film reel image

film reel image

Sunday, April 18, 2021

Obsessed with the Babysitter 2021 * * 1/2 Stars

BESET THE BABYSITTER

"You're practically inviting creeps to barge in". No kidding. The creep in Obsessed with the Babysitter (my latest review) is really something else. He's voyeuristic and well, sadistic. He looks like a simp but don't let that fool you, he fights like Van Damme. The creep-o I'm talking about is Adrian Cartwright and he is played by Canadian Simon Haycock. Haycock looks a lot like Cary Elwes did in the 1990s (again, creep-o alert).

Anyway, Obsessed with the Babysitter is just what it says it is (rich man preys on his hired babysitter who is a Step Up-type dancer). However, the way the film goes about itself you'd think it could've benefited from a more sophisticated title. "Obsessed" with its sterile look and evil eye elegance, takes itself real seriously. It's still trashy though and still a bit camp. The Lifetime Movie Network wouldn't want it any other way.

Now is "Obsessed" better than most Lifetime endeavors? Somewhat. Does it belong in the upper echelon of the Lifetime canon? Uh no. There's a bit of logic missing here with some of the characters. For instance, how are two of the main ones able to fall from a 2 story house without breaking any bones or sustaining any type of injury? And why is the boyfriend of the babysitter persona not an accomplished dancer himself? I mean he's just as good if not better than her. Finally, how does the babysitter (Elaine played by Kristen Vaganos) not know that the antagonist has installed spying cameras in her apartment? I mean you could see the darn things from a mile away (pure bullocks).

Bottom line: Obsessed with the Babysitter has a plot that unfolds effectively like a blanket. And the script involving psychology and child repression crackles a little more than with most Lifetime outings. Still, I'm going with a mixed review. Minus the suck-you-in factor, it's nothing to "obsess" over.

Written by Jesse Burleson

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