I loved the characters though I did wish that the movie didn't end so fast, I would have loved to see someone's wife find out. There are a lot of interesting and sleazy events taking place in this film and oddly enough you'll find yourself glued to the seat begging for more craziness to happen as the story line unfolds. This film is dramatically insane with hot romances and yet its a little disturbing once you factor in the age and lives that they lead. These girls are not your typical high school students, don't expect anything but slightly tamed adult material from this flick. This movie in my opinion is a must see, and most definitely not for people with an open mind.
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sexybeastv66 August 2013
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gentrypemberton20 April 2012This movie is both entertaining and highly unsatisfying; as unsure of itself as the teenage girls it depicts. There does not seem to be an overall direction and there is little in terms of a climax. No pun intended, because the frequent sex scenes are among the film's most entertaining sequences.
Almost every act committed by those in the film is immoral, illegal, or a terrible mixture of the two. Grown adults, ranging from lonely elderly perverts to unhappily married businessmen, purchase time with teenage girls running a prostitution ring disguised as a babysitting business. The film attempts to focus on the internal struggle of both the men and girls involved, but does little to form any kind of moral compass along the way. As the movie progresses, you grow to dislike the greedy ringleader as well as the married men her clique sleeps with.
Due to the lack of a leading protagonist, we are left with no one to cheer for. The only thing to look forward to is some kind of justice, some kind of reprehension or punishment for the acts committed. That does not happen. The ending is, to say the least, highly disappointing and resolves no questions nor concludes the movie properly.
This is the kind of film that demands a satisfying ending, but in the end, the viewer is left with more questions than answers. As far as we know, everyone involved manages to forget about the ordeal and move on. Perhaps the viewer should do the same with this film. -
The sole reason for why I picked up "The Babysitters" was because of John Leguizamo being in it. Having read the synopsis for the movie, and that wasn't particularly a selling point for me. So, for me, the movie was depending on John Leguizamo to carry it - and so he did.
The story in "The Babysitters" is about a young girl who babysits for a family, and whilst driving her home in the evening, the dad invites her in to a diner for something to eat. Here they come to talk and a spark is set off between them. The dad ends up having sex with the babysitter. Eventually his friend finds out and wants in on the deal, and the babysitter bring in her friends to help servicing these adult men who have wives and kids. And business is good for the 'babysitters'.
Storywise, then "The Babysitters" doesn't really blow you away - pardon the pun. The story is good enough in itself, although it does deal with a taboo subject, so the movie may not be suitable for just anyone.
What made the movie watchable was the acting in the movie, because people really did great jobs with their given roles and characters. And also the characters in the movie were really fleshed out nicely and in great detail.
"The Babysitters" is a story- and character-driven movie, so don't expect the movie to get up into a fast pace at any given moment.
If you enjoy dramas that deal with issues that are not common day events - controversial events you might say - then "The Babysitters" might be just the right movie for you. -
Buddy-5121 October 2011The well-acted indie drama "The Babysitters" takes what appears on the surface to be fairly salacious and distasteful material and turns it into a scathing attack on contemporary mores and values.
Shirley (Katherine Waterston) is an attractive suburban high school student who decides to make a little extra money babysitting for the young son of a local couple. When the husband, Michael (John Leguizamo), who is clearly unhappy in his marriage, pays to have sex with her at the end of the night, Shirley comes up with a scheme to parlay that into a full-fledged teen-prostitution ring, with Michael lining up other clients among his married buddies and Shirley setting herself up as a sort of "madam," "hiring" her friends from school to serve as under-aged "call girls." But the folks involved soon discover that, when it comes to affairs of the heart and of the loins, one can't always dictate how things will turn out.
Writer/director David Ross aims at a wide range of targets, from the sterility of suburbia and middle class marriage to middle-aged men who refuse to grow up – and who, instead of serving as moral guides for the girls, are willing to exploit them for their own perverted needs - to the capitalist system itself, at least as embodied by the "enterprising" young entrepreneur, Shirley, who often has to stoop to ruthless and dictatorial tactics to ensure the viability and survival of her business.
