Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991)

★★★
The writers of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead didn't like the name change (original title: The Real World), but that name change was the best thing that could have happened. The movie was already going to receive a few curious looks due to Christina Applegate's involvement, thanks to her role on Fox's Married…With Children, but its longevity was not going to rest on her role alone. The movie did okay business, but the title made it one to remember. It was marketable. It was that movie starring Christina Applegate, who had the opportunity to play a character unlike her signature role of Kelly Bundy. Kelly was an airheaded and promiscuous blonde. Applegate's new character, Sue Ellen Crandell, was a typical 17-year-old who had to mature fast to take care of her family. Applegate's chance to shine combined with the movie's title cemented its longevity. H.B.O.'s involvement helped too, since the cable company produced it and gave it a second life on television after a warm but not outstanding theatrical run.

I remember the trailers. They implied a summer of partying for its sibling quintet after its babysitter dies. Sue Ellen tells her brother to do the dishes, so he launches them into the air and shoots them clay-pigeon style. "Dishes are done, man!" The poster featured the five siblings looking over their babysitter's feet, now sticking up from the ground. This was going to be a reckless movie for sure, but hey, it starred Christina Applegate. Imagine my surprise (I saw this in theaters in 1991), which I'm certain was replicated among other viewers, when the movie quickly changes course and requires the eldest sibling to get a job because the money is gone. As the movie opens, Sue Ellen's mother (Concetta Tomei) is going on a two-month trip to Australia, funded by her new boyfriend. Sue Ellen assures her that everything will be okay with the kids (father is out of the picture), but mother isn't so sure, so she hires a babysitter to take care of everyone. The babysitter turns out to be a tyrant, who imposes a list of rules for the kids to follow. However, she dies soon after arriving. The kids drop her off at the morgue, not knowing that she had the money on her.

After a short stint in a fast food restaurant, where she meets Bryan (Josh Charles), Sue Ellen fakes a resumé to apply for a receptionist job at General Apparel West (G.A.W.), but she ends up as the executive assistant because it's so good. The V.P. of Operations, Rose Lindsey (Joanna Cassidy), scoops up Sue Ellen and bypasses the current receptionist and frontrunner Carolyn (Jayne Brook) because she dislikes her, which sparks a rivalry between the two women. Sue Ellen, at 17 years old, finds herself thrust into the corporate world, where the learning curve is steep. To make matters worse, Carolyn is scrutinizing her every move, looking for a moment to exploit. Luckily, Sue Ellen meets Cathy (Kimmy Robertson), who applied for the executive assistant position and knows all the procedures. She happily takes on some of Sue Ellen's tasks. Back home, the situation is difficult. Stoner brother Kenny (Keith Coogan) is barely involved in the family, while the younger kids are undisciplined. This puts Sue Ellen in the position of keeping up appearances at work and maintaining order at home.

Sue Ellen's employment at G.A.W. is the movie's ace in the hole. The trailers deceptively advertised a party movie about kids run amok, but we instead got a fantastical tale of how a teen enters the corporate world and navigates it with aplomb. Not only does she get Cathy to do her work, but she also resists advances from Rose's boyfriend Gus (John Getz) and offers suggestions on what teens like to wear. When the company faces closure due to an inability to anticipate the negative reaction to its latest line of school uniforms, it luckily has someone plugged into the latest fashion trends to save the day. Sue Ellen steps in to rescue the company, and it's such a jarring juxtaposition when we consider Applegate's run as Kelly Bundy. She must have been thrilled when she read the script, because it presented an opportunity to show us her range as an actress. Far from a blond bimbo, Sue Ellen is confident and assertive. She takes charge of the household, and gradually the kids come around, especially Kenny, who makes an amazing transformation.

Applegate's performance is really good, but I don't want to neglect her officemates. Writers Neil Landau and Tara Ison and director Stephen Herek paint a detailed and vivid picture of the G.A.W. organization. Joanna Cassidy as the V.P. is bubbly and cheerful, though her failure to follow-up on Sue Ellen's resumé is a convenient oversight by the plot. (I'm no H.R. expert, but I suspect that the personnel office would have uncovered Sue Ellen's real age before her first day.) The script was smart enough to insert a key line for Cathy to explain her availability to help Sue with all her work. Jayne Brook as Carolyn is the main rival, but she's never detestable. She has a legitimate grievance, and I liked a brief scene in which she expressed concern for Sue's "son" after an accident. There's also a running joke with Gus that has him making advances on Sue but immediately backing away, saying he's just kidding when he really isn't in some lame effort to giving himself an out in case he's accused of sexual harassment. G.A.W. has its clothing manufacturing plant in the lower levels (probably not realistic for downtown Los Angeles, but I'll take it), where the head designer Franklin (Sydney Lassick) develops a good working relationship with Sue. Cowriter Landau had experience in this sort of environment, so he had a good idea of how to lay it out and populate it with the necessary characters.

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead sneaks up on us. It's fun to watch Sue Ellen bluff her way through each workday, but it's also satisfying to watch her mature. Dealing with four disrespectful siblings who steal from her is part of her growth, and their own transformation is in striking contrast to how they started. The movie isn't without its flaws. How Carolyn uncovers the truth about Sue Ellen is an eye-roller, as is the thoroughness of the Crandell house makeover. These are the things that will prevent any kind of positive reappraisal. The movie's appeal is the way it speaks to its audience. Home Alone's influence is all over, but the appeal extends to its Generation X characters. During the initial theatrical run, a generation comprised of latchkey kids would have been drawn to the go-it-alone situation in which the Crandells found themselves. Kids of later generations don't have the same experience, growing up in the era of structured activities, but I think the innate desire to take some initiative and explore the world is still there, which would make Don't Tell Mom…'s premise seem like an adventure. Maybe that's why kids to this day still go up to Joanna Cassidy and quote the movie's other famous line, "I'm right on top of that Rose!"

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