The Sitter (2011)

C+

I know the majority of the film is predictable, dare I say cliché, but the ride was very enjoyable. That is, after-all, the nature of the comedy genre. How often do I go see a comedy for its intricate storyline, radical character development or enigmatic themes? Close to never, honestly, and so with that reasoning why not go balls-out? Jonah Hill is a very likable character in the film with an understandable ploy. It lacks the in-your-face violence of director previous film "Pineapple Express", but it is definitely hilarious, no doubt about that. The kids are very well played, and thankfully come out as pretty decent characters. Thankfully nowhere near as annoying as the duo of the "Are We There Yet?" films. It's definitely a coming-of-age film that may not be a classic, but it certainly is worth seeing.

Fmovies: As far as comedy goes, Jonah Hill has steadily made a name for himself as a star in the genre. Personally, his films have always been hit or miss for me, and I've come to the conclusion that his best work is reserved for those times when he has a solid, usually more naturally comedic, actor to support him. With The Sitter, he is already at a disadvantage; his main supporting actors are children and, for the most part, his abilities are front-and-center for the entire film, which was entirely his idea to begin with. The results are mixed at the best of times and, for the most part, lackluster in general.

What immediately screamed at me about the opening sequence was "trying very hard to get the audience's attention". I won't spoil the scene for those who haven't seen the movie, but you'll agree with me once you do. Before I go much further, let it be known that I am an extremely big fan of lighthearted, irrelevant humor (Anchorman is one of my most loved comedies, for instance), and for the most part these are the sorts of films Jonah fits into. The Sitter tries to emulate the formula of many recent successful comedies in terms of witty one-liners and clever trade-offs between characters, occasionally seasoned with a bit of more physical comedy. It's an old system, of course, and something I've more or less come to terms with as being "the norm" in popular comedic cinema. But what disappoints me about The Sitter is how many times it whiffs on the concepts; seemingly custom-made situations for Jonah's quick, nonchalant wittiness are, for the most part, poorly written and performed. The more action-based comedic portions of The Sitter involve a child with a penchant for explosives and some vehicle shenanigans that are rather uninspired and bland without the accompanying depth of creative dialog and jokes.

At some point, perhaps early on or perhaps towards the end, the movie takes a sudden shift into the dramatic, focusing on Jonah's character's relationship with his father or the troubles with his "girlfriend". These aspects of the film ring as hollow and somehow incomplete in the face of a heavy dose of relatively immature and inane comedy. The character development is far too sparse and, when it does take place, far too blunt and, again, uninspired to merit the delving into such intimate places. What does work, and this surprised even me, is how Jonah's character relates to the children he is babysitting. Being an eternal child at heart, Jonah's connection to his ward's problems feels perfectly natural and, in certain ways, touching to a degree. But ultimately it all feels out of place, like a scarecrow in an empty field; it would have a purpose if only it's surroundings were in better shape.

The whole film moves at an increasingly agonizing pace at it becomes more and more clear that you're actually waiting for something funny to happen. Not to say it doesn't happen; but the consistency is so off that it ruins the entire project. There's a certain level of bland, uninspired atmosphere that permeates the film, oozing out of it like a thick mud you cannot remove yourself from. And when you finally do, when the mood lightens and you actually catch yourself grinning or maybe even shocked to hear a chuckle cross your lips, you raise your foot from the mud...only to find your shoe still stuck in it. Relief turns back into aggravation and, more than anything else, you just want it to end.

As the what title suggests, I don't expect anyone looking forward to watching a drama-comedy that has depth. This is more of a pure comedy and an entertaining one at that for me, so I'd consider it successful.

And yes, The Sitter is quite unoriginal and what movie-goers call "predictable". I admit it's a kind of fun to try to expect the unexpected, but a predictable story does not equal a bad story. In fact, from the beginning of the 80 minutes or so until the end I'd been kept entertained and I honestly didn't experience many boring moments.

Other than its comedic scenes, the movie does have attempts to include moving scenes that make the audience learn something. I would say those attempts are not highly effective but not at all futile efforts.

The best way to conclude The Sitter is to say that it is a good comedy for young adults or above. Language and inappropriate behavior are main reasons this may not be suitable for children or younger teens. The Sitter is an enjoyable movie that is funny and does not require too much thinking to understand.

The Sitter fmovies. Hilarious from start to finish, The Sitter injected a much-needed R-rated comedy boost to the draggy awards season of December. Jonah Hill delivers another funny performance, but the real surprise for me was the shocking pro-gay message featuring one of the first kid-related gay story lines in a mainstream film. Max Records, the awesomely talented kid from Where the Wild Things Are, has no problem with the content and easily delivers a calculated performance. I guess I was so surprised because gay content is rarely dealt with so carefully in a Hollywood film marketed toward young adults, and I have to say I was really impressed. The kids make the movie all the better, and each of them is given a relatively well-developed backstory. The movie never sputters out, running at a perfect pace and hitting all the right punches. Even Sam Rockwell is awesome as a crazy could-be-gay drug dealer who chases the sitter and the children all across town. The Sitter is a movie I'd easily recommend and another fun treat from director David Gordon Green.

Greetings again from the darkness. Seeing more than 100 new movies every year means strict adherence to the "gut instincts" policy of deciding which new movies to see, and which to avoid. A day after the beat down of "Shame", I was desperate for laughter, so I ignored the gut instinct and headed out to see this new comedy. Unfortunately, my gut was correct, and I am still seeking laughter.

David Gordon Green also directed Pineapple Express and Your Highness, neither my style, but both clearly comedies. Jonah Hill has quite the track record of comedy films (Cyrus), and earlier this year made his first foray into drama with "Moneyball". He has also recently lost a tremendous amount of weight, so this was to be his final "fat guy" comedy.

If you have seen the far-superior "Adventures in Babysitting" (1987) with Elisabeth Shue, then you know the basic premise. Hill does his mother a favor by agreeing to babysit her friend's three kids. This proves more challenging than Hill's character expected. The kids are Slater, played by Max Records (Where the Wild Things Are); Blithe, played by Landry Bender; and Rodrigo, played by Kevin Hernandez. The kids, of course, have various afflictions, phobias and disorders ... but none as off the charts as Hill's character.

Without going into detail, the first scene is horrible and the movie somehow proceeds to get worse from there. There is bathroom humor, a run in with a drug dealer (Sam Rockwell), a bitchy girlfriend (Ari Graynor) and a confrontation with a group of African Americans featuring Method Man. Every scene is predictable and generated no laughter from me or hardly anyone else in the theater. I always say that comedies are most difficult genre to review, because everyone has a unique sense of humor ... but this one just offers so very little.

As some other reviewers have noted, what we have here is a blatant rip-off of the 1980s movie "Adventures In Babysitting". I wouldn't have minded that fact had "The Sitter" been entertaining, but it isn't for two big reasons:

(1) The characters are extremely annoying. They are foul-mouthed, mean, cruel, and downright stupid at times. I really didn't care if they would succeed in their aims or not.

(2) The movie just isn't funny. There is a mean-spiritness to most of the humor that makes it hard to take. Oh, there are a couple of one-liners that are somewhat amusing, but otherwise the humor is loud and grating.

Although "Adventures In Babysitting" wasn't a great movie, it is Oscar worthy compared to "The Sitter".