But always, beneath it all, there is the intense sadness and emotional emptiness of the situation, as these attractive young ladies - who are really just confused and insecure kids under all the makeup, sexy clothing and alluring bravado - find themselves getting into something they can neither fully understand nor fully control. Even Michael seems unable to separate the sex from his own more romantic feelings for Shirley as he battles with jealousy thinking about her with other men. Perhaps, the most indicting line of dialogue comes from one of the creepier gents who cluelessly proclaims that one day, when these girls are all grown up, they will look back on this time as one of the greatest of their lives. Yet, paradoxically, the exploitation goes both ways, as these "naïve" girls, particularly Shirley, wrap a bunch of immature middle-aged men around their little fingers, ultimately using the men's uncontrollable libido against them.
It is this complicated twist that gives the film its darkly humorous tone and makes "The Babysitters" more than just a titillating and exploitative exercise in finger-wagging moral umbrage. -
lastliberal14 March 2009OK, there is something slightly sleazy about watching a movie featuring high school girls making money providing sex to dads.
Michael (John Leguizamo) and his wife (Cynthia Nixon) are falling into routine, and she is not interested in his hobby. His job is becoming a bore. He and the babysitter (Katherine Waterston) fall into an illicit relationship.
Soon, Shirly (Waterston) gets her friends into babysitting for $200 a pop and takes a cut.
One of the girls (Louisa Krause) wants out and things go to hell.
Waterston was really good, and I always enjoy Leguizamo in anything he does. -
"The Babysitters" seems like the sort of movie that could debut the Sundance Film Festival. It focuses on an anal-retentive teenage girl (Katharine Waterston, Sam's daughter) who turns her babysitting service into a prostitution business, only to have things take an unexpected turn. If the movie has any problem, it's that much of it's a little hard to follow. Seriously, it seems like the movie lets things go on for a while before clarifying the purpose. Then again, they might need time to let things develop.
Overall, I'd say that the movie is worth seeing, although you certainly have to have a long attention span. Also starring John Leguizamo and Cynthia Nixon (of "Sex and the City"). -
beornmatt13 April 2015I can imagine some director sitting down and going "Hmm. I've got a great movie idea. Check this out: a high school girl recruits her friends to be call girls under the auspices of babysitting and turns into a ruthless pimp." Good idea for an edgy movie, right? Probably so, but the execution was pretty bad here. There were so many holes in logic and obvious plot devices that it made it very difficult for me to willingly suspend my disbelief. For instance:
What high school doesn't have security cameras in it? How many 16- year-olds are willing to sleep with 40 year old men in one high school? What high school keeps all sorts of paint and such around for kids to just grab? What man with a wife and two kids keeps three hundred bucks of totally disposable income in his wallet three to four nights per week? How dumb are these wives to not pick up on any of this? Kids break into a school and the cops don't come, but John Leguizamo stands near a train track and his wife freaks out that he might get arrested? How does a girl with OCD decide it's a good idea to destroy a school? For that matter, how does that same girl use the vandalism of the school to threaten her wayward hookers? "I threw paint on your lockers. Don't f*** anyone without my permission or next time it won't be paint." "Well, you smashed in the trophy case. That'll teach me to keep my legs closed." And on and on.
The idea was a pretty good one. This movie had a lot of potential in it for something gritty, chilling, and dark. As a finished product, however, it seemed to just be some indie schlock that was trying for profundity and wound up falling face-first into some dad's lap. -
kosmasp2 April 2022I reckon movies like this (not these - a typo or small mistake in the movie, never mind) one right here, are responsible for wives being wary of Babysitters ... especially if they are young and pretty. On the other hand, the movie only exists because there is a fantasy about that.
The depiction of how it all starts is also well done. John Leguizamo is a really good actor too. And the female counterpart is great also (forgot her name - but she certainly was an adult at the time of shooting - they wouldn't allow it any other way in America). So while there is a sort of warning that there is lots of nudity and sexual situations, it didn't really feel that way.
