Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (2024 film)

Last updated

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
Dont tell mom the babysitters dead 2024.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWade Allain-Marcus
Screenplay byChuck Hayward
Story by
Based on
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
by
  • Neil Landau
  • Tara Ison
Produced by
  • Juliet Berman
  • Oren Segal
  • Justin Nappi
  • Juliana Maio
Starring
CinematographyMatt Clegg
Edited byAric Lewis
Music byJonathan Scott Friedman
Production
companies
Distributed by Iconic Events Releasing
Release date
  • April 12, 2024 (2024-04-12)
Running time
95 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead is a 2024 American coming-of-age black comedy film and remake of the 1991 film. It was directed by Wade Allain-Marcus, written by Chuck Hayward and stars Simone Joy Jones, Ms. Pat, Jermaine Fowler, June Squibb, and Nicole Richie while Joanna Cassidy, Keith Coogan, and Danielle Harris from the first movie make cameos. It tells the story of a teenage girl who takes care of her siblings after their strict babysitter dies in her sleep while their mother is away and gets a job at a fashion company to make ends meet.

Contents

The film was released in the United States on April 12, 2024.

Plot

Tanya, Kenny, Melissa, and Zack are left with an elderly strict babysitter named Mrs. Sturak when their mother goes on a retreat following a break-down at work. When Mrs. Sturak dies in her sleep, Tanya is left to take care of the family as she gets a job at a fashion company run by a woman named Rose.

Cast

Production

A remake of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991) was announced in May 2020 to be in development by Treehouse Pictures. It was reported to be written by Chuck Hayward with Bille Woodruff attached to direct and was described as a "present-day retelling centered on a black family". [2] In April 2022, Tyra Banks signed on to play Rose. [3]

In late February 2024, it was reported that the film was ultimately developed by BET+. Additionally, Wade Allain-Marcus replaced Woodruff as director. Banks was replaced by Nicole Richie to play Rose, reportedly due to a change in production schedule that did not align with Banks. She served as executive producer and creative advisor through her SMiZE Productions, where she consulted with the film's marketing strategy. [4] June Squibb, Jermaine Fowler, Ms. Pat and Gus Kenworthy, Simone Joy Jones, Donielle Tremaine Hansley, Miles Fowler, Iantha Richardson, and Tyriq Withers round out the main cast. [5] [6] Principal photography took place in Santa Clarita, California in June 2023. [7]

Release

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead was released theatrically in the United States by Iconic Events Releasing on April 12, 2024. [6] It began streaming on BET+ on May 16, 2024. [8]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 56% of 25 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10.The website's consensus reads: "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead has some fun with the original film's still-sturdy premise, but it's hard not to wonder whether a remake was really necessary." [9] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyra Banks</span> American television personality, producer, and former model

Tyra Lynne Banks, also known as BanX, is an American model, television personality, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15 and was the first Black American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, on which she appeared three times. Banks was one of only a few Black models to achieve Supermodel status. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. By the early 2000s, Banks was one of the world's top-earning models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Coogan</span> American actor and child actor

Keith Coogan is an American actor. He is the grandson of actor Jackie Coogan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Richie</span> American media personality (born 1981)

Nicole Camille Richie is an American television personality, fashion designer, and actress. She came to prominence after appearing in the reality television series The Simple Life (2003–2007), in which she starred alongside her childhood friend and fellow socialite Paris Hilton. Richie's personal life attracted media attention during the series' five-year run and thereafter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danielle Harris</span> American actress (born 1977)

Danielle Andrea Harris is an American actress. She is known as a "scream queen" for her roles in multiple horror films, including four entries in the Halloween franchise: Halloween 4 (1988) and Halloween 5 (1989) as Jamie Lloyd, and Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009) as Annie Brackett. Other such roles include Tosh in Urban Legend (1998), Belle in Stake Land (2010), and Marybeth Dunston in the Hatchet series (2010–17). In 2012, she was inducted into the Fangoria Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Madden</span> American singer

Joel Rueben Madden is an American singer, best known as the lead vocalist for the rock band Good Charlotte. He is also part of the pop rock collaboration the Madden Brothers with his identical twin brother Benji Madden.

<i>Dont Tell Mom the Babysitters Dead</i> 1991 film by Stephen Herek

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead is a 1991 American coming-of-age black comedy film directed by Stephen Herek, written by Neil Landau and Tara Ison, and starring Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy, Keith Coogan, John Getz, and Josh Charles. The plot focuses on a 17-year-old girl who assumes the role as head of the house when the elderly babysitter whom her mother had hired to watch over her kids while she is in Australia suddenly dies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Charles</span> American actor (born 1971)

Joshua Aaron Charles is an American film, television, and theater actor. He is best known for the roles of Dan Rydell on Sports Night, Will Gardner on The Good Wife, which earned him two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and his early work as Knox Overstreet in Dead Poets Society and Bryan from Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanna Cassidy</span> American actress (born 1944)

Joanna Cassidy is an American actress and former model. She began working as a model in the 1960s and made her professional acting debut in 1973, appearing in the thriller films The Laughing Policeman and The Outfit. She later starred in films Bank Shot (1974), The Late Show (1977) and went to star in the short-lived television series The Roller Girls (1978) and 240-Robert (1979). In 1982, she played replicant Zhora Salome in science fiction film Blade Runner.

