I was unable to attend this press event featuring John Leguizamo due to a schedule conflict. UGH! Instead I sent one of my shopping writers in my place. Thanks Elyn!!(don't watch this around kids just in case)---The Babysitters, starring John Leguizamo, Katherine Waterson & Cynthia Nixon is a dark comedy delving into issues of trust, intimacy & betrayal in relationships. Set in an average middle-American town, the film focuses on a flirtation between Shirley (Waterson), a HS senior babysitting to earn money for her college fund, & Michael (Leguizamo), the married father of 2 of her charges, that spirals destructively out of control as they become involved & -- as Michael's buddies find out & want in -- Shirley becomes a HS madam, arranging 'dates' between her HS friends & the upstanding married men of town ... while Michael's wife Gail (Nixon) spends her time denying that anything is wrong.On Monday I had the chance to sit down at a round table discussion with John Leguizamo (also the co-Producer of the film), Katherine Waterson (the extremely beautiful, sweet & talented daughter of Sam Waterson), & the 26 year old vunder-kind Writer/Director David Ross, to discuss the film:John Leguizamo:

"When I first read the script I liked it and I got it. I spend all my time trying to figure out how to be a good father & a good husband. I look at Michael [his character], at who he is & why he's willing to risk it all for this set of circumstances... A lot of my friends have these questions. It's a huge risk, but these guys are looking for a little meaning, searching for a little of their youth, their wilder days. You'd think they'd know better, but this film shows the penalties for not knowing. These are real, real consequences."

David Ross:

"I want people to look below the surface, to think about what's really going on around them, so I didn't want to put this film on either coast, because then people would just say "oh, there THEY go again." This is about what could be happening right now in any town, to any marriage. This is about a secret life & the cost."

Katherine Waterson:

"I really hope the film shakes the audience up... And -- & I never thought I'd say this -- but I hope that if they have teenagers, they ask themselves how well they know them."

Cynthia Nixon (Gail, Michael's wife), couldn't make it to the roundtable, but sent this statement:

"This is a cautionary tale. It's hard not to watch it & not want to call at the screen "STOP! Think about what you're doing!" I do however think that the older you are, the more shocked you'll be & the younger you are, the more blase you'd probably be."

The Babysitters opens in limited engagements across the country this Friday & also stars Andy Comeau, Denis O'Hare & Lauren Birkell. This is definitely not a film for teens or younger, but it is a thought provoking film in the same vein as American Beauty if a bit darker & more 'real'.[Note: while the men discussed particulars not suited for this website, Katherine Waterson & I discussed the GORGEOUS jewelry she was wearing ... it was all her Grandmother's! And, sadly, she didn't want to 'trade' anything for my Forever 21 ring]