Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that Adventures in Babysitting is a 1987 comedy. It includes some violent scenes, but they're mostly fodder for jokes that center on the vivid imaginations of kids from the 'burbs. A "stab wound" results in only one stitch; criminals chase the kids through the city but not for the sinister reason they think. You'll also see some guns, fistfights, and one scary moment where a little girl tries to escape a high-rise building by climbing out a window. The movie is also a little racy, with talk of Playboy magazine and a surprising number of sexual innuendos, including a college-age man dating a 17-year-old girl complaining that her "legs are locked together at the knees" and scenes with a prostitute. Profanity includes "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "homo," "idiot," "bitch," "scum sucker," "penis," "goddamn," and "Jesus."

Sexual Content

A college-age man dating a 17-year-old girl complains that her "legs are locked together at the knees." A man jumps out the window of the home of another man's wife with his pants open. A 15-year-old boy refers to a Playboy model's "humongous ¿ " but is interrupted before he can finish. He makes frequent references to sex, including asking if someone got "her clothes off." A 15-year-old boy encounters a 17-year-old prostitute. A high school senior looks like she's about to kiss a college-age boy. A 15-year-old boy is kissed by a drunk college-age girl who says, "Wanna go to bed?" (They don't.) A running gag involves a female character's resemblance to a Playboy centerfold. An exchange between a hot dog vendor and his customer is played for laughs, with the word "wiener" having a sexual connotation.

Violence

A lot of peril comes out of incorrect assumptions made by teenagers. An innocent suburban high school senior encounters harmless but scary homeless people at a downtown Chicago bus station. A homeless woman steals her glasses, and she steals them back. A high school girl jokingly threatens to spike her stepmother's soda with Drano. A 7-year-old girl sits in the front seat of a car. Chris gets a flat tire on the highway and discovers there's no spare in the trunk. A scary tow truck driver offers to give Chris and her crew a ride, and they take it; he drives recklessly. A jealous husband fires shots at a man two-timing him. One shot hits Chris' mom's windshield. The kids are captured by bad men running a car theft ring. A child running from a bad guy clings to the outside of a glass skyscraper until she's rescued. People get punched. Kids jump subway turnstiles. Two street gangs get ready to rumble in a subway car. A knife is wielded and hits someone in the toe; no blood is seen. The babysitter's scary story about a murderer with a hook for a hand makes the kids scared stiff of a tow truck driver they meet with a hook for a hand. A man reveals a gun under his coat to a teen girl.

Language

"F--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "homo," "idiot," "bitch," "scum sucker," "penis," "goddamn," and "Jesus."

Social Behavior

The overriding message is that teenagers have terrible judgment but somehow they will also be extremely lucky and avoid the consequences of their seemingly lethal errors. Not only can you survive such risky situations, but they will add up to constitute the greatest night of your life. Don't take rides with strangers. Strangers can be kind and helpful.

Consumerism

Visible products include Cap'n Crunch cereal, a Coke machine, and a Nestlé Crunch chocolate bar. References are also made to Häagen-Dazs and Clearasil.

Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol

Adult characters drink cocktails at a swanky party. College students drink alcohol and play drinking games at a frat party.