Who's Bad?

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991)

You can tell based on the title of this movie that it's profoundly stupid. That's why I love it. Nothing makes any sense: The babysitter dies (sorry to spoil that) and then Christina Applegate's 17-year-old Sue Ellen decides she should land a sophisticated job and launch her own ''cool uniforms for private school'' fashion line before even thinking about starting community college like mom wants her to. But just like in Working Girl, you can't help but root for this presumably dumb blonde, who turns out to have a great head (complete with fishtail braid) on her colorfully padded shoulders. To this day, I still use the phrase ''I'm right on top of that, Rose!'' when I'm feeling crabby, and randomly break into a high-pitched hum of the Clown Dog jingle around certain friends. It's that kind of movie. — Annie Barrett, associate editor