the eldest brother) is just too rushed to be believable. How Christina Applegate’s Swell got hired at a fashion studio as a 17-year-old without any questions is just wild for sure. There are cartoonish antagonists like the incredibly cruel and jealous secretary and the perverted executive who will not stop flirting on an obvious 17-year-old. There are some meaningful elements as the film reaches its climax because Swell and her siblings all learn a valuable lesson, and everything works out with a nice little bow (yay)!

How do the cast and characters pull you in? Applegate is a great lead and is quite charming. Her charisma and screen presence gives the film a nice anchor at the center. Rose (Swell’s boss) is insanely aloof, but she is so much fun with great energy with Joanna Cassidy giving the most engaging and fun performance in the film. John Getz is perfect as the sleazy office perv (which he just plays so well). Josh Charles is kind and sweet as the love interest (even if there is nothing else to the character than that). Jayne Brook and David Duchovny portray completely unlikable and irredeemable antagonists. The eldest brother, Walter, is insanely unlikeable and you want to just smack that kid repeatedly (until he magically becomes redeemed with 20 minutes left in the film).

Does Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead live on in just the nostalgic minds of those who love it? This flick has aged quite poorly and 100% embodies the early 90s comedy aesthetic that was left behind long ago. There are some charming characters and performances with some solid laughs throughout. But this film is just too dumb and insane for its own good. If you can get past that, this will be an absolute delight.

Special thanks to Jess Conto for the nomination of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead!