Customer Reviews

The Nanny Diaries (Full Screen Edition)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The Nanny Diaries fits into the same category as The Devil Wears Prada. Both feature women who take a plunge into a society that's not prepared for them and, more importantly, they aren't prepared for. In the Devil Wears Prada, the target is fashion. Here, the target is more broad: upper class Manhattanites with no time for their families.

The movie owes even more to The Devil Wears Prada (including a brief snippet that features the main character reading the novel in a wink-wink, nudge-nudge homage) and contains, unfortunately, none of the spark and cutting edge that the former had. Here we have the always beautiful Scarlett Johansson as an Anthropology student named Annie who is uncertain about her future and what she wants to be in the real world. Instead of facing the future, she stumbles upon Mrs. X (played with icy chill by Laura Linney) who mistakes her name Annie as "nanny" and immediately the park seems crowded with Manhattanites who want her services.

Long story short, she gets the job and, like a certain fashionista, discovers she bit off more than she can chew. Along the route, she meets the "Harvard Hottie" (Chris Evans) and the lecherous and incredibly creepy Mr. X (played by Paul Giamatti in a role very unlike his others) and learns about love, life and the importance of "following your dreams"(tm).

While the story is humorous in parts and I really enjoyed the framing as an anthropology experiment where it's Annie looking from the outside in and learning about this absolutely foreign culture, it suffers from pacing problems. The beginning was amusing and fun and so was the ending. How they got there, though, was not worth the time. Director Shari Springer Berman worked magic in her adaptation of American Splendor (also featuring Paul Giamatti), but none of that spark is found here.

I will say it has a great cast. Paul Giamatti is terrific as is Laura Linney, who I've always enjoyed. Even Chris Evans who has come a long way from his roots in Not Another Teen Movie is enjoyable. This strong cast led by the always pretty Scarlett Johansson really helps the movie and carry the film. Unfortunately, their parts don't truly resonate the way they should. I think this is what separates this movie from The Devil Wears Prada. Whereas the characters in Prada felt real and carried a spark, here they merely feel like caricatures.

There's some really cute and good scenes, but overall it's too little too late, especially when faced with the tremendously better The Devil Wears Prada of last year. I'd recommend waiting for a renter.

Cute, for what it is.

It's disheartening to see such a sparkling cast put through the motions of a tiresome mainstream trifle like this 2007 adaptation of the lightweight bestseller of the same name by one-time nannies Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. Directed and written by the husband-wife team of Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (who previously partnered on the smart and quirky American Splendor about underground comic book writer Harvey Pekar), this movie would seem ripe for a sharp satire about the privileged class on the Upper East Side. However, the trite life-lessons orientation of this modern-day fairy tale escapes their idiosyncratic grasp, and the result is a superficial slog with a particularly narcissistic perspective.

The story centers on New Jersey-bred Annie Braddock, freshly graduated with honors from NYU, who realizes during a corporate interview that she doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. As an anthropology major, she sees life as a series of Museum of Natural History dioramas (a particularly contrived device used repeatedly in the film). By happenstance in Central Park, she is recruited to become a nanny for the unfortunately named Grayer, the towheaded son of a glamorous, designer-clothed society matron referred to as Mrs. X. The trappings are luxurious at Mrs. X's apartment, but things go sour almost immediately when Mrs. X's demands on Annie become excessive. It turns out that the Mrs. X is in a bad marriage which has left the Mrs. desperate for her workaholic husband's attentions while ignoring her son. As this personal drama unfolds, Grayer becomes attached to Annie, and she responds in kind, which of course, can only lead to complications.

As much as I like Scarlett Johansson, she is not a natural at this type of character-driven comedy (unless you count the skits she does on Saturday Night Live where she plays Lexie, the glammed-up Jersey girl pointing repeatedly to chandeliers and marble columns). She just isn't that credible as a dowdy, naïve post-graduate perhaps because she has already been seen in past films as a savvy and often world-weary bombshell. Her physical antics here seem especially strained and her tirades rather forced. It's not a bad performance as much as it is a misuse of her talent. Faring somewhat better is the always reliable Laura Linney, who gets to look gorgeous for a change and then uncover a wickedly vituperative woman rattled by her deep-seeded insecurity. The relationship between the two characters will likely remind you of The Devil Wears Prada, a much better adaptation of a lightweight roman-a-clef, although Mrs. X is not as complex or intimidating a character as fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly.

