Tuesday, September 1, 2015

THE BABYSITTER: LUST IN THE DUST



Believe it or not long ago there was no Lifetime network not to mention Lifetime Movies Network. Back in the day if you wanted to watch a movie that involved somewhat psycho spouses or troubled teens attempting to murder someone you did like most people did when it came to movies, you waited for one of those films to hit the local theater. That was the case with this film.

The movie stars then hot commodity Alicia Silverstone just off of the success of the film CLUELESS. Here she plays Jennifer, the babysitter for the Tucker family. On her way to sit for the Tucker’s she’s approached by Mark (Nicky Katt), an old boyfriend who still has the hots for her even though they parted some time back and she’s seeing someone new. She tells him to buzz off and heads for the Tucker’s.

Jennifer gets to the Tucker’s and starts to play with the kids while Dolly Tucker (Lee Garlington) finishes getting ready and telling her husband Harry (J.T. Walsh) to hurry up. Harry comes downstairs sans pants looking for them and gets a disapproving look from Dolly. It seems that Harry has the hots for the babysitter just like Mark does. Eventually the couple finish dressing and head out to a party.

Next we find Mark at the local diner where he comes across Jack (Jeremy London), Jennifer’s new boyfriend. Unfortunately for Jack he and Jennifer have recently had a fight and he’s looking for a way to spend time with her. With a little encouragement from Mark (as well as a few beers) he talks him into calling and asking her if he can come over. She turns him down and Mark offers to drive him over anyway.

Cut to the party the Tucker’s went to hosted by none other than Mark’s father Bill (George Segal). As the night progresses Harry begins to have fantasies about what he would do with Jennifer given the opportunity, everything from catching her with her boyfriend to finding her in the bathtub. The more he drinks, the more he insists he needs to go home for whatever reason. At the same time Dolly is drinking fast and furious as well and having her own fantasies about Bill.

Eventually all of these stories come to across one another and in the end a tragic event occurs. But until that time the movie is played more for minor giggles and teases in the various fantasies that almost all involved seem to have non-stop. Even the young pre-teen Tucker boy being babysat has thoughts of Jennifer in the bathtub.

Chances are when this film was released the anticipation of young teens hoping to catch a glimpse of Silverstone undressed were what drove them to theaters. Not enough did so to have this movie become a money-maker and that’s probably because word got out she was never seen nude. A quick glimpse of a waitress with Mark in a fantasy offered the only nudity and it was brief.

If this is the sort of movie you like, if you’re a big Lifetime network fan then you’ll have fun with this one as well. It’s not really a bad movie at all but it’s nothing spectacular either. Fans of Silverstone will want to pick it up to have a blu-ray copy on hand. The rise of her career petered out shortly after this and she went on to relatively smaller films before becoming an animal rights activist. So pick up a copy, have a beer or two and then share your own Silverstone fantasies if you like. They may be as amusing as this movie.

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