Just perfect...

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

A Brilliant Conflict

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The Babysitter: A hen-pecked prosecuting attorney begins an affair with his blonde bombshell of a babysitter--the aptly named Candy. Candy, by the way, says things like: "Wow, man--I totally dig you--you really turn me on!" and "Ciao, baby!" Unfortunately, a murder case he's working on involving a motorcycle gang prompts the gang leader's "old lady" to blackmail him for her boyfriend's release. There is also a thin subplot involving the attorney's lesbian daughter. Patricia Wymer is smokin' hot as the bubbly, music-loving not-quite-a-hipster babysitter. Fun little movie! One of the best in the Drive-In Cult Classics collection.

I'm sitting here stunned after watching The Babysitter. This movie addresses nearly every controversial topic of morality: Adultery to begin with, but the list only begins there with everything from blindly loving a murderer, blackmail, under age trolling by an older married man, sexual assault, etc. etc. The fact that it covers the gamut of human indecencies isn't really what bothers me though, it's the matter- of-fact way that in which they are portrayed. I know, I know, it's just drive-in pulp, but it never allows the audience to be comfortable. There is a fair amount of soft-core sex in here, but it's not shot as passion, rather confused characters continuing to make bad decisions one after the other. The whole - having troubles at home? don't work em out, have an affair with a young chick who can promise you the moon - mentality is such an immature way of viewing an affair, and that's exactly what bothered me about this film. I think that it was written, produced, distributed, and moderately successful because this is a fantasy for people that they are not allowed to talk about openly. American Beauty, for example, is a beautiful film for many reasons, but mostly because you get to watch the protagonist struggle with his attraction. Not here, as Grandpa dives right in and loves him some young lovin.OK, so this is the wrong venue to get philosophical, but I just had to mention it because this film, more than a lot of the other drive-in trashy movies, dealt with issues of betrayal and hurt in a very raw, unfiltered way, and I am left to consider what it is I'm looking for in movies, and, as someone who is trying to write scripts, what it is people in general are looking for.Rating: 20/40

I watched The Babysitter as part of BCI Eclipse' Drive-in Cult Classics (featuring Crown International Pictures releases) on DVD. I think it is a very good film.This movie packs a lot of story into a very short time. You have hippies, rock music, bikers, lesbians, sexual impropriety, blackmail, and murder, all in one spot! The lead actors do a credible job. And, I found the intricately woven plot to be believable and interesting.However, the supporting cast, primarily the bikers, delivers a stilted performance, particularly when asked to deliver lines with more than just a few words. Perhaps they used real bikers, instead of actors. A couple of the characters, in particular, were exceptionally believable.The musical score is absolutely spot-on, for the times, the tempo, and for moving the story forward. I found the music a real treat. I noticed in the opening credits that the movie featured the music of "The Food," I googled them; but, couldn't find anything...In any case, George E. Carey who wrote, produced and starred in this movie liked the idea so much (of a wayward married man brought to redemption through trials and tribulation; and, a little help - of course) that he wrote, produced and starred in "Weekend with the Babysitter."

Babysitter, The (1969) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Fairly crazy drive-in flick has the future D.A. (George E. Carey) about to take on an important case of a biker killing a woman. He's having trouble at home with his unloving wife (Anne Bellamy) but soon finds comfort with his underage babysitter Candy (Patricia Wymer). The biker's girlfriend plans on blackmailing the D.A. because his daughter is a lesbian but she gets better stuff when she realizes the babysitter is doing more than just watching kids. This thing packs a lot of "story" into its short 75-minute running time but that's okay because it makes for one wild ride as far as "B" drive-in films go. This is certainly one of those "groovy" movies aimed at teenagers at drive-ins and on that level the film works because it's not a great piece of art yet it does keep you entertained with its nudity, silly story and insane dialogue, which includes plenty of "peace of love" hippie talk. The greatest line is when the elder D.A. says everyone would benefit from "a little hippie in them". Another great line is when the D.A., taking the babysitter out, says that he respects teens because of their willingness to try new things like tacos!!! Yes, tacos were apparently a way to show freedom. Wymer does a very good job in her role as the young babysitter who wants to experience life as well as teach an older man how to life. She's certainly cute enough for the role but she also has enough charm to make you understand how the old man would get caught up with her. She also comes off appearing to have a brain in her head, which also helps make her character more believable. Stone, who wrote the story for himself; imagine that, is pretty flat in his role, which doesn't demand too much except getting turned on by a teenager. He's pretty weak in the role, which doesn't help the film any. You really can't go into a film like this expecting anything great so the main goal should be to keep the viewer entertained and this film is successful at that. The nudity, silly rock music and wild story make for some decent fun as long as you know what you're getting into.