Then again times have moved and some are more sensible than others. There is definitely a very long frontal nudity shot of our main female character - in case you care one way or the other. But and that is the point I am trying to make, the movie works anyway and with little titilation. It is because of the struggle of the main character to maintain control, not just over her own life, but those she affected ... of course you need two to tango ... and even more to open a dance club ... well if that dance club was euphimism for having sex that is.
While the ending has quite a strong impact (at least initially), the movie may not be as touching as it thinks it is - no pun intended. Still more than decent to say the least. -
Bethanybee3310 November 2021I have a hard time believing any normal person actually likes this movie. Not only are the girls in high school and are literally being exploited and groomed by creepy men their fathers ages, but the main character Shirley completely changes her personality it's not even enjoyable to a normal person. First shirleys shy and all OCD and then changes to this mean greedy pimp character. But to actually like watching this type of movie, you must like seeing the sexualization of teens. I felt uneasy the whole movie and there was no justice at the end. The creepy men should've gotten caught and arrested and their wives should've found out. Like at least make the guys attractive so it's actually realistic and believable.
Think the grossest thing about this movie is knowing it was probably made to entertain creepy men who like teens. Considering I saw a review someone wrote that said he wished Shirley and Michael would've gotten together in the end because Shirley would've liked that. Like ummm what?? Why would she like that?? She's 17 and he's her dads age. He groomed her. How is that romantic?? Bleh. -
melot75 September 2013This movie was entertaining and at times, arousing. The characters are well-written and develop on their own as the movie progresses. Certain scenes make a lasting impression in one's mind, especially when one of the teens experiences what can only be described as borderline rape when she suddenly pauses and cries out twice for her mom. This, to me, was one of the most powerful scenes in the movie.
The only issue I have with this movie was the pairing up of John Leguizamo and Cynthia Nixon as a married couple. Individually, they play their parts quite well, however, they do not have much on-screen chemistry. And maybe I grew up in a different time, however, some of the teens' actions seem unbelievable. There perhaps should have been more contemplation or hesitation, even for a teen. Especially when some of these older men are not attractive, at all. Yet, this movie certainly and successfully does make one think, what if?
I would recommend watching this movie, definitely worth your time. -
jafar-iqbal19 November 2013After she ends up having sex with one of her customers, a teenager decides to turn her babysitting job into an illicit escort agency, with herself and her friends as the call-girls. Things are great at first, but the reality of the situation she has put herself and her friends in starts to take its toll.
I'll be honest – even before I started to watch 'The Babysitters', I wasn't feeling great about it. A decent cast of good but unimpressive actors; a handful of sexy girls there to just be sexy; and a play on that lovely babysitter fantasy. It was destined to be failure.
And, well, it's a failure.
It's a failure mainly because it's so predictable. It was clear to see where it was going, and writer/director David Ross never really challenges our expectations – if anything, he goes out of his way to make sure everything goes as we imagined it would. Very boring.
Another problem is that Katherine Waterston (playing central character Shirley), as gorgeous as she is, just isn't a very good actor. If you're going to base your film around a young actor, that actor better be good, and we didn't get that here. She's not absolutely awful, she has her moments, but nothing sustained enough to make it a performance worth investing in. The big name in the film is John Leguizamo. I liked his character, and the man is obviously a fantastic actor, but he's wasted here. Similarly, Cynthia Nixon is barely there, and doesn't have a lot to do.
I feel I should balance this out with a positive from the movie, but I'm at a loss as to what that might be. If I would praise anything, it would be the performance of Lauren Birkell, as Shirley's best friend Melissa. She is the kooky, quirky one, and does it very well. It's a spirited performance, the kind of performance someone gives when they're doing best to get noticed. But it's one shining light in a badly-made film.
