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Recently graduated from college, Annie Braddock (Scarlett Johansson) feels pressured by her hard-working single mom (Donna Murphy) to get a high-paying, high-stress job at a fancy office in New York—although her real interest is in anthropology. Suddenly unsure of who she is or what she really wants to do with her life, Annie becomes Nanny. She takes a job (just for the summer, she tells herself) with the wealthy X family, and she moves into a little room in their huge apartment on the Upper East Side. She sees it as a fun job in the city—one that will help her save some money while deciding what she really wants to do. But she has no idea what she’s in for.
Right from the beginning, the job is a nightmare. Little Grayer X (Nicholas Art) still wants his old nanny (who, it turns out, was fired because she went on a date). Mrs. X (Laura Linney) is a demanding socialite who wants her child to learn French, eat tofu, and get into the right elementary school—but she wants Nanny to do all the work. And Mr. X (Paul Giamatti) is barely ever around.
The Nanny Diaries provides an amusing (though slightly disturbing) look inside the world of the Upper East Side Mom—and her exhausted sidekick, the Upper East Side Nanny. As with the original novel by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (see my review), I have my share of complaints about the movie. Some of the plotlines, for instance (like Annie/Nanny’s relationship with Harvard Hottie, played by Chris Evans, who lives in the X’s building), aren’t fully developed. Some of the performances are a little bit awkward. And the whole “Mr. and Mrs. X” thing is sometimes a bit distracting.
But, once again, despite my list of minor complaints, I still thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It may not be Best Picture material, but the story is light and fun—and it easily held my interest. And, even more importantly, it made me smile. As with last summer’s The Devil Wears Prada, though, there’s more to the story than just a really bad job with a ridiculously demanding boss. It’s also about Annie’s search for herself—and it shows that being a Manhattan Mom isn’t always all Bergdorf’s and Tiffany’s. Johansson and Linney manage to give their characters some depth—without taking away from the fun. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that many of the other characters are over-exaggerated (almost cartoonish) caricatures of the stereotypical Manhattan Mom—and they make the perfect accessories to the rest of the story.
Mostly, though, The Nanny Diaries is just a fun chick flick, with a lovable main character, a cute guy, a cute kid, and a feel-good ending. It’s a little bit funny and a little bit heartwarming—and it’s just the thing for a fun Girls’ Night.
DVD Review:
The Nanny Diaries DVD includes the usual features: a trailer, a blooper real (which is apparently “exclusive” as well as “presented by L’Oréal Paris”), and a pretty standard making-of feature. There’s also an additional feature, Confessions from the Original Nannies—an interview with The Nanny Diaries authors Emma Kraus and Nicola McLaughlin. I was really looking forward to watching it, since I figured the authors would be sure to provide a few juicy stories about Upper East Side Moms—but I was wrong. Mostly, the feature just provides a little background on the story, and it talks about the process, the characters, and the themes. The authors make a point of mentioning (repeatedly) that the characters aren’t real. Just for the record, the characters are nothing like the moms or the kids the authors ever worked with. Really. So if you’re one of those moms, please don’t sue them. And if you’re looking for a little dirt, the authors make a very obvious point of not giving you any. Shame on you for digging.
Despite the rather disappointing features, though, The Nanny Diaries is still a DVD that’s worth checking out. Scarlett Johansson is perfect for her role, and Laura Linney gives Mrs. X just the right amount of depth (along with just the right amount of self-centered heartlessness). If you loved The Devil Wears Prada, don’t miss The Nanny Diaries.
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