The Baby-Sitters Club (with Rob Anderson)
5/28/20261 hr 16 min
Paul and Rob Anderson takes the reins for a Critics’ Choice episode with shining a spotlight on The Baby-Sitters Club, the earnest, deeply ’90s adaptation of Ann M. Martin’s beloved books that deserves far more respect. Together they revisit Stoneybrook’s summer adventures, from camp drama and crushes to heavier themes like divorce, class, body image, and responsibility, while celebrating the film’s stacked young cast and cozy suburban charm. Along the way, Rob unpacks why the movie’s “girlhood” resonated so deeply with him, as the two debate the film’s awkward romances, Stacey’s diabetes storyline, Claudia’s academic struggles, and the surprisingly emotional depth hiding beneath all those floral vests and friendship bracelets. You can join the Unspooled conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6 Follow Paul and Amy on Letterboxd for more of their movie hot takes! https://letterboxd.com/paulscheer/ https://letterboxd.com/theamynicholson/ Paul’s book Joyful Recollections of Trauma is out now! Find it at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/joyful-recollections-of-trauma-paul-scheer Check out more of Paul's writing on his Substack https://substack.com/@paulscheer Episodic Art by Kim Troxall: https://www.unspooledart.com/ Learn more about the show at Unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and on Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsPaul Scheer· Host0:01
The year is 1995.
Speaker 2· Soundbite0:03
You know, we're more than just a club. We're friends, best friends. Nothing could ever change that.
Paul Scheer· Host0:11
The movie, The Baby-Sitters Club. [upbeat music] Welcome to Unspooled. I am Paul Scheer, and this is a podcast about good movies, critical hits, fan favorites, must-sees, and in case you missed 'ems. Normally, I'm joined by my co-host, LA Film critic Amy Nicholson, to talk about the films that people consider the best ever made. But while she's away in Cannes, we are leaving our lists of the AFI and Letterboxd, and we are focusing on one person's favorite unappreciated classic. Maybe it's a little left of center, a film that simply doesn't get enough love. This is Dealer's Choice, where our guests get to choose what movie they need to talk about. Anything goes. Today, we are talking about 1995's Baby-Sitters Club. Now, let me tell you, um, The Baby-Sitters Club is a massively popular series of middle-grade novels by Ann M. Martin. It's a cultural institution, and Scholastic and Columbia Pictures see this opportunity to translate this built-in audience to the screen, aiming squarely at young female demographic that Hollywood largely ignores at the time. Now, the books revolve around a group of entrepreneurial middle school girls running a babysitting business, uh, in the fictional town of