The film tells the story of one summer in the lives of seven very special girls growing up in Stoneybrook, Connecticut. "It's a pivotal year in their lives and they decide that this summer they would really like to make an effort to stay together," says 'THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB' producer Jane Startz, "Kristy comes up with the idea of forming a summer camp, and that's the frame. From there, the story develops around the emotional upheavals that these different girls go through during this one very special summer. There are pressures from nasty peers, from boyfriends, from clashes within their families, and their friends rally to their support and help them not only get through the difficulties but emerge stronger and in a better place emotionally."
"The film is about the tests that we all have in relationships with our dearest friends," adds director Melanie Mayron, the former star of the hit TV show "thirtysomething" and director of the TV movie "Freaky Friday," who makes her feature film directorial debut with "THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB." "There are two main stories in the film. One is about Kristy, whose real father, whom she hasn't seen since she was six, comes back into her life. The second story in the film is about Stacey, who goes out with a seventeen year-old but doesn't tell him her age or the fact that she has diabetes. So, the focus of the piece is about honesty and how when we start to lie and weave this web, it just keeps getting deeper and deeper."
Schuyler Fisk makes her feature film debut as Kristy, founder and leader of "THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB." "Kristy is a tomboy who loves sports; in fact, she coaches a little kids' baseball team called Kristy's Crushers," says the 13 year-old Virginia native. "Her parents are divorced, but her dad comes back and says he's going to try to get a job and move back, but he tells her not to tell anyone he's there, especially her mother (played by Brooke Adams). She misses a lot of Baby-sitters Club meetings in order to spend time with her dad."
"I don't think Patrick in any way means to be a bad father," explains "thirtysomething" alumnus Peter Horton, who plays Patrick, Kristy's wayward dad. "In fact, to the contrary, he tries his best to be a good father, so the effort is noble. More than anything, he's spent the past five or six years trying to get his life together so that he could come back into her life and feel proud of himself. So, he comes back to try and be a father to her, but in the end can't quite hack that either."
Mayron adds: "Kristy's summer is spent witholding this secret. She tells her best friend Mary Anne, but Mary Anne can't tell anyone. Her secret comes between her and her mom, her step-dad, and it comes between her and her friends, who love her and whom she loves. Kristy's story shows what lies do to people's lives."
The second major dilemma in the film revolves around Baby-sitters Club Treasurer Stacey, played by Bre Blair. "Stacey is prim and proper and very fashionable," says the flaxen-haired L.A. native. "Her dad is from New York, so she's always dressing up. She looks older than she is and wants to be very sophisticated, and that's how she gets into trouble."
Adds Startz: "Stacey is one of the most popular members of "THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB." When she meets an older guy (who is the cousin of one of the kids she baby-sits,) she doesn't offer to tell her age, nor does she tell him that she has diabetes because she wants him to think she's perfect. Of course, he finds out and they have to deal with that together."
Tricia Joe plays Claudia, who at the start of "THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB" holds club meetings in her room. "Claudia's an artist and not very good at science," says Tricia. "But if she doesn't pass science, her parents are going to make her quit "THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB," leaving her friends without a club meeting place."
When the time comes for Claudia to get ready for her final science exam, the whole gang helps her study for her test, but the girls also realize they need to find a new meeting place in case Claudia fails and needs to quit the club, leaving the girls without a place to hold their meetings. "Claudia's bad grades are a catalyst in a way," says Startz. "The girls in "THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB" are confident that they can help her pass science, but they start thinking, 'Maybe we should look for another place anyway.' And they find this old greenhouse which they have to get permission from the town to work on and convert into a club house."
Another major theme in the film comes with the introduction of Mrs. Haberman, played by Academy Award(R)-winner Ellen Burstyn. Producer Peter O. Almond describes this character as "a mysterious neighbor whose backyard is adjacent to the kids' camp. Since the camp inevitably creates a lot of chaos, and a lot of activity and noise around the peaceful environs of Mrs. Haberman, she has to threaten the girls with closing the camp down because of the disturbance."
"Dawn volunteers to go over and talk to Mrs. Haberman," says Larisa, the California native and seasoned actress ("The Secret World of Alex Mack") who plays Dawn. "She's like the environmentalist of the group, always taking walks and being with nature. So, she's the ideal choice to make peace with Mrs. Haberman."
"It turns out that they both have in common this real love of nature and respect for the earth," explains Startz. "And once they actually sit down and have a conversation, it's very clear that age isn't a factor. Experience isn't a factor. This woman has a tremendous amount to offer to these children and vice versa."
Adds Almond: "In the end, there is a very touching reconciliation between the girls and Mrs. Haberman, where the richness of her life as a photo-journalist becomes a meaningful connection for the girls."
Rachael Leigh Cook plays Mary Anne, Dawn's step-sister and Kristy's best friend. "Mary Anne is quiet, conservative and pretty much the picture of all that is good," says the spirited, Minnesota-born actress and self-confessed expert on "THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB" book series. "Mary Anne has a little part of every story line because she has to keep Kristy's very big secret and totally cover for her the whole time. She ends up really caught between a lot of things, but since she's Mary Anne, truth and goodness will prevail and it will all be OK."
Zelda Harris plays Jessi, associate member of the group and aspiring ballet dancer. "Jessi really wants to be a ballerina and she's in advanced class right now," says the native New Yorker and ten year-old veteran of Spike Lee's "Crooklyn," as well as "The Piano Lesson," for Hallmark/CBS and numerous television appearances. "She's the one who wants to make sure the camp is nice and safe."
Stacey Linn Ramsower plays Mallory, aspiring writer and junior member of "THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB." "Mallory loves to write," says the 12 year-old native of Tucson, Arizona. "She's very sophisticated and loves horses, but since she's only 11, she's not allowed to babysit at night, so she can only be an associate member of the Club."
The adventures of these seven girls come to include two boys who become honorary members of The Baby-sitters Club: Austin O'Brien as Logan, Mary Anne's boyfriend, and Aaron Metchik as Alan. Christian Oliver plays Luca, Stacey's 17 year-old suitor. Also thrown into the mix are Baby-sitters Club rivals Cokie, played by Marla Sokoloff, Bebe, played by Ashlee Turner and Grace, played by Natanya Ross. "Cokie, Bebe and Grace are the classic villains of the piece," muses Startz. "They're very trendy and say all the latest words, and they hate, hate, hate The Baby-sitters Club because they think they're a bunch of goody two-shoes. It's all played for broad laughs."
This chapter in the baby-sitters' lives uses the personal dilemmas of three girls, as well as the trials and tribulations of the group, to illustrate the larger theme of friendship. "I think 13 is a very special age because your friendships are very intense," says producer Startz. "It's a real growth period and feelings are very strong. These seven girls are all very different and they come together and really take care of each other, like a surrogate family in the best sense. They help each other through a lot of those difficult life passages. And they manage to survive this summer in which everything is breaking loose."
Adds Almond: "I love the themes that this particular story delves into. What I think Ann Martin has achieved in the novels, and what we've tried to achieve with the film, is the importance of closeness among a group of kids as they make this transition into the outer world of emotional attachments and close, intimate relationships."
"Being a kid is being a kid," Mayron concludes, "whether you're from Holland or Sweden or France or England or Stoneybrook, Connecticut. And crossing the bridge from being a kid to being a grownup is what this film's about, when you're not quite there but you sure aren't little anymore. It's a universal story about friendship and love that is powerful and emotional and never dated."
http://hollywood.com/movies/baby/text/aboutthe.html (Einblicke ins Internet, 10/1995)
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