It's a high-spirited, fast-flowing comedy, neatly directed by 28-year-old Chris Columbus.

Adventures in Babysitting holds up because it is so remarkably progressive in its depiction of its primary female characters.

In many ways, Babysitting is interesting for what it is not: namely, a John Hughes selfish-teen movie that asks, "Will the girl from the wrong side of the tracks get invited to the prom by the preppie?"

As a fairly feeble, but reasonably sprightly invasion of John Hughes territory, "Adventures in Babysitting" exerts its own appeal.