'The Babysitters' is watchable, but you're not going to enjoy it too much. If you're happy to put up with a boring script if it means you get some lovely eye candy, please do watch this, as you get a healthy dose of both things. If you like your films, y'know, good, avoid it. -
uncre8tv5 August 2008This is what I look for in independent film. Well drawn characters, competent movie making, and a pleasing ambiguity that a big studio wouldn't dare leave in, lest the audience actually decide how to feel for themselves. The guys are great - desperate, sleazy, charming, funny and sad. The girls are also portrayed fairly - scheming, sweet, sexy and innocent. Leguizamo's character is believable to me as an aging playa, chafing against middle age and lusting for Waterson's Shirley. And Shirley is the best on-screen pimp in recent memory. To be fair: things unfold a little quickly, people accept their situations a little easier than they might in real life, but this is a pretty short movie, and throwing in more angst would be overkill and overlong on screen. No one comes away clean, and no one comes away as the absolute bad guy. Moral absolutes would kill this film, and I'm glad it got made the way it did.
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DuskShadow13 December 2018I knew pimps and hoes that started getting into the "game" at young ages. They would extol what they did as the greatest thing ever, nothing being better. They would be famous and popular throughout the years growing up, and though I never "used the services" of either pimps or hoes at any point in my life, I still knew a few of the most infamous of my generation " at least in my neck of the woods, which is a giraffe worth of woods to neck through, I suppose... Seeing this from the perspective of an actress portraying a female pimp in high school reminded me of some of the people I have heard of and met throughout my life. From the lingering doubt draining away as promises of more money come more often to the dangers involved from the law or simply the perceptions of others around, this seemed fairly realistic. From the angst and trepidation of would be participants on all sides, to the raw primal emotion of either release much sought after, whether achieved or not, to "protecting ones turf", this was done in a strange way for a suburban backdrop versus a more classic "inner city" pimp flick of the 70s. IT was different, and as far as moral dilemmas go that may have happened in the past or be happening now, it gives a look at two of the oldest "gigs" in the world: The pimp and the hoe. THe music was good, John Leguizamo was a shocker to see in such a film, but in a way this was just really gritty if one thinks about the extents some go to make a buck, or seek what they believe they need to give them happiness or fulfillment. Strange Tale.
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Aregie3 January 2010I am incredulous at the positive reviews for this movie. The only positive thing I can say about the film is the strong performance by the lead actress.
The film was billed as a dark comedy on my local cable channel. It was dark, yes, but it was a stretch to find anything to laugh about with teen girls being exploited by not only their father's peers, but by each other.
For me, it could have succeeded as a study of serious moral dilemma, but the characters were far too superficial and there was little insight provided into their behavior.
The Babysitters is an excuse to watch braless teens bounce across the screen, nothing more. And sadly, I'm afraid this probably many people's cup of tea. -
Quentin-1215 September 2007Just saw this film at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival). The director was there and participated in the Q&A. The film was entertaining, I'll give it that much, however the major problems stem from it just doesn't feel like the film-making team really knew what kind of film they wanted to make. The tone is muddled and therefore you're never really sure how to feel about most of the situations. The sex scenes are probably the most interesting of the film, and mostly because that's really the only time where we really see the characters and what they're going through. Cynthia Nixon and John Leguzamo play a married couple, and although they're both cast well and play the parts well I find it very hard to believe them as a couple at all. I think that the writing and portrayal of their characters is fine, it just doesn't fit. The director/writer seems to prefer going after internal conflict rather than external, the main problem is that in the end we never really get a sense of how this whole story has affected everyone. We're left on a very vague not that I think hurts the film more than helps it. That and it kinda/sorta felt like a newer take on 'Pizza Boy' with Patrick Dempsy (and from a marketing point MILFS are way more interesting than... oh my... FILFs?)
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Floated223 December 2022With a realistic sounding plot, the Babysitters is a solid drama which definitely may be uneasy for many. The synopsis is quite clear as to what the film is intended on being.
There is good character development as we see the lead character Shirley start out as an innocent and shy teenager than once this "service" occurs, we see her becoming more aggressive, in charge, demanding and overall in control (to her clients and her friends).
John Leguizamo plays his role top notch as he is one of the highlights. The leading actress does a solid job, although we can certainly see she is much older than the role she is portraying (not exactly passable for a 17 year old teen but that's expected).
