Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
A resourceful teenager transforms an unsupervised summer crisis into an unlikely crash course in work, adulthood, and corporate survival.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- sassy
- breezy
- irreverent
- nostalgia night
- lazy weekend
What critics said
Critics generally found the premise preposterous and derivative but acknowledged its appeal to young audiences, personable performances, and occasional workplace satire.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Swell survives the summer by taking a job, presenting herself professionally, and managing office politics despite her age.
The children’s survival depends on missing summer money, while Swell’s professional makeover and corporate lifestyle become sources of comic wish fulfillment.
With their mother away and the babysitter dead, the siblings must conceal the situation, manage the home, and solve practical problems themselves.
Swell encounters Gus and a boardroom culture whose professional expectations expose workplace sexism and status games.
Films like Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, and why
Home Alone
shared kids-on-their-own premise, slapstick comedy, and mischievous youthful energy
Adventures in Babysitting
shared teen-centered comedy, exaggerated workplace satire, and irreverent coming-of-age tone
Working Girl
shared fish-out-of-water workplace comedy, female ambition, and consumerist fantasy
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
shared adolescent wish fulfillment, absurd humor, and rebellious suburban energy
Movie Details
- Director
- Stephen Herek
- Release Date
- 1991-06-07
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (506)
Cast
- Christina Applegate
- Joanna Cassidy
- John Getz
- Josh Charles
- Keith Coogan
- Concetta Tomei
- David Duchovny
- Kimmy Robertson
- Jayne Brook
- Eda Reiss Merin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Cinemax Amazon Channel, Cinemax Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead about?
- A resourceful teenager transforms an unsupervised summer crisis into an unlikely crash course in work, adulthood, and corporate survival.
- What is Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead as mild.
- What did critics think of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead?
- Critics generally found the premise preposterous and derivative but acknowledged its appeal to young audiences, personable performances, and occasional workplace satire.
- Which films are like Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead?
- Films with a similar feel include Home Alone, Adventures in Babysitting, Working Girl, and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.
- How long is Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead?
- Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead?
- In United States, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead streams on Cinemax Amazon Channel, Cinemax Apple TV channel.
