ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING

SYNOPSIS: Forced to cancel her big dream date, Chris Parker, a high school senior, agrees to a last minute babysitting assignment at her neighbors. A desperate call from her best friend sends Chris and her three young charges to the rescue, turning her boring evening in into a night none of them will soon forget.

BOTTOM LINE: I have to admit that this film is one of my secret little favorites. There's just something about this silly, outrageous, completely unbelievable teenage adventure story that captured my imagination, making me deeply relate to the lead character. In her first starring role, Elisabeth Shue gives the film's wild plot a calm center to swirl around. It's her strong performance, filled with wit, charm and energy, that keeps the wackiness at bay, creating a memorable character you can't help but wish to succeed. The story is a kitchen sink of horrifying vignettes with her fortures going from bad to worse with every step she takes. Instead of a simple night at home in the suburbs she finds herself traipsing around the streets of Chicago, eluding the mob, encountering her boyfriend out with another woman, singing the blues and attending a college frat party. Those are just the main points, there are also several subplots I can't even begin to get into. Chris Columbus is not one of my favorite director's because his films never seem to have a clear mood or style. This being his first it suffers more than most from his inability to tell a concise, entertaining story that doesn't meander all over the place or include everyone emotion in the book. His lack of a strong vision is what hampers this film from truly being great, setting aside the truly ridiculous situations that occur. I can't recommend that you run out and rent this, but if you happen to catch it on TV, Shue will make it worthwhile.