Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead (1991)

Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead (1991)

5/10

Starring

Christina Applegate

Joanna Cassidy

Keith Coogan

Directed by Stephen Herek

In 1991, Christina Applegate starred in a coming-of-age movie called Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. The movie is about a group of kids set loose by their mother, who goes on a trip to Australia.
She didn’t leave them alone intentionally, unlike other ’90s movies like Home Alone. These kids are never left on their own on purpose. Their newfound freedom comes with the challenges of the real world. But with some luck and a little adventure, they always find a way to stay on top of the situation, even when everything seems to be falling apart around them. That was the recipe for “leaving kids alone at home” movies.

The movie had a lot of missing elements that could have made it more interesting, and one of the biggest things missing was surprise. There’s nothing in this movie that will take you by surprise. It didn’t even try to impress, and it couldn’t even make you break a smile with its underwhelming plot.

Here’s the story: A mother of five children is taken on a trip to Australia by her boyfriend. She leaves her seventeen-year-old daughter in charge of the home and hires a babysitter to supervise things while she’s gone for two months.
The kids, thinking this will be the best thing ever, are surprised when the babysitter—a presumed sweet old lady—turns out to be a drill sergeant.
Not that they wished the old lady any harm, but one day they walk into her room to find her dead. Not knowing what to do, they ask themselves: Should they tell their mother and have her come home immediately, or should they do something about it and keep their newfound freedom? They decide to keep their freedom, which requires them to drop the lady’s dead body at the morgue.

Unaware of where the money their mother left behind for the two months is, they have to find a way to make money so they can eat. It’s summer break, and each child wants to have fun, but now it’s up to the eldest to find a way to care for the little ones.

By the end of the movie, everything turns out in a way that will make you wonder, “What’s the point?”
There seems to be no lesson learned, and all the children just have a miraculous “we must be responsible” moment. Which is odd, because their irresponsibility and bad behavior mostly just highlight their stupidity. Being left home alone doesn’t mean you have to be a dirty slob.