BET remakes ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’ from a Black point of view
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“Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” hit movie theaters in 1991, fueling a popular cultural fantasy of teenagers running their lives without adult supervision. The story got a contemporary makeover in the 2024 remake, directed by Wade Allain-Marcus and centering a Black family.
Comedian and actress Patricia Williams, better known by her stage name Ms. Pat, plays the mother, an overstressed single parent who heads to a wellness retreat early in the film, leaving her four children in the hands of an ancient and questionable babysitter. Spoiler for the 33-year-old story: the babysitter, here played by June Squibb, promptly kicks the bucket, leaving the children to cover up the death and continue on independently.
Comedian and actress Patricia Williams as Mom. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SHOUT PR
“I grew up watching this movie,” Williams told the Banner during a Zoom call. “I’m not big on remakes, but the original was so good. And what I liked about it is they put a little spice in it. So they took a white family and removed it and put a Black family and showed our version of it.”
The 2024 edition of the film stars Simone Joy Jones as Tanya, the eldest child who ends up shouldering the responsibility of keeping the family together and functioning; and Ayaamii Sledge, Carter Young and Donielle T. Hansley Jr. as her siblings.
The plotline remains pretty close to the original but the framework shifts with the focus on a Black family. While Sue Ellen, the eldest daughter of the 1991 film, was mostly concerned with her fun being spoiled, Tanya worries about Child Protective Services discovering their situation and taking custody away from their mother. Another concern is that they’ll be accused of killing the babysitter and sent to jail without a fair trial. Though the stakes are higher, the film remains a laugh-out-loud comedy.
Williams’ perspective has also changed since originally viewing the film in her early 20s. Now in a different season of life, with teenage children of her own, she relates more to the mom character.
June Squibb as the babysitter Mrs. Sturak. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SHOUT PR
“I have them at home,” said Williams. “And every day I look at my own teenagers and I say, ‘You do know I was 16 once, right? You do know I was 15? I know you lying.’ ” If only her movie children benefited from the same watchful eye.
When it was released in April, the film received solid critical reviews. It currently holds a score of 58 percent on the audience rating website Rotten Tomatoes. The film can be streamed on BET and Amazon Prime and it becomes available for purchase November 19.
Williams hopes the film brings joy and laughter to families during stressful times and that it becomes a more relatable story for BIPOC audiences.
“Back in those days, we watched a lot of TV with people that did not look like us,” he said. “It’s always important to have diverse stories and to show different backgrounds. There’s nothing like seeing something you can relate to with somebody who look like you.”
