Review: Adventures in Babysitting (1987 Original and 2016 Remake)

Three Babysitters in Two Adventures Almost Thirty Years Apart

By Chris Sabga

"Adventures in Babysitting" sits comfortably among the pantheon of 1980s movies not as a classic necessarily but certainly as a warmly-remembered time capsule of a sillier cinematic era. When the 2016 Disney Channel remake was announced, fans of the original expressed doubts. Surely it would be toned down and more childish than the "edgier" PG-13 original. What many people may not realize is that the 1987 version was also from Disney; it was released through Touchstone Pictures, which was Disney's label for films aimed at the teen and adult markets.

The premise of both versions is the same: A harried babysitter (Elisabeth Shue in 1987; Sabrina Carpenter and Sofia Carson in 2016) are forced to drag several children along (Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp, and Maia Brewton in '87; Nikki Hahn, Mallory James Mahoney, Madison Horcher, and Jet Jurgensmeyer in '16) to rescue someone stranded in the big city (the hilarious Penelope Ann Miller in '87 and the much younger Max Gecowets in '16). Throughout the night, they're chased by bad guys. Wacky misadventures ensue. Can they get back home before Mom and Dad realize anything is amiss?

The Babysitters

Elisabeth Shue is radiant as babysitter Chris Parker in the 1987 original. Her facial expressions and reactions alone are classic. It is almost unfair to expect Sabrina Carpenter (or Sofia Carson) to live up to that. But Carpenter has a bright future ahead of her and will be a star. Her role in the 2016 film as the prim and proper Jenny Parker (a distant relative of Shue's Chris Parker, perhaps?) is a nice contrast to the wild child with a heart of gold she plays on "Girl Meets World."

It helps that Shue was legitimately an adult at the time compared to her younger co-stars (Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp, and Maia Brewton). In the film, she's 17 and the two boys are 15, but their age gap was considerably wider in real-life (Shue was almost 24 at the time of the film's release). That made her seem so much more mature and worldly. She came across as a woman in charge of children.

In the remake, one of the babysitters (Carpenter) is the same age in real-life as one of the kids (Max Gecowets, who plays Trey). While there is an age difference between the characters in the movie, and it can be argued that the boy playing Trey probably looks slightly younger than he really is, the contrast between the babysitter and the "baby" isn't nearly as strong.

It also works in Shue's favor that she was already a major movie star in the '80s because of "The Karate Kid." That made her seem larger-than-life at the time, compared to Carpenter and Carson now, who are known primarily for their work on the small screen.

The Babies

The remake has double the cast – two battling babysitters and twice the amount of "babies" being "sat" – but less is more.

Of the new children, Jet Jurgensmeyer (what a name!) as budding chef Bobby – obsessed with culinary perfection and perpetually frustrated until he gets the right result – is easily the comic standout. On the other hand, while Mallory James Mahoney does a good job as the junior "fashionista" Katy, the character's costuming and makeup reminded me uncomfortably of JonBenét Ramsey – the little girl who competed in beauty pageants and was tragically found murdered in her own home. I realize Katy is probably meant to be a spoof of the ridiculous "Toddlers & Tiaras" reality show, but most reasonable people don't find much humor in that bizarre subculture.

In addition to that, it's a bit absurd that the 14-year-old boy in the 2016 version, Trey (Gecowets), still needs a babysitter and barely anyone acts like this is abnormal – other than one scene-stealing scene where a friend of the teenager's (Joshua Morettin) says breathlessly, "You have a babysitter?! I want a babysitter! She's hot." I laughed. At least in the 1987 original, the babysitter wasn't for the older boy (Keith Coogan's character was actually leaving the house for a sleepover with Anthony Rapp).

With only three kids in the 1987 version, there was ample room for all of them to stand out and shine. Coogan and Rapp are superb as the little teenage freshmen with a crush on the babysitter, but everyone who saw the original "Adventures in Babysitting" will instantly and fondly recall Maia Brewton's role as the little girl obsessed with the comic book hero Thor and her excitement when she finally gets to "meet him."

