DVD Reviews

The Sitter – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Mar 29, 2012, 14:41 GMT

Adventures in Babysitting meets "Superbad" in this raunchy comedy starring Jonah Hill as Noah, a suspended college student who becomes the unlikely--and unqualified--sitter to his neighbor\'s children (Max Records, Landry Bender, Kevin Hernandez). But his girlfriend\'s (Ari Gaynor) promise of sex in exchange for cocaine forces Noah to bring the kids along on a wild trek across the city, pursued by a psychotic drug dealer (Sam Rockwell). ...more

“I sharted.”

Need somebody to watch your kids while you’re out?  Why not call Jonah Hill to sit for you?  Well, maybe not.  You’ve seen his movies.  This latest one apes Adventures in Babysitting and is rather familiar until it hits on insanity.  Too bad it doesn’t keep that up.

Noah (Jonah Hill) is a lonely slacker who pines after Marisa (Ari Graynor).  She’s happy to use him but he still holds out hope that she’ll be his girlfriend.  One night Noah’s mom (Jessica Hecht) wants to go to a party with Mrs. Pedulla (Erin Daniels) who has set up a blind date for her. 

She’s looking forward to an evening out when she finds out that Pedulla’s babysitter has cancelled and it looks like her evening is ruined.  Noah feels bad for his mom and volunteers to baby-sit.  He arrives to find the children, the neurotic Slater (Max Records), star-obsessed Blithe (Landry Bender), and the pyromaniac adopted child Rodrigo (Kevin Hernandez), might be more difficult to handle than he expected. 

Noah gets a call from Marisa who promises him sex if he will bring her something at a party that she’s at.  That something is a hit of cocaine from Karl (Sam Rockwell) and when that goes wrong, Noah has to find $10,000 or let Karl kill him. 

The Sitter doesn’t have much original.  The babysitter that has a night of adventure has been done many times.  Jonah Hill’s stoner slacker isn’t exactly a new role for him either.  They have a night of adventure and everyone comes out learning something, the kids lives get corrected, and nobody gets hurt. 

This is a movie after all.  We do have a few laughs along the way.  You do wonder why Noah gives a rip about Marisa since we know that she’s just using him (and he knows it too).  I guess horny loners will do right about anything.  Where the movie does reach the heights of absurdity it had me sitting up and taking notice. 

Karl with a “K” is a madcap character that has a Bond-villain-like lair complete with fey skaters and bodybuilders packing coke into Faberge eggs.  These scenes are so loony and over-the-top you just can’t help but snicker.  Noah also has a funny encounter with Soul Baby that had me laughing.  They do add a bit of life to the proceedings but we’re soon back to the sad sack Noah and his kids in tow. 

The Sitter is presented in widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  You also get the theatrical version (81 minutes) and an unrated version (87 minutes).  Special features include the 2 minute gag reel, the 3 minute “Sit-n-giggles” which offers alternate lines, and the 5 minute “Jonah the Producer” that is a comedic look at Hill behind the scenes. 

The Sitter isn’t exactly a shart, but it also feels cliché in the babysitter movie genre.  Jonah Hill isn’t stretching his acting skills either but he does have a funny moment or two.  Too bad there are not enough of them.

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