Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead (2024) Movie Review

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Plot Summary

Tanya is 17 years old, going to Howard in the fall, and was supposed to be in Spain for the summer. However, with her mom, Ms. Crandell, having a breakdown after losing her husband last year and then an incident at work, the money meant for Tanya’s trip to Spain goes to Ms. Crandell going to Thailand to keep from either killing somebody or dying from stress.

As you can imagine, Tanya isn’t happy, but bad turns to worse when an old school babysitter named Ms. Sturch, shows up and makes it clear she isn’t a pushover. This doesn’t mean Tanya and her siblings, Kenny, Zach, and Melissa, don’t try her, but they learn quickly she isn’t the one. But, within 24 hours, they find themselves free of her but without money. Leading to the question of how they will survive with their mother gone for months?

Enter Tanya getting a job at a clothing place named Libra, thanks to Melissa and Zach’s work, and Tanya trying her best to convince her boss Rose she is qualified while trying to avoid a woman named Caroline who was passed up for the job Tanya now has. Add in a young man named Bryan who pursues Tanya, and while her summer isn’t as exciting as originally planned, she will have a whole lot of stories to tell from it.

Content Information

• Dialog: Discriminatory Language, Cursing
• Violence: Nothing Notable
• Sexual Content: Nothing Notable
• Miscellaneous: Depiction of Corpses, Drinking, Drug Use

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. How did Mr. Crandell die?

Characters and Cast Members

Tanya	Simone Joy Jones
Ms. Crandell	Patricia Williams
Ms. Sturch	June Squibb
Kenny	Donielle T. Hansley Jr.
Zach	Carter Young
Melissa	Ayaamii Sledge
Rose	Nicole Richie
Caroline	Iantha Richardson
Bryan	Miles Fowler

Character Description(s)

Tanya

Tanya is Ms. Crandell’s oldest child, and since the death of her husband, she has been pushed to fill the role of the second parent and is sick of it. Hence, her desire to go to Spain for the summer, and why she picked a school across the country to be free from adult responsibilities that have nothing to do with her.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Bel-Air.”

Ms. Crandell

Ms. Crandell is a widow with four kids who aren’t the most mature. Which, in combination with a frustrating job, make it so the cathartic release of cursing isn’t enough to keep her from either losing her mind or losing her life.

• The actor is also known for their role in “The Ms. Pat Show.”

Ms. Sturch

Ms. Sturch is an old school babysitter who takes a worrisome approach to the Crandell kids. She keeps a gun on her, is against Kenny smoking weed, Zach’s wandering, Melissa’s gaming, and Tanya wearing makeup. She is just an overall buzz kill to everyone’s summer.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Family Squares.”

Kenny

Kenny is the eldest boy of the Crandell’s, and when his dad was alive, he lived and dressed as his dad wanted, but with him gone, now he is smoking weed, wearing huge chains, and the complete opposite of who he once was.

Zach

Zach is a sweet, precocious, and a bit naïve child, which makes him usually one of the easiest to get along with among the Crandell kids. However, he does have the habit of wandering off.

Melissa

Melissa is heavily into video games, especially violent ones, and seems to have Adams Family-type tendencies.

• The actor is also known for their role in “9-1-1.”

Rose

Rose is the CEO of Libra, which has seen better days. But, despite the negative things happening in the office and sometimes her personal life, she tries to maintain an upbeat attitude.

Caroline

Caroline is the receptionist of Libra, who was supposed to become Rose’s executive assistant until Tanya came about.

• The actor is also known for their role in “American Soul.”

Bryan

Bryan was a boy Tanya drove somewhere when she was trying to support the household via a ride-sharing app. However, after she dropped him off, he asked for her number, and he slowly but surely became the silver lining of her summer, even though he asked way too many questions.

• The actor is also known for their role in “Bottoms (2023).”

Review

Our Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)

Good If You Like

• Young adult romance
• Weird kids
• Quirky bosses
• Bad ass kids

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Notable Performances or Moments

Bryan and Tanya’s Relationship

Honestly, the relationship between Bryan and Tanya makes you question the need for this film to associate itself with “Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter Is Dead.” With Bryan’s smooth dialog, the banter between him and Tanya, and how cute their relationship is, you can see a film that didn’t need a recognizable name as a jump-off.

Highlights

How The Kids Grow Over The Course Of The Film

Kenny, Melissa, and Zach can come off a bit generic when you first meet them. Kenny is a pothead who doesn’t want to do anything but smoke and skateboard, alongside hanging with his friends. Zach, is generically cute but also a bit weird and seemingly lonely. Melissa? From the excitement of seeing a dead body to her love for violence and the schemes she comes up with? Again, you’ll feel like you’ve seen this character before.

Yet, as time goes on and you see them gaining a sense of accountability that isn’t attached to being cursed out or threatened with violence, things shift. No longer are they these privileged kids, but they have gained skills, seemingly recovered from their dad dying, and truly have formed a bond with one another where they don’t share space but are actually family.

Love To Hate Caroline

It’s easy to understand Caroline’s point of view. Some random person, who was supposed to interview for your old position, takes the one you’ve earned. Mind you, not just from Caroline being at Libra for years, but actually doing the work Rose needed while she didn’t have an assistant. With that in mind, you’d be pissed too, but at the same time, you, as a viewer, are pushed to like Tanya.

So when it comes to Caroline being petty, you may think she is doing the most at times, but you get it and hate her for going so far yet love her for it. Maybe because, in some ways, you know a part of you would do the same, but at the same time, wish she and Tanya could get along.

Rose Is Surprisingly Comical

Because Nicole Richie isn’t an actress, as much as someone whose name holds enough sway to get parts, whether lead or supporting, there wasn’t much in the way of expectations with her. Yet, while not a scene stealer, she definitely was a highlight in terms of how funny she was.

The balance between trying to be the cool boss and the likable mentor, yet also a woman of a certain age who has long grown tired of corporate BS and a love life that hasn’t progressed like her career, keeps you interested in Rose. It makes you hope that, like Tanya gets to succeed in her pursuit of surviving the summer, Rose gets to keep Libra afloat since she seems like a good person you could imagine encountering and not just a caricature of someone in the fashion industry who is progressive yet also out of touch.

Low Points

The Question Of Whether This Needed To Be A Remake

They didn’t need to piggyback off the 1991 “Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter Is Dead.” Yes, without the name, comparisons could be made, but it isn’t like there probably aren’t tons of similar films. Plus, it felt like the weight of the babysitter dying was abandoned after the body was handled until a mid-credit scene.

And I know, you should talk about what did happen, not what could have, but considering Ms. Crandell allegedly had a nervous breakdown, they could have just cut the babysitter and had Ms. Crandell leave money on the table, with a Ms. Pat-styled letter, have Kenny find the money before Tanya, blow it all on weed, a better camera for his YouTube, and also party planning, and still have the same story.

Now, I won’t say it would have been the greatest, but at least more would have given this a chance than it being damned for not only being a remake but also one with a cultural and race swap.

Background Information

Film Length	1 Hour 39 Minutes
Date Released	April 12, 2024
Where To Watch	In Theaters
Director(s)	Wade Allain-Marcus
Writer(s)	Chuck Hayward
Based On Work By	Chuck Hayward, Neil Landau, Tara Ison
Genre(s)	Comedy, Romance, Young Adult
Content Rating	Rated R

How To Watch

Watch “Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter Is Dead” via BET+ on May 16, 2024.