Thor

After rewatching the movie for the first time in years, I was shocked to discover that "Thor" is only in one scene. In my memory, Vincent D'Onofrio's role (credited as Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio) was so much bigger. That shows the power of his performance.

(By the way, in case anyone still doesn't realize this: Thor from "Adventures in Babysitting" and Private Pyle from "Full Metal Jacket" are portrayed by the same actor. I didn't realize that for twenty years. Yes, I saw "Full Metal Jacket" a child. When it finally dawned on me in the late-'90s or thereabouts that D'Onofrio played both roles, my mind was blown. Other future stars to look out for: Bradley Whitford, George Newbern, and Lolita Davidovich all make appearances.)

When the remake was announced, everyone was nervous to see how the "Thor" aspect of the story would be replicated. Well, as it turns out, the little girl this time (Madison Horcher) is a major roller derby fanatic. With the incredible cast of characters Disney owns, this was the best they could do?! The scene involving quarreling roller derby rivals in a police station is mildly amusing, but the poor kid isn't given much to work with this time around. No one is going to remember her character or obsession fondly two decades from now.

The Nightclub Scene

The big scene shared by both "Adventures" involves the babysitter(s) and kids being chased into a nightclub. In 1987, it's a jazz club and they're forced to sing the blues – "the Babysitting Blues" – in one of the movie's most memorable moments. The 2016 version pits the warring sitters against each other in a "battle rap." I prefer the original version of the concept, but the update is a clever enough modernization.

The remake features a few other scenes, lines, and nods to the original – such as a reference to going out for ice cream and the children's reactions to similar situations.

The City

In both films, the big bad "city" functions as a character of its own – a place where anything can (and does) go wrong, and danger lurks around every dark corner. Whether either movie is an accurate representation of Chicago, I wouldn't know, but they are accurate representations of each other. (The original was filmed in Chicago and Toronto while the remake was shot in Vancouver but is once again supposed to be set in Chicago.)

The Bad Guys

The villains in the 1987 incarnation were bumbling buffoons (after all, only an idiot is going to write important business information on a Playboy Magazine centerfold), but they still had an air of menace. The new bad guys are walking, talking, slipping, falling Disney cartoons. It is ironic that the original was directed by "Home Alone's" Chris Columbus, because it's the remake that's overrun with those types of juvenile gags. It's too goofy at times, even with the ridiculous standards set by the '80s version.

1987 vs. 2016

The original "Adventures in Babysitting" is remembered almost thirty years later for a reason: it's terrific escapist entertainment. The remake will get criticized for being too toned down and "Disney-fied." But let's face it: no "kids' movie" today would get away with the outdated gay and rape jokes that were in the '87 version. Plus, no one reads Playboy anymore. The modern equivalent of that – a kid looking up grown-up material on his iPad – would never fly in a Disney Channel flick, and it would probably bump any other studio's movie up to an "R" rating.

Look, the remake is certainly no classic and likely won't have the long shelf life its predecessor did, but there is still a lot to like about it. It's a fun and serviceable replica. It's more innocent, but the '80s were a tougher time with tougher kids.

Review: The Judge

Downey and Duvall – Court is Now in Session

By Chris Sabga

Release Date: October 10, 2014 – U.S.

Rating: R

Genre: Drama

Running Time: 141 minutes

Director: David Dobkin

Writers: Nick Schenk, Bill Dubuque, 

David Dobkin

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, 

Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton, 

Vincent D'Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, 

Dax Shepard, Leighton Meester, 

Ken Howard, Emma Tremblay, 

Balthazar Getty, David Krumholtz, 

Grace Zabriskie, Denis O'Hare, 

Sarah Lancaster   

Watching Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall – two absolute masters of the acting craft – go back and forth would be worth the price of admission alone, but "The Judge" is so much more than that. It's a genuinely great movie. At two hours and twenty-one minutes, it's a long movie too. It earns its length though. Despite its extended running time, it's tightly scripted. Every conversation, every line, means something and leads somewhere. That might be the most impressive feat of all.

