Review of 'Don't tell mom': the new intelligent version has a heart and vital signs

The dangers of remaking a beloved film are well known. While the 1991 comedy “Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead,” starring Christina Applegate, didn't exactly thrill critics 33 years ago, it has become a cult classic, especially for older millennials who grew up with the movie. It is the ideal text for a remake: the source material is not considered untouchable, name recognition is high, and it can be easily adapted to a modern setting while still sparking childhood memories for those who love the original.

Nostalgia can be a trap, one that writer Chuck Hayward and director Wade Allain-Marcus thankfully avoid. There are enough nods to the first film to please fans looking for Easter eggs, but they don't get in the way of the story itself, a teen comedy that keeps it real, despite the complicated circumstances. They also upgrade the family from white to black, which brings a different level of risk to the situation.

After their mother (Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams) suffers a nervous breakdown at work, the Crandell siblings are left in the care of Mrs. Sturak (June Squibb), a sweet old woman who is revealed to be an annoying and racist . , slut-shaming tyrant. At her advanced age, she drops dead from shock, or perhaps secondhand smoke, after the savage fury the children unleash on her home proves too much for her. Hoping to evade authorities, the Crandell brothers dispose of her body, along with her mother's purse full of cash.

Not wanting to upset his mentally fragile mother, sent to a meditation retreat in Thailand, it is up to his older sister Tanya (Simone Joy Jones) to get an adult job and support his siblings. So much for a fun summer; Now she's learning the joys of a morning commute to Los Angeles and cutthroat office politics at a fashion company called Libra. Meanwhile, her skater brother Kenny (Donielle T. Hansley Jr.) has to act like a slacker to maintain control at home.

Much of the appeal of the original film came from Applegate in her first major film role (she was already well known thanks to “Married… With Children”), playing older sister Sue Ellen. Jones is equally charming and sells the performance of a likable teenager who is lost but gamely manages to thrive in a professional work environment.

Hayward's script isn't exactly groundbreaking (it's a remake, after all), but it establishes the Crandells as unique and distinctive characters, including smart, strange little brother Zack (Carter Young) and morbid teenager Melissa (Ayaamii Sledge). . ). Their domestic interactions are fun and natural, and their healthy skepticism toward the police has real consequences and informs their questionable decisions.

The family's only weak link is Williams, a comedian whose small role as the Crandell children's mother doesn't play to her strengths. Meanwhile, Tanya's new Libra role model is played by Nicole Richie, so dynamic and energizing on screen that you wonder why she doesn't act more. She has genuine chemistry with Jones.

This is the first major feature directed by Allain-Marcus, an actor who co-starred in “Insecure” and who does much to demonstrate his skills and influences as a filmmaker here. Matt Clegg's cinematography is sharp and saturated, using many intricate tracking shots, and there are nods to '70s-style cinema and retro touches like the yellow title font that appears about 18 minutes into the film. Some of these flourishes are slightly inconsistent with the material, but they demonstrate a new voice excited to experiment with the teen comedy form.

“Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead” is surprisingly authentic and fun for remake material, which is naturally formulaic. It's the focus on character work that allows her to sing, and should make a star of Jones, who, like his character, manages to hold it all together.

Katie Walsh is a film critic for the Tribune News Service.