The Babysitters

2008 · 88 min · EN · R · 6.0 (544 votes)

Dir. David Ross · Starring John Leguizamo, Katherine Waterston, Cynthia Nixon, Andy Comeau, Denis O'Hare, Lauren Birkell · Music Chad Fischer

“These girls mean business.”

Drama

Seventeen-year-old Shirley is a good student who works as a babysitter in order to make money for college. One night Michael, a father Shirley works for, confesses he's unhappy with married life. Shirley has a crush on Michael, and seizes this moment to kiss him. Michael is so happy he presents Shirley with a big tip, which gives her an idea. Shirley plans to make extra money by setting up her teenage friends with other unhappy fathers.

VIBE

This film feels like a cold, hard look at teenage desperation and the transactional nature of relationships. It’s a stark, unsettling dive into a world where innocence is quickly corrupted by the pursuit of money and fleeting validation.

unsettlingexploitativecynicalstarksteadyindie dramagritty realismcharacter studycoming-of-ageexploitationloss of innocencecapitalism

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