“The Sitter,” starring Jonah Hill, Sam Rockwell, Ari Graynor and Max Records, has a built-in draw because it’s an R-rated comedy where a chunk of the cast are kids. However, that superficial gag isn’t enough to get critics to rally behind the film.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, “The Sitter” has garnered only a 22% rating from critics and, even though audiences are generally more lenient, the audience also voted it down, giving it a 58% rating. The site states that “[the film’s’ recycled plot, misguided gags and formula performance from Jonah Hill, ‘The Sitter’ adds up to another disappointing entry from director David Gordon Green.” Ouch.
Individually, the critics went to town, although there are more “fresh” reviews than you might expect from such a terrible rating. James Berardinelli from ReelViews wrote that “[f]or every laugh offered by ‘The Sitter,’ there re at least five minutes of boredom and at least one failed scene of would-be ‘dramatic’ character building.”
I think, overall, that the idea of the schlubby, inappropriate man-child of a character is played out. Audiences just don’t find that character funny anymore, even though there is a lot of comedy gold to mine from that character. Storylines just keep retreading the same tired plot over and over.
What do you think, though? Did you see the film and loved it, or did you think it was the same-old, same-old? Give your opinion in the comments section below.
