Summary: A college student on suspension is coaxed into babysitting three kids, but is unprepared for the wild night ahead of him.
Spoilers: none
Hill is “Noah” who, when compelled to take a babysitting gig by his mother, meets three kids he has to look after for an evening.
Hill brings his sophomoric “college guy” charm to a role that, lo and behold, actually deserves it. And yet the longer we watch, we become more and more surprised that in a movie featuring raunchy
sexual shenanigans and the shock of kids cursing like sailors that such a film could begin to display the robust character development that this one does.
Whether the seeping sexual drek and frequent drug-use are in focus or not, we get a few good laughs with “Slater” (Max Records), a sexually conflicted 12-year-old who takes medication for his problems, “Blithe” (Landry Bender), a dolled-up little JonBenét with an attitude, and an adopted “Rodrigo” (Kevin Hernandez) whose troubled past has him blowing things up and fearing getting put in another foster home. Throw in some drug-dealers, the police, a take-advantage significant other whom Noah wishes was his girlfriend (Ari Graynor), and you have a whole lot of trouble.
There are no big surprises here – and yes, the plot runs headlong into an overuse of juvenile antics and cheap peripherals that do less than impress – but the way in which the shamelessly well constructed characters emerge is commendable.
Director David Green knows how to interweave comedy and a few fragmented elements of drama as needed with a cast that has enough chemistry to help make this film more than meets the previews.
(JH)
Grade: C+ (2 ½ stars)
Rated: R (for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, drug material, and some violence)
Director: David Gordon Green
Starring: “Noah Griffith” (Jonah Hill), “Slater” (Max Records), “Marisa Lewis” (Ari Graynor), “Julio” (J.B. Smoove), “Karl” (Sam Rockwell), “Blithe” (Landry Bender), “Rodrigo” (Kevin Hernandez), “Roxanne” (Kylie Bunbury)
Genre: Comedy
Trailer
