Christina Applegate plays Sue Ellen, a 17 year old recent high school graduate whose mom goes to Australia for a business trip, and hires an elderly babysitter to watch Applegate and her 4 younger siblings. The babysitter ends up rubbing all the kids the wrong way, and she conveniently drops dead of natural causes. The kids come up with a plan to drop her off at the morgue or the police station (it was unclear which), and fend for themselves for the entire couple of months their mother is gone.
But the babysitter had all of the money, so now Sue Ellen has to get a job to support them until their mother returns. Sue Ellen (Applegate) gets a job at some sort of Chuck E Cheese establishment, and promptly quits due to the overly cheery nature of her boss (she finds it all obnoxious, as would I). She forges a resume and ends up getting a job at a clothing company as an executive administration assistant. Since she is only 17, this job proves to be a struggle for her at first. Somehow, Sue Ellen manages to keep her 4 younger siblings alive and healthy, while bringing in a steady paycheck. Since this is a comedy, you can probably guess that certain people don't come back when they are supposed to, which adds to the conflict.
I was impressed with all the kids, but I thought Applegate was the best. I don't know why I never realized before how good she is at comedy. Very predictable, but the kids made it worth watching, as they all held their own, and weren't overly annoying, as some child actors are prone to be. If I remember correctly, this was advertised as low brow escapist entertainment when it was released, and that is pretty much what it is.
But the babysitter had all of the money, so now Sue Ellen has to get a job to support them until their mother returns. Sue Ellen (Applegate) gets a job at some sort of Chuck E Cheese establishment, and promptly quits due to the overly cheery nature of her boss (she finds it all obnoxious, as would I). She forges a resume and ends up getting a job at a clothing company as an executive administration assistant. Since she is only 17, this job proves to be a struggle for her at first. Somehow, Sue Ellen manages to keep her 4 younger siblings alive and healthy, while bringing in a steady paycheck. Since this is a comedy, you can probably guess that certain people don't come back when they are supposed to, which adds to the conflict.
I was impressed with all the kids, but I thought Applegate was the best. I don't know why I never realized before how good she is at comedy. Very predictable, but the kids made it worth watching, as they all held their own, and weren't overly annoying, as some child actors are prone to be. If I remember correctly, this was advertised as low brow escapist entertainment when it was released, and that is pretty much what it is.