Hank Palmer (Downey Jr.) is a successful lawyer. He's also an unpleasant man – a trait he openly admits to and almost seems to take pride in. He hasn't seen his family in years, but when his mother dies, he's finally forced to go back home. His very young daughter (Emma Tremblay) wonders if his father – her grandfather – is dead too. "Just dead to me," he explains. Who speaks that way to a little girl?

When we finally get to meet the judge, Joseph Palmer (Duvall), we can clearly see that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. The elder Palmer isn't exactly "unpleasant" like his son, but he is stubborn and has a definite sense of right and wrong. There's no arguing with this man when it comes to the law and the very best way to apply it. So, of course, he ends up being accused of murder.

A local man, Mark Blackwell (Mark Kiely), is found rotting on the road. Judge Palmer's car has Blackwell's blood on it. The judge's possible motive: Blackwell came through his courtroom before, and it didn't end well.

The judge always been self-righteous about the law, but would he take it into his own hands to get justice at any cost? The opposing counsel, Dwight Dickham (Billy Bob Thornton), is ready to argue just that.

The elder Palmer initially hires a well-meaning but inexperienced local lawyer (Dax Shepard) instead of his own flesh and blood. But I don't think it's a spoiler to mention that the son will, of course, eventually have to step in and defend his estranged father in court – because that is, after all, the basic premise of "The Judge."

The scenes between Downey and Shepard are some of the best and funniest in the film. Instead of the adversarial relationship you would expect from their characters, there's almost a sweetness to their scenes as the more experienced Downey gives Shepard tips on how to handle stress before a big case.

The cast, as you can see, is tremendous – and I haven't even gotten to some of the main players yet. There are two more members of the Palmer family, Glen and Dale (played by Vincent D'Onofrio and Jeremy Strong, respectively), who are Hank's brothers and the judge's sons. Glen is old, disheveled, and rough around the edges, but he's generally a good guy. When we first see Dale, it's at a funeral home – and he's holding a camera, which seems incredibly inappropriate. I was under the impression that he was a rude reporter who had pushed his way in – until Hank gives him a big hug. As it turns out, Dale has a mental impairment of some sort – or possibly a form of autism – but it's never really specified.

In any other movie, a character with a "disability" would be treated like the second coming of Baby Jesus – someone who can say and do no wrong – but that's thankfully not the case here. To this film's credit, Dale's family reacts realistically to him. For example, during one tense moment, Glen dismissively comments on Dale's obsession with video cameras by telling him to "film the vending machine."

Hank – Downey's character – also runs into an old friend, Samantha (Vera Farmiga), whose prominent tattoo seems to hint at a wilder past. At first, I found it almost jarring that a prim, proper, uptight lawyer like Hank would ever associate with the tattooed girl from the diner. But that's what makes "The Judge's" script so smart – even the smallest details, such as a tattoo, tell a larger story.

The acting is amazing all around, but this is primarily a showcase for Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall. Both of them wholeheartedly deserve Oscar nominations – and it wouldn't surprise me if Duvall, at least, ends up with one. Their best scene together – in a bathroom – is unimaginably tragic, but it also manages to be hysterically funny at the same time. Life is often like that. In lesser hands, a moment of that magnitude would be almost impossible to pull off. Old pros like Downey and Duvall make it look easy.

The title of "The Judge" refers literally to Duvall's Judge Joseph Palmer, but it also signifies every other character in some way – because they're all judging and being judged for something.

My judgment: This is one of the best films of the year.

If you go into the theater expecting a fast-paced and thrilling episode of "Law & Order" on steroids, you won't get that. The courtroom scenes are exciting and nerve-wracking, certainly, but "The Judge" is about more than just a case. It's about a father and son, a family, a town, a past, what it means to come from something, and why it's important to remember and hold on to what matters most.