Girls Just Wanna Have … Some Respect

American girls, who constitute the most neglected segment of Hollywood’s mass audience, get a rare respectful acknowledgment with “The Baby-sitters Club,” a snug and reassuring adaptation of a series that has found a lasting following in books and television.

A solid hour and a half of lifelike schoolgirl antics with some serious concerns thrown in for good measure, “The Baby-sitters Club” is a “Little Women” for the present day - a vibrant, good-humored collection of day-in-the-life vignettes about matters to which modern youth can relate wholeheartedly.

Dalene Young’s screenplay concerns a campaign to open a child care center. The seven youngsters who make up the title organization receive attention both as an ensemble and as individuals as they are distracted from the main project by problems ranging from puppy love to fashion crises to family estrangement.

Schuyler Fisk is a standout as Kristy Brewer, the club president whose life is complicated when her absentee father (Peter Horton) moves back to their Anytown, U.S.A., community but insists that she keep his return a secret. The tense moments caused by this situation put an ironic edge on Larry Fulton’s neat-as-a-pin production design, arguing subtly that despite all life’s complications, one can always present a confident face.

Director Melanie Mayron is largely responsible for the perky confidence of the film itself - for making such modest tribulations and quiet joys seem as important to the viewer as they must feel to the characters in the story. The young ensemble cast shows vivacity and promise, and such veterans as Peter Horton and Ellen Burstyn lend dramatic ballast.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: “The Baby-sitters Club” Credits: Directed by Melanie Mayron, starring Schuyler Fisk, Bre Blair, Rachael Leigh Cook, Larisa Oleynik Running time: 1:25 Rating: PG