A rather silly moment occurred where Shirley and her friend break in the school and start damaging and completely vandalizing everything from lockers, to glass cabinets. Simply because they were looking for something suspicious in one of the other girls locker. What was odd is how there weren't any cameras and how they never seemed to get caught.
The film is quite short though we are left with unanswered questions in the end. For instance, the focus is mainly on the affairs. We don't see how the father's families react to the affair (if they even ever found out), we don't see if Shirley made enough money for college, and we don't see if any of the father's ever got caught (by their wives).
Although the ending was quite a nice little twist, we don't see the aftermath with Shirley, her father and she her friends.
Seemingly expected this film to be slightly more graphic, explicit and to push more boundaries, although disturbing given the plot. For the most part, it is relatively tame. -
kevin_robbins21 February 2023The Babysitters (2007) is a movie that I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows a high school teenager who begins an affair with the father of the children she babysits. He starts paying her which gives her an idea to stat an escort service called the babysitters. It does every well until her network of babysitters and clients begins getting so big it will be hard to keep her business a secret.
This movie is written and directed by David Ross, in his directorial debut, and stars John Leguizamo (Spawn), Ann Dowd (Hereditary), Alexandra Daddario (Percy Jackson), Lauren Birkell (Van Wilder) and Adam LeFevre (Storm of the Century).
This movie is ultra creepy, awkward but feels possible and authentic. The cast is really good and everyone delivers solid performances. The intensity and risk of the circumstances are felt throughout the movie as are the obsessions and depiction of what could go wrong and how it would be handled. The film is well paced and while the content makes you uncomfortable, it also reminds me you of the evils that humans surely do.
Overall, this is a movie with a unique premise, taboo content but realistic scenarios. I would score this a 6/10 but only recommend it if nothing better is available. -
lawhite327 December 2011The ONLY reason I watched this was to see John Leguizamo. But as an uptight, suburban white guy? No. Didn't make the cut for me. How Lauren Birkell's character went from OCD to PIMP was really ridiculous. Then she goes from nerd to violent street thug? This was a infomercial for pedophiles. Only Cynthia Nixon's uptight suburban character was plausible because she played the same role in Sex in the City. I would have been happier if Chris Hansen had a cameo role and some of the men had been caught up in a To Catch a Predator Dateline program! This was a gross film about gross people doing gross things. I'll just keep thinking of John Leguizamo as Benny Blanco; it will make this character go away and I'll feel better. . .
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karenmc-513425 June 2020Please don't waste your time watching this stupid fxxxxg movie!
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SnoopyStyle24 April 2016High schooler Shirley Lyner (Katherine Waterston) babysits for Michael (John Leguizamo) and Gail Beltran (Cynthia Nixon). Shirley starts making out with Michael and then have sex. Michael lets out the secret to his friend and word spreads. Shirley recruits her eager friend Melissa Rowan. Next it's quiet Brenda. They start a business called The Babysitters. Brenda brings in her stepsister Nadine who starts her own competing service with other girls.
It's salacious without any redeeming value. It treats the material with no intention of being anything better. It has neither any satire nor any tension. This is not a serious treatment of this creepy subject matter. It's basically nothing. Waterston shows some interesting shades at times in this early work but there is nothing else. -
aharmas11 May 2008Whoever said that brains and beauty is not an explosive combination? An enterprising young woman sees a way to take control of her life and becomes a mastermind behind a society of young women whose lives are slowly shattered when they decide to use their charms to make some money.
The film starts out slowly and then hits a few highs along the way, giving us a share of strong, controversial and provocative moments. As we see the story unfold, we are not quite sure when the dangerous and tragic moments are coming. They are expected, but they are not quite as obvious as one expects. Little by little, we see the girls lose control of their enterprise, as each person's agenda begins to threatens the good of the group. Personalities begin clashing as the quiet and demure realizes she doesn't have enough strength to continue. In the opposite end, her sister is taking more and more dangerous assignments, and all of this emotional turmoil begins to prove too much for the head of the club.
