Now streaming on Netflix
Director: McG
Starring: Judah Lewis and Samara Weaving
TJ: Hello internet! Welcome to the first of many (or one and only) duo reviewo. Okay. probably the one and only now. When more than one of our writers have seen the same thing, but they are BOTH too lazy to write about it, we’re just going to have a conversation, copy and paste, and see how it goes. This past weekend Chris and I watched the Netflix original The Babysitter. My initial reaction was that it’s a pretty good movie with entertaining moments. Pretty damn funny at times. What say you, Chris?
Chris: I liked it as well. It was incredibly fun but a pretty throwaway movie. As far as the plot goes, its a very straightforward, ambling story. Basically high school freshman Cole (Judah Lewis), who is afraid of everything, even driving, still has a babysitter (Samara Weaving). Cole is bullied by pretty much everyone at school but is close friends with his senior babysitter. UNTIL SHE TRIES TO KILL HIM. Dun dun dun… I guess there’s a little more to it. She seems to want to kill him in a satanic ritual requiring the blood of the sacrifice and the blood of the innocent (Cole). So he tries to evade capture from her and her 4 comic relief, co-satanists.
TJ: I actually thought it was a twist that she was actually trying to kill him. I was looking for some sort of “she’s possessed” thing. The straightforward aspect was kind of refreshing. It’s something that allowed the movie to be 80 minutes.
Chris: Yeah. I don’t think that it’s a problem with the movie, it’s just worth pointing out how simple the plot is. Which I think is almost irrelevant in the enjoyment of the film. It’s all about the supporting cast.
TJ: Which you’ve labeled co-satanists. Fantastic. Anybody jump out to you as performing better than you thought? I was very impressed with the character of Max played by Robbie Amell. Super funny dialogue between him and Cole.
Chris: I loved Max. He had some of the best lines. Like pointing out that unlike the others he actually was just there to kill a couple people. And the scene where he tried to make Cole stand up to one of his bullies, mid-pursuit. It was all very well done and delivered some of the biggest laughs. I also really liked Bella Thorne‘s Allison. How about you? Or the other characters?
TJ: Aside from the 4 villains I wasn’t impressed. Cole’s parents (played by Leslie Bibb and Ken Marino) were quickly forgettable. The little neighbor girl was okay. She looked like a mini Brie Larson.
Chris: Agreed. Mini Brie Larson is a good description. I wish she would have done more during the second act. The hide and seek Cole and MBL play while evading the babysitter seemed pointless. I agree for the most part about the parents. Though Kelly thought the best gag in the whole movie was the lackadaisical hand job flashback (given to Ken Marino while Cole is trying to remember where the kitchen knife is).
TJ: They aren’t bad, just not memorable. And I’m actually a fan of Leslie Bibb’s comedy. Have been for a while. I just thought the high school kids did a fantastic job. Also I like that they didn’t try to make them look like high school kids. They were obviously closer to 30 than 18.
Chris: It wasn’t until Cole called Max the high school quarterback that I realized that they were all supposed to be in high school. I mean Hana Mae Lee looked like she was typecast as kooky, art school, college girl.
TJ: True. I want to talk about the movie in relation to some other things, but how do you feel about it? Recommend?
Chris: Yes. Not my favorite, but definitely worth watching. I wasn’t a huge fan of the McG-ness (aka diet Edgar Wright) but some of those visual gags really worked.
TJ: Same. It felt a little like a shotgun approach to a horror comedy. Some of it worked, some of it didn’t. But good enough for a watch. How does it compare to other Netflix originals this year?
Chris: Hoo boy, that’s a toughie. Uhh. You go first.
TJ: I’ve seen five. And I think you’ve seen four of them. It’s definitely better than Shimmer Lake and Naked. Probably slightly better than The Discovery and not nearly as good as Okja.
Chris: Yeah. I think that Okja really stands at the top of the pile right now. In addition to Okja, Shimmer Lake, I have seen Little Evil and Gerald’s Game, to name just a couple more. I would put it on par with Little Evil and a step below Gerald’s Game. For Little Evil, the comparison makes itself. It is a tongue and cheek romp through the demonic child horror movie. For Gerald’s Game, though, the comparison is much tougher. Gerald’s Game is humorless and bleak. It’s torturous. The Babysitter is the opposite of all of that.
TJ: Yes. This is a movie that is trying to be Cabin in the Woods, not Cabin Fever. And it doesn’t quite get there. But it’s entertaing enough to make you feel like you didn’t waste your time. Also Lil’ Brie Larson was cool.
Chris: I thought we agreed that it was Mini Brie Larson (MBL). Anything else before signing off? Any parting shots?
TJ: Just that I’m super excited for the Netflix promise of over 80 original movies next year. Occasionally they’re awful, but they’ll land a great one soon. They are well on their way after a few releases this year. The Babysitter was a good, fun attempt.
Chris: Oh yeah. I’ve had a good time with the originals this year. If next year is more like this, then they’ll be on the right track. So you would recommend adding this to a watchlist?
TJ: 4sho
Chris: Ooooh. I gave it a 4.5sho
TJ: We suck.
Chris: You have to let me have one dad joke!
TJ: So thanks for reading you! You can check out The Babysitter streaming on Netflix now and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get updates on new movie reviews, articles, podcasts, and conversations like these, only better.
Is it Watchlist-worthy? Yes and Yes