Babysitters Beware

  • Review Date: March 7, 2012
  • PG
  • Genre: Comedy
  • 2011
Review

Common Sense Media says

Silly kid flick with mischief and a comic bully.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this slapstick kid comedy about a well-behaved boy trying to get his parents' attention is very silly, but still fun. Some parents may find it too silly, and some of the mischievous ideas shown in the film may not be the best seeds planted in impressionable young class clowns. There is also some bullying and name calling, like "porker" and "pipsqueak." Nonetheless, it's a mildly entertaining low-budget film that could inspire lively debate between parents and kids about priorities, right and wrong, and consequences for your actions.

  • Positive messages3
    Parents should spend more quality time with their kids and kids shouldn't act out to get attention. There are consequences for your actions.
  • Positive role models2
    Janelle is the babysitter who always sees the good in Danny, even when he's behaving at his worst. Danny's parents love him very much, even when it seems as if they don't. Danny acts out to get attention, but learns the error of his ways.
  • Violence2
    Lots of slapstick pratfalls in this one. A bully gets hit in the head with a baseball. To scare off a babysitter, Danny pretends that his hand is cut off. He shoots hot sauce at another babysitter who is "crazy glued" to a kitchen counter.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language2
    While choosing sides for a baseball game, a bully goes from one child to the next, calling them names like "mouthbreather," "special ed," "pipsqueak," and "porker." He also calls the players "sucky." Early in the film, the Janelle the babysitter tells Danny, "You almost scared the poop out of me." A later babysitter says, "snot-nosed little turd."
  • Consumerism1
    During a video chat, Danny's best friend Marco tells Danny that he is playing Wii Sports and is shown waving the controller around. Marco later invites Danny to play "Legend of Zelda."
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
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What's the story?

Danny (Trenton Rogers) is a good kid, but his parents always leave in the evenings for client dinners for his dad's work. Danny wishes his dad was home more so they can play catch with a baseball. Instead, Danny is stuck with babysitters. When his favorite babysitter, Janelle (Britanny Finamore), takes time off to study for her SATs, Danny learns from kids at school (including Marco, played by Modern Family's Rico Rodriguez) about the "No Sit List," and hopes that if he can outwit the babysitters his parents get for him, he'll be on this list and his parents will have to stay home instead of going out each weeknight. Danny undergoes a transformation from "good kid" to a mischievous troublemaker, and hilarity ensues.

Is it any good?

 

As a low-budget slapstick comedy primarily aimed at kids with mischievous tendencies, you could do a whole lot worse than BABYSITTERS BEWARE (aka "The No Sit List"). While the antics will surely keep kids in the 8-10 range entertained, its message about the challenges adults face when they have too much work to do and not enough time to spend with their kids is relevant and timely.

It's fun, it's very silly, and the cameo from Danny Trejo alone makes this better than some kids' movies. There is some bullying, but the bully is more like a mocking parody of bullies (think Nelson from The Simpsons) than anything scary or threatening. 

Explore, discuss, enjoy

  • Families can talk about consequences. How does this film show not just the mischievous behavior of Danny, but what results from behaving this way? What kind of consequences have you experiences due to poor choices?

  • Who's side is this movie on? What are its messages about family priorities? Does anything about the movie feel familiar to you? Do you ever wish your parents were around more?

  • Kids: What would happen in your house if you or your sibling acted out with a babysitter?

This review of Babysitters Beware was written by
Kid, 11 years old
June 21, 2012
AGE
5
 
Uhhh....uuuuhhhh.... just don't waist your time please
This movie has a stupid story, bad acting, boring plot, and mindless wannabe funny jokes. Common sense media gave this movie three stars? Oh m gosh! Sorry, I'm still getting over how bad this movie was. But still 3 frieking stars? My gosh, how the heck did this movie not get zero stars? Never mind, this was a silly unhelpfull review. Sorry:(
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This review of Babysitters Beware was written by
Topics:friendship
Studio:Phase 4 Films
Director:Douglas Horn
Cast:Danny Trejo, Rico Rodriguez, Trenton Rogers
Genre:Comedy
Run time:70 minutes
DVD release date:March 8, 2011
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:mischievous behavior and mild language
This review of Babysitters Beware was written by
 
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