In the end, things work out but not that smoothly, and not without a couple of gigantic crises along the way. It is shocking at times, and there are a couple of lulls along the way that almost derail the film, but it is a movie that shows a side of teens that has probably never been shown before. It will make you think. -
vwtqdxnky10 November 2023In what world, does a seemingly classy, 17 year old white girl decide to have sex with a very average middle income 40 year old Hispanic man out of her own innate desire? That's probably happened 0 times in history. This movie is for older men who have a fantasy. Luckily that's what it is, a fantasy, as this never happens in real life.
The characters are not very great. The acting is bland and too accepting of radical ideas without even a second thought as to whether they should actually do it or not. They just jump straight into hooking up in the movie without any development which lacks authenticity. -
This movie was available on Netflix streaming. I wanted to watch something meaningless in spare time when I had a few minutes to kill. So I saw it in 4 or 5 sittings.
So the movie begins as just another slice of urban life, parents go to work, kids go to school, and some of the girls get babysitting jobs in the evening. But then one man in his 40s gets sweet on his babysitter. She is taken completely by surprise at his advances, but soon relaxes and enjoys the attention. She is surprised when he gives her a wad of money for her "babysitting", $200 in all.
So he gets hooked on his young lover and after a few $200 nights she realizes this can be profitable for her and a select few of her close friends. The word spreads from guy to guy, the price for the "babysitting service" goes up to $300. The girl who organized it all gets her 20% and soon business is in full swing.
Of course there has to be a downside to all this, and that is the moral of the whole movie, teenage girls in high school can't get into the prostitution business without some competition and finally some breakdowns fueled by guilt.
Overall it is well made and well acted. The daughter of veteran actor Sam Waterston is the lead girl, and the only one who bares her chest during the movie. Even though the story involved "underage" girls, in reality they were all in their 20s, and the Waterston girl was 26 during filming. -
nogodnomasters27 April 2018After sitting, Shirley gets paid $200 for the ride home. It isn't the destiny, but the journey. One by one her friends join her in providing sitting services fro the married men of the community, a risky business sitter's club. As always things get too big and too emotional or else there wouldn't be any conflict and all we would have to watch is teen girls having sex.
The film looks like it would be soft porn, but it is not. There is one nude scene with Katherine Waterston that is the extension of the DVD cover. The sex was watered down also. The drama of teen girls was on the boring side. This was clearly a missed opportunity.
There was a theme of everything and everyone in their place, and when one thing gets out of place it causes a domino effect.They should have gone back to it. Or a clip of a ketchup bottle placed wrong. -
I couldn't find any redeeming value to this low budget independent film. It was uniformly boring, creepy, and sad, featuring a prostitution ring of high school girls, organized by one enterprising girl, who functioned as sort of a madam. The sex scenes weren't even titillating, merely perfunctory.
However, I would like to take this opportunity to review some generalizations about child prostitution. It's estimated that, in the US alone, there are hundreds of thousands of juvenile prostitutes : both girls and boys. Many are being exploited by unscrupulous pimps, in what amounts to sexual slavery. Some of these youths have been illegally imported for this purpose. However, as this film dramatizes, other youth are the one's doing the exploiting, financially, keeping most or all of their earnings, without need to support an exploitive pimp. In Thailand, Brazil, and in the Czech Republic, where prostitution is legal at 15, many poor youths, operating out of their homes, voluntarily sell their bodies to buy things or help finance their families. Often, they target foreign tourists.
In the US, it's estimated that 75-80% of adult prostitutes began their activity as juveniles, 70% beginning before age 16. It's estimated that 95% of prostitutes who began as juveniles were runaways. And why do they run away? It's estimated that 90% of juvenile prostitutes previously suffered sexual abuse. Of course, there are also other reasons for running away from home. Foster children, families including a stepparent, African American and Latino children, and children of migrants and refugees are especially at risk. How ironic. They runaway because of sexual abuse, then most spend most of their time having sex with strangers for money!