Relegated to the sidelines is Paul Giamatti properly villainous as Mr. X, an adulterous, insensitive lout of a husband and father. Chris Evans colorlessly plays Harvard Hottie, Annie's preppy, kind-hearted suitor upstairs, while Nicholas Art simply doesn't register any real warmth as Grayer. Broadway great Donna Murphy shows up effectively as Annie's working-nurse mother, Julie White has a few funny moments as an unctuous training seminar leader, and pop singer Alicia Keys plays the requisite best pal role with bohemian spunk. The story's resolution feels particularly pat. The 2007 DVD has a few extras - no commentary track but a standard making-of featurette about 17 minutes long. The second short, "Confessions from the Original Nannies: The Authors of the Bestselling Book", is marginally more interesting as the book's co-authors Kraus and McLaughlin discuss their own experiences as nannies and the book-to-movie transformation. Lastly, there is an amazingly dull blooper reel plus the original theatrical trailer.

-I knew absolutely nothing about this movie going in. Didn't know who was in it or what it was going to be about. To my surprise I enjoyed the well made movie very much. It had great acting, a solid story, and whiles not being original had it's own unique charms that makes it a very enjoyable movie.

-The movie tells the story of Annie who is a recent graduate plucked into a world she wasn't expecting. She plans to be a financial consultant or something like that but ends being a nanny by chance. The rest of the movie follows her on her adventure as she learns what it takes to be a nanny in NY, and also learns what it takes to survive life.

-The film-making technique is not necessarily an original one in which the main character narrates the whole story but what helps in this one is that it's quite an entertaining narration and she doesn't narrate the whole movie so it does help. The odd visual style is also nicely done with some unique effects and one really weird scene in which we see Annie flying through New York all Mary Poppins style.

-Scarlett Johansson is building quite an impressive resume with this brilliant movie. Last year she was great in "The Prestige" and now this year she knocks it out of the park in this. I unlike 99.7% of men don't find her hot nor do I fantasize about her, but she is a very good actress and I hope she gets more roles that showcases her acting assets like this one did. She plays her character with a sweet down to earth nature that really makes you root for her all the way. I didn't think at the start of this year that one of my favorite movie characters would be a nanny but alas that is the case here. Singer turned actress Alicia Keys plays the best friend Lynette. She's not featured an awful lot in the movie, but the small doses of her are well acted.

-Laura Linney plays the cold and kinda misunderstood Mrs. X. Yeah she seems like shrewd cold hearted woman when we first meet her, but after getting to know her husband Mr. X played the great Paul Giamatti, we begin to understand why she does certain things that she does. Linney has one great scene towards the end of the movie in which she realizes what horrible mother she has been and the way Linney plays that scene is truly stuff of great acting. Instead of going all over emotional, she simply just lets a tear fall down her face and that simple tear just nails everything she's feeling at that moment. Paul Giamatti also does a great job in this as the a**hole husband and whiles not his best performance, he's still dynamite as always.

-At the end of the day I really enjoyed this fun movie. It had comedy, romance, child abuse and life lessons. It may not have great replay value but the first viewing should please everyone that watches it.

Recommended

The basic story: Annie, a recently graduated Anthropology student, panics under the pressure her mother is putting on her to become a businesswoman. Hoping to get some downtime and get her head together, Annie takes a job as a nanny with "Mr. and Mrs. X" for their son Greyer.

Mr. and Mrs. X, as you might guess, are appalling people (think the Real Housewives of Orange County) who mistreat their son and are far more concerned about image than reality. Annie, who grows to love and pity Greyer, finds that she's become his sole emotional support, and so puts up with all the abuse Mrs. X dishes out, as well as the creepy advances of Mr. X (who is a lecher, though Mrs. X is desperately in denial) in order to support him.

All of this was very poignant and realistic. However, it seems like the filmmakers wanted to make a feel good movie, and the above is not feel-good material. Thus, a plastic romantic interest and an ending where everyone learns their lesson is added in to assure the audience that it's all in good fun. I was left very skeptical of how quickly various characters came to momentous decisions.

