Adventures in Babysitting

Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: July 3, 1987

CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION

45	METASCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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Mixed:

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Critic Reviews

Critic score Publication By date

Roger Ebert

Adventures in Babysitting seemed littered with unrealized possibilities. The movie has good raw material, but it never really was pulled together into something I could care about much. Read full review

Rita Kempley

Babysitting, the directorial debut of The Goonies and Gremlins writer Chris Columbus, is a sweet-natured, adolescent variation on the big-city black comedy After Hours. Read full review

Michael Wilmington

It's one of those movies that, however well it works now, might have been pretty bad with a different cast and director. It doesn't really transcend its genre; it just stretches it in amusing and sometimes surprising ways. Read full review

David Ansen

Guts, wit and soul, these suburban kids have it all: Babysitting outdoes even John Hughes in flattering its target audience, and for this it will doubtless be amply rewarded. [13 July 1987, p.60]

Time Out LondonStaff (Not Credited)

If this family fodder is functional, it's due largely to its production design and cinematography, which endow the city of Chicago with an effectively menacing aspect. Read full review

Janet Maslin

To be fair, ''Adventures in Baby-Sitting'' is determinedly cute, and its pep may well be appreciated by anyone with a frame of reference as narrow as the film makers' own. It's clear from the film's opening moments that pep is all that matters here anyhow. Read full review

Chris Dafoe

Amusement parks are fine, but with the danger gone, Adventures in Babysitting seems a lot like going to the park when all the scary rides are closed. [03 July 1987]

Staff (Not Credited)

Chris Columbus weighs in adequately in his directorial debut, thanks to a fresh, solid lead performance from Elisabeth Shue. Yet the film can never rise above the leaden script. Read full review

EmpireWilliam Thomas

Strays from the boundaries of believability a little too much to be regarding anything other than a throw-away comedy. Read full review

Dave Kehr

Adventures in Babysitting not only panders to expectations but also attempts to exploit fears and prejudices. [03 July 1987, p.A]

Hal Boedeker

Watching Adventures in Babysitting is like eating a carton of candy bars. The first bites are sweet, but after a while, you're gagging. This is one gooey confection. [07 July 1987, p.C7]