Five siblings are left alone all summer when their mom leaves town and the evil babysitter bites the dust. When a single mother (Concetta Tomei) goes away for the summer, the kids are at first delighted, but then they find out that Mom has hired the sitter from hell (Eda Reiss Merin) to stay with them. When the sitter dies of a sudden coronary they deposit the body at a mortuary, only to discover that all their summer-expense money was in her purse. The kids must find a way to survive the summer without mom or her money. This means actual work. —John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net> When Mrs. Crandell (Concetta Tomei) goes on a summer vacation to Australia, she leaves her 5 kids--Sue Ellen (Christina Applegate), Kenny (Keith Coogan), Zach (the late Christopher Pettiet), Melissa (Danielle Harris), and Walter (Robert Hy Gorman)--in the care of a cruel elderly babysitter, Mrs. Sturak (Eda Reiss Merin). When Mrs. Sturak dies, the kids load her body in a trunk and deposit the trunk on the front step of the local funeral home. The kids are ecstatic because they think that with the big wad of cash their mom has left behind, they can have a summer of consumer madness. But when they discover that the money has been buried with Mrs. Sturak, the kids have to fend for themselves to make ends meet. 17-year-old Sue Ellen tries working at a fast-food restaurant, but she can't stand the grease, so she puts together a false resumé, poses as a twenty-something, and applies for a receptionist job at a garment-manufacturing company. The company's vice president, Rose Lindsey (Joanna Cassidy), is so impressed by her resumé that she hires her on the spot as her executive assistant. Her deception looks to be working out: Sue Ellen manages to hold off office ladykiller Gus (John Getz), avoids exposure by the embittered receptionist Carolyn (Jayne Brook), borrows money from the company's petty-cash box for household incidentals, and continues a relationship with restaurant employee Bryan (Josh Charles), who just happens to be the receptionist's brother. But suddenly, the garment firm is set to go under, and Sue Ellen must use her teen fashion sense to save the company and her job. And she must get her siblings involved. —Todd Baldridge A single mom (Concetta Tomei) takes a vacation to Australia leaving her five kids behind--with a vicious elderly babysitter (Eda Reiss Merin) who is ready to make their lives miserable. But she suddenly passes away on the first night. Now the kids figure they can have the summer of their dreams, only they have no money for the basics like movies, dates, and pizza. The eldest, 17-year-old Sue Ellen (Christina Applegate), must find a job, but to make it in the adult world she must fake it from the top of her resume' to the trip of her nail polish. If she succeeds, Sue Ellen and the kids will have a great summer they'll never forget. —Anthony Pereyra <hypersonic91@yahoo.com> The misadventures of five siblings whose mother goes off on a two-month vacation, leaving them under the care of a geriatric monster of a babysitter. The babysitter dies, and the fun begins. The oldest sibling, Sue Ellen, is left to fend for her younger siblings, who fight her every step of the way. —pattisue
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