<i>Dont Bother to Knock</i> 1952 film by Roy Ward Baker

Don't Bother to Knock is a 1952 American psychological thriller starring Richard Widmark and Marilyn Monroe and directed by Roy Ward Baker. The screenplay was written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 novel Mischief by Charlotte Armstrong. Monroe is featured as a disturbed babysitter watching a child at the same New York hotel where a pilot, played by Widmark, is staying. He starts flirting with her, but over the evening her strange behavior makes him increasingly aware that she is unhinged. How he copes with the situation ends up profoundly impacting all three lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Pettiet</span> American actor (1976–2000)

Christopher Lee Pettiet was an American television and film actor best known for his role as Jesse James in the Western TV series The Young Riders and as Zach Crandell in the cult comedy film Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robbie Amell</span> Canadian actor and producer (born 1988)

Robert Patrick Amell IV is a Canadian-American actor and producer. He is best-known for his roles as Stephen Jameson on The CW series The Tomorrow People, Ronnie Raymond / Firestorm on The CW series The Flash, and Nathan Brown in the Prime Video series Upload. Other roles include Fred Jones in the films Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster, The Hunters as Paxton Flynn, The DUFF as Wesley Rush, The Babysitter as Max, and the science fiction film Code 8 as Connor Reed; the latter of which also starred his cousin, Stephen Amell. He also appeared on television shows such as Life with Derek, True Jackson, VP, Unnatural History, and Revenge.

Stephen Herek is an American film director. Herek was born in San Antonio, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin.

Neil Landau is an American screenwriter, playwright, producer, and director. His film and television credits include the teen comedy Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Melrose Place, The Magnificent Seven, Doogie Howser, M.D., The Secret World of Alex Mack and MTV's Undressed.

Nicole Arianna Abuhamada is an American model and actress, best known as the winner of Cycle 13 of America's Next Top Model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Are the World 25 for Haiti</span> 2010 Artists for Haiti song

"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" is a charity single recorded by the supergroup Artists for Haiti in 2010. It is a remake of the song "We Are the World", which was written by American musicians Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and was recorded by USA for Africa in 1985 to benefit famine relief in Africa. Initially, in late 2009, it had been suggested to Richie and Quincy Jones—producer of the original "We Are the World"—that a re-cut version of the song be re-released under the title "Live 25". Following the magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake in Haiti in early 2010, which devastated most of the country and killed thousands of people, it was agreed that the song would be re-recorded by new artists, in the hope that it would reach a new generation and help benefit the people of Haiti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tara Ison</span> American writer

Tara Ison is an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June Squibb</span> American actress (born 1929)

June Louise Squibb is an American character actress. She began her career making her Broadway debut in the musical Gypsy (1959). Her first film role was in the 1990 romantic comedy Alice by Woody Allen. She later had supporting roles in films The Age of Innocence (1993), In & Out (1997), Meet Joe Black (1998), About Schmidt (2002), and Far from Heaven (2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jermaine Fowler</span> American actor

Jermaine Fowler is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Prince Lavelle in the 2021 romantic comedy film Coming 2 America and Franco Wicks on the CBS sitcom television series Superior Donuts.

<i>Buffaloed</i> 2019 comedy film by Tanya Wexler

Buffaloed is a 2019 American crime comedy drama film directed by Tanya Wexler and written by Brian Sacca. It stars Zoey Deutch as a paroled convict who, in an effort to escape her hometown of Buffalo, New York, cons and hustles for money and becomes a debt collector, while battling debt herself. Judy Greer, Jermaine Fowler, Noah Reid, and Jai Courtney also appear in supporting roles.

Iconic Events is an American event cinema and film distribution company founded in 2020 by Mark Rupp, Steven Menkin, Michael Lambert and former Cinemark CEO Tim Warner. Offering a variety of live and captured entertainment events in movie theaters nationwide, Iconic Events Releasing offers extra features, audience Q&As, backstage footage and interviews with cast and crew, and more. Theatrical releases range from live sports to classic anime to music, documentaries, horror films and faith focused features.

References

  1. "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (15)". BBFC . May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  2. N'Duka, Amanda (May 21, 2020). "Diverse Remake Of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead In The Works At Treehouse Pictures". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  3. Grobar, Matt (April 25, 2022). "Tyra Banks Boards Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead Remake From Treehouse Pictures". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  4. Nolfi, Joey (March 26, 2024). "Why Tyra Banks stepped down from Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead role". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on March 30, 2024.
  5. Rubin, Rebecca (February 28, 2024). "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead Remake in the Works With June Squibb, Nicole Richie; Sets Spring Theatrical Release (Exclusive)". Variety . Archived from the original on April 9, 2024.
  6. 1 2 VanHoose, Benjamin (February 28, 2024). "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead Trailer: See Simone Joy Jones and Nicole Richie in Remake". People . Archived from the original on February 29, 2024.
  7. Lavo, Kait (June 6, 2023). "Film Productions Scheduled To Shoot In Santa Clarita This Week – June 5 - June 10". KHTS Radio . Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  8. Zilko, Christian (April 9, 2024). "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead Review: Siblings Learn to Fend for Themselves in a Harmless, Needless Remake". IndieWire . Archived from the original on April 9, 2024.
  9. "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  10. "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 17, 2024.