The Rice Thresher

Location: http://the.ricethresher.org/ae/2007/08/31/nanny_diaries_review

August 31, 2007 > Arts & Entertainment > Moralistic Nanny Diaries avoids children’s plot

Moralistic Nanny Diaries avoids children’s plot

By Jackie Ammons | Thresher staff

In the recently-released The Nanny Diaries, Scarlett Johansson (The Prestige) plays nanny Annie in a world of Manhattan socialites, bound-for-Yale toddlers, stuck-up mothers and philandering fathers. The movie reads like a chick flick, but by entering the realm of down-to-earth drama that attempts to show a dark side of New York City while presenting a practical moral, The Nanny Diaries manages to stay away from the superficial, feel-good mantras of other chick flicks.

Annie enters the narcissistic world based on the best-selling novel by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus — both former New York nannies — as she takes on the job of nanny for the dysfunctional X family: the Dior-obsessed Mrs. X (Breach’s Laura Linney) and workaholic Mr. X (Lady in the Water’s Paul Giamatti) who both selfishly neglect and ignore their adorable son Grayer (Syriana’s Nicholas Art). During her horrifying stint at the X’s, Annie finds help from her best friend Lynette (Smoking Ace’s Alicia Keys), her mother (The Fountain’s Donna Murphy) and her new love interest, the Harvard Hottie (Fantastic Four’s Chris Evans).

The makers of The Nanny Diaries took their first good step by sticking with the characters and plot of the original, best-selling novel. By paralleling the novel but toning down its excessive profanity, they were guaranteed a PG-13 movie that is marketable to a wider audience and, therefore, garners better box office results. Aside from a couple of minor shifts in plot, Annie’s personality, Mrs. X’s icy demeanor and the X’s home decor come through as true to the original novel.

Additionally, this movie is beautiful — not in the sense that it has beautiful landscapes or sparkling panoramas of the city skyline, but in the sense that all of the actors and actresses in this film are well-presented and really lead the audience to believe in the movie Stepford culture. Johansson is flawless and surprisingly unrumpled for a nanny; Linney is cool and yet still alluring; and, Evan’s Harvard Hottie is just, well, hot. The only one in this group of this group is Giamatti, but that is not a bad thing; his un-GQ appearance is fitting for his completely unlikable character. The film plays up Giamatti’s aloofness towards his son and unfaithfulness to his wife by showing just his body from the shoulders down with camera angles that carefully hide his face until about halfway through the movie. When his face does appear on screen, Giamatti’s Mr. X is dull in appearance, highlighting the character’s lackluster, workaholic lifestyle.

One slight flaw in the seemingly perfect complexion of The Nanny Diaries is a series of bizarre fantasy scenes at the beginning of the film. In a foggy, slow motion opening sequence, Annie imagines herself in different careers and lifestyles, notably as Mary Poppins — the ultimate nanny — floating along the New York skyline and holding on to an oversized, red umbrella.

The Nanny Diaries has a useful and unique message: Love and pay attention to your kids. Annie, the exemplar of this, is the only one to say, “I love you” to Grayer while his parents see him only as a trophy and a tax write-off. While many flicks, such as this summer’s Hairspray or Shrek the Third, often perpetuate the weary, overused lessons, “Be true to yourself,” or “Follow your heart,” The Nanny Diaries brings itself to the level of drama needed to deliver a practical message as well as a heartwarming story.

Presented by a drop-dead gorgeous cast and a simple plotline, The Nanny Diaries disguises itself as a feel-good, airhead chick flick. However, audiences will be in for a surprise and a good dose of entertainment when they encounter a message that goes a little deeper and challenges negative behavior toward children.

End of article

Back to top