Being a nanny while she decides what she really wants to do with her life is an easy way to go after graduating from college, or so thinks Annie (Scarlett Johansson) until reality sets in.
Based on the New York Times best selling novel by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus who actually were nannies to help put themselves through school, this is a humorous, touching and sometimes frightening revelation of the complicated parent, child, nanny relationships of the upper East Side of Manhattan.
Set in the format of an anthropological case study, The Nanny Diaries is entertaining and intelligent. Annie is a smart cookie, who doesn’t realize her potential, isn’t certain what she wants out of life, and feels that the degree she has just earned in finance is going to tie her to a job she hates.
An accident averted and a misunderstanding, lead her to employment with the X family (so called because anthropologists never reveal the names of their subjects.) At first it seems as though she has found paradise, her little charge is adorable, her surroundings are lavish, and money flows freely into whatever is wanted or needed for the care of the child.
Even though she feels she has to keep her new employment a secret from her mother, she staunchly defends her choice to her friend Lynnette (Alicia Keyes) and the “Harvard Hottie” (Chris Evans) who lives in the building. It takes awhile, but Annie eventually learns lessons about love, trust, social class and even money that change her thinking and give her a direction in her life.
Scarlett Johansson is perfect as Annie. Her interpretation of the character is so real, it is possible for the audience to enter into her experiences and agonize, celebrate or be astonished as the action takes place. Laura Linney plays “Mrs. X” as a graceful, well-bred but completely self-absorbed woman, who cannot really be hated, because she is behaving in the only way she knows.
There are wonderful scenes of physical comedy, the nannies and the children together, and the nannies and the employers brought together at a seminar is extremely well written and well acted.
The DVD is presented in widescreen format, with subtitles in both Spanish and English. There are some excellent bonus features included. “Life at the Top As Seen from the Bottom: The Makingof The Nanny Diaries,” is a fascinating look behind the scenes. “Confessions From the Original Nannies: the Authors of the Best Selling Book” interviews the authors who discuss their real life experiences, and how the movie came to be made from the book.
The Blooper Reel is funny, and the Theatrical Trailer is included. The film is rated PG-13 for language.
This is not Mary Poppins, although if you listen closely you may hear the strains of some familiar music in certain scenes.
The Nanny Diaries is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Feb. 18th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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