Ms. Pat on Modernizing ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’ and Celebrating Black Families in Hollywood

Like every beloved trend from the ‘90s, Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead made a comeback this past spring. Thirty-three years later, however, the story looks a bit different.

For starters, the BET+ Original Film reimagines the 1991 cult classic comedy, originally starring Christina Applegate and centering a suburban white family, from the perspective of a refreshingly unconventional Black family in Los Angeles. Think: house parties rife with vibey playlists and dubious clouds of smoke, Pinterest-worthy fashion inspo, and more Gen Z slang than you can shake a skibidi toilet at. A modern, multigenerational comedy designed for the culture.

It’s a departure from the comedic cannon of yore, skewed towards a tenacious Black family’s laugh-tracked growing pains as they move on up into white suburbia. And, their new normal. But from a new perspective, a Black family growing and thriving on their own terms, audiences are treated to an uproarious tale that is simultaneously grounded and aspirational.

Comedian Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams, who stars in the 2024 remake of Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead, believes this fresh take is what initially drew her into the project. As a fan of the original film, she was excited to shift the narrative for the remake.

“[The 1991 film] didn’t go too far with the representation of the Black family,” said Ms. Pat, who plays Mom in the 2024 remake, in a phone interview with The Buckeye Review ahead of the release of Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead to digital platforms.

“You know, a lot of times, remakes don’t be good. I read this script, and I said, ‘Oh my God, this is really good!’ It just felt like it was a real family.”

Like the original, the remake follows a spunky teen who’s dream summer vacation is dashed when she has to care for her rambunctious younger siblings because their elderly babysitter unexpectedly dies while their mother is out of town.

This time, 17-year-old Tanya Crandell (Simone Joy Jones), eager to grow up and start college at Howard University, is regretfully staying behind in Los Angeles while her friends party in Spain and her three siblings, stoner Kenny (Donielle T. Hansley, Jr.), neo-goth Melissa (Ayaamii Sledge), and gifted Zac (Carter Young), drive her up the wall. In order to protect Mom’s peace while she’s at a much-needed wellness retreat in Thailand, Tanya concots a fake identity to score a Big Girl job at a legacy fashion retailer so she can keep those bad-behind “kids” of hers clothed and fed all summer. Oh, then she’s tasked with keeping the unfortunate passing of the babysitter (played by June Squibb) and her slowly decomposing body under wraps, all while secretly dating her work enemy’s charming younger brother (Myles Fowler).

While the 2024 remake makes subtle nods to the original, its razored commentary on coming of age as a Black person in present-day America easily sets itself apart. “You wouldn’t have known this was a remake, because it was so fresh,” Ms. Pat added. “And that’s what I really liked about the movie. It’s an original and it’s a remake. And I just love the representation of the Black family.”

While the teenage hijinks in themselves bring the laughs, 2024’s Don’t Tell The Mom The Babysitter’s Dead also depicts a Black family coping with the loss of a father, the dangers of growing up Black, falling in love for the first time and coming into your own as a Black woman. Through it all, the young cast lights up all one-hour and thirty-nine minutes of the film.  During filming, the cast even grew to become a tight-knit family of their own.

“You know, even when the camera wasn’t rolling, I caught myself saying, ‘Oh, these are not my kids,’” Ms Pat laughed, when asked what it was like working with such a talented crop of young stars. “I work with kids on [BET’s The Miss Pat Show] also, and I’m such a mother. It’s just easy for me to get attached to kids, whether I give birth to them or not.”

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, directed by Wade Allain-Marcus (French Dirty, Insecure) and executive produced by Tyra Banks, also stars Nicole Richie and Jermaine Fowler. The film arrives across all digital platforms on November 19, 2024.