Adventures in Babysitting

In Oak Park, Chris Parker is asked to babysit Sara as a plan for a calm anniversary night falls apart. She agrees, hoping to keep Sara entertained while Brenda arrives to help. The setup hints at a routine evening that soon spirals into something far wilder.

Brenda comes over to help, and at Sara's mother's urging, Chris volunteers to babysit the eight-year-old. The small group plans a simple night that could lift Sara's spirits. It feels like a manageable babysitting job, at least at first.

Brenda suddenly calls in a panic and bolts to a downtown Chicago bus station, leaving Chris and the kids to rethink their plan. The night is unfolding far beyond a quiet babysitting job. The group ends up deciding to hit the town in a rush of improvisation.

What starts as a simple trip to lift Sara's spirits turns into a cross-city adventure as the kids persuade Chris to drive them around. They pile into the family station wagon and head into the night. The highway becomes their moving stage, full of unpredictable trouble.

A tow truck driver named Handsome John Pruitt arrives offering assistance with the flat tire if they help him out. The group realizes Chris forgot her purse back at the Andersons' house, complicating their predicament. Tension rises as the debt to be paid hangs over them.

Pruitt's personal crisis explodes when a call reveals a lover, and he shoots out a windshield while confronting the intruding infidelity. The group scrambles to shelter inside the adulterer's Cadillac as danger closes in. The car becomes both a sanctuary and a trap.

A car thief named Joe Gipp steals the Cadillac with the kids still inside. They escape to a South Side hideout where they briefly face the criminals again before slipping away. The night keeps pulling them into new, perilous corners.

The group is briefly detained but soon released into a blues club where the onstage band won’t let them leave until they perform. The music swells and the crowd starts to chant along with the makeshift performers. The chaotic night begins to feel like a community moment rather than a nightmare.

Bleak and his associates close the net, tailing the group, but the kids manage to slip away through the club's maze of rooms and corridors. The chase continues as the group looks for a way home. The sense of danger remains constant as the night wears on.

The group splits, boards the Chicago L to reunite with Brenda, and ends up in a gang fight that leaves Brad injured. They rush to a nearby university hospital for a stitch, unsure how to explain the chaos they've caused. The hospital visit marks a sobering pause in their whirlwind journey.

Donor Dan Lynch hears of Chris's predicament and generously donates to help, then drives them toward Dawson's Garage and drops them there, hoping to set things straight. The group expects to resolve the mess with the shop's help. The night keeps weaving between luck and danger.

At Dawson's Garage, the large blond owner with a sledgehammer holds the car for a small debt, but Sara offers him her toy Thor helmet and the car is released. The unlikely generosity buys them more time as the criminals close in. The garage scene underscores the odd camaraderie within the night.

The trio learns that Mike is with another girl, Sesame Blexer, at the restaurant they’d hoped to reach. Sara slips away to a toy store while Chris confronts Mike, and Brad again shows his loyalty with a bold stand. Daryl's bold kick sends Mike crashing into a table amid the chaos.

Bleak tracks Sara to an office building where she climbs out a window, and Joe knocks Bleak unconscious before handing over a Playboy magazine containing crucial notes. The criminals’ plans hang by a thread as the kids push toward safety. The stolen notes threaten their chances of escaping unscathed.

The kids rescue Brenda from the bus station and race home along Interstate 290, evading the Andersons’ pursuit. Back at the Andersons' house, Chris tidies up the chaos while Dan arrives with Sara's missing skate. In a quiet kiss with Dan, Chris signals a hopeful new chapter after the ordeal.