Still, Nanny Diaries is a movie with a lot going for it. The acting is wonderful throughout, with Mr. and Mrs. X (played by Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney) in particular giving very vivid performances. There are also a few cute and funny scenes scattered inbetween the depressing bits of Mrs. X being a shrew and Mr. X cheating.

Nanny Diaries is a movie worth seeing, but don't be surprised if the ending makes you feel a bit blindsided.

I saw this movie a few days ago with my 18 y/o daughter. We both loved the film and commented afterwards how classy Scarlett Johansson is. She is funny, beautiful, and intelligent in this film which deals with a woman who just completed her Anthropological Degree at a college and decides to be a Nanny instead of pursuing her mother's dream. Very insightful film, and Laura Linney does a great job too. Highly Recommended

I had no intention of seeing this flick. My daughter, who spent a few years as a nanny, didn't care for it. And I didn't know what to expect. But at the video store, with coupon in hand and slim pickings, I rented it.

I ended up being charmed by the unique quirkiness of this film. Nanny Diaries includes a hint of Mary Poppins along with a museum-type look at family norms and not so norms throughout the movie. This film has elements of terrible sadness and that is why my daughter didn't like it. The viewer gets to see the inside of a very unhealthy family. Annie (Johannson) doesn't come from much healthier stock with a mom who is over-bearing and hard to please and a father who is a non-figure in her life.

Annie hits her crossroad moment when a potential new employer asks her who she is. Annie discovers who she is by her short time as a nanny.

I was impressed with the total lack of on-screen sexuality. Annie has a behind closed doors moment with a kissing scene leading up to it and Mr. X is in two compromising situations that mostly play out off camera. One or two F-Bombs and a smattering of the usual curse words give it the PG-13.

I was pleased with the ending and overall really liked this film. The acting is very good, Giamatti was very easy to despise and Linney played her role as vulnerable selfish socialite flawlessly.

I never read the book, so I saw this fresh and thought it was fairly well done. I didn't think the fantasy red umbrella, like Mary Poppins, added anything, though the extras make a big deal out of it. The 5th Avenue family is well played, if overacted somewhat. Paul Giamatti is great as the rich father. Scarlett Johansson has a decent script to work with, and she comes off well. See this for some light entertainment. I wouldn't really call it a chick flick.

this movie is really good. Ok, so scarlett Johansson is almost always in great movies but this one is sweet and shows a different way of looking at the 'high class' society,and nannies of course! she delivers a good performence and the kid too.With unexpected twists and a good ending this was a fine movie to enjoy while sipping on hot chocolate.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, which is an adaptation of the hilarious book by the same name. "The Nanny Diaries" stars Scarlett Johansson as Annie, a recent college grad who decides to postpone her impending business career and takes a job as a nanny for Grayer, a young boy who lives on the Upper East Side in New York City. Annie quickly discovers that her new life as "Nanny" isn't all it's cracked up to be. Grayer's father, Mr. X (Paul Giamatti), is an adulterous workaholic who's never at home, and Mrs. X (Laura Linney) is a completely hands-off mom who is also the Employer from Hell. Even though she desperately wants to quit her job, Annie decides to stick it out because she can't bear to leave poor little Grayer alone with his crazy inattentive parents.

Overall, I enjoyed this film. It wasn't quite as funny as the book, but the cast is excellent, especially Johansson and Linney. This is one of those rare instances where a lot of elements from the book were changed for the big screen adaptation, and most of the changes didn't bother me all that much (having Annie live with the X's, Mr. X making a pass at Annie, etc.). The ending of the movie is different from the book, in that Mrs. X actually manages to grow a heart at the end of the film, which SO does not happen in the novel! I prefer the way the book gave an honest depiction of the fact that there are a lot of horrible parents in the world who will just never change, but I'm sure the Hollywood types prefer a happy ending whenever possible, and that's what they gave this film. As a standalone movie, I think the ending was perfectly fine...I just like the book version better, that's all.

In spite of a few minor flaws, "The Nanny Diaries" really delivers. It's a light, fun little movie that I recommend.

I read the Nanny Diaries when it first came out, and then wanted to see the movie on DVD. This is a fun movie, a comedy and a drama, Scarlett Johansen is great as the main character. The plot differs a little bit from the book, but still retains a good story. I wholely recommend this movie.