This Movie Is About: a college grad, Annie Braddock (Scarlette Johnasson), fresh from her graduation and without a clue what she wants to do. Sounds like something we've all been through, or will go through for those of you still in school. So she's poking around central park in New York when she meets Grayer, the sweestest little boy you will ever find. She immediately meets Grayer's mom, which we will call Mrs. X. Mrs. X is in desperate need of a sitter and since Annie doesn't know what to do any money is always in short supply, she takes the job and becomes Annie the nanny. She moves into the amazing condo and begins her training as a nanny only to realize that life at the top isn't all that great and when you're up there, the only place to go is down.
You Should Watch this Movie Because: despite all the criticism and some plot issues, this film is actually pretty funny. It's nice and I know some people or a lot of people don't go pay to see nice, but I think this movie has potential to please a lot of casual viewers. It's light in tone but deals with a real problem in child rearing in today's busy society and having a character like Annie, on the brink of chosing her life and seeing what she can potentially become, is something that we can all use in our lives. This film offers an unique point of view of not only Annie but of Grayer as well. A child is supposed to be innocent but this film toys with the notion that no one is innocent anymore because of the social standards that we've adopted. Sure this film is a romantic comedy but deep inside, it explores these themes which need exploring.
What's Hot: Scarlette Johansson does a good job in trying to shed that hot female in distress but really knows what's going on and plays everyone cause she's hot. Sure she's pretty in this film but not overly so. I think this film is a good platform for her skills to come through and even though she does play a stereotypical role in a stereotypical movie, she does a good enough job in distinguishing herself nicely.
What's Not Hot: Damn you production studios! I say this not because I hate you and I don't want a job cause I do and I probably do a lot of unmentionables to get a job but seriously, this is a film that got butchered because of studio demands and it's all over the movie. Having mentioned the theme as one of the strong points of the film, it's completely taking a back seat here and substituted for the romantic sub-plot because Annie and the Human Torch (Chris Evans). Sorry, his name here is Havard Hottie. He plays the character that's too good looking to be nice but then turns out to be nice and perfect only to have it screw up because of misunderstandings and then a big talk about life to resolve it.
Last Comments: The Nanny Diaries is a clever take on a social piece but putting it in the romantic comedy genre which is smart because it will attract viewers who may not have been looking for something so serious but also can see a real problem in society. What's not so clever is the fact that the romance in the story was really not necessary and felt tacked on. I think if they just focused it more on the relationship between Annie, Grayer, Mrs. X and her husband, it would have made much more sense and those plots would have gotten more room to breathe and develop. As a result, the story moves along nicely and it has a fun tone and there is some real comedy there but the heart of the story goes missing in certain parts and that's just too bad. But nonetheless, it's a valient effort in trying to do something special with something already so formulaic. And because of that, this movie is definitely worth a watch if you want something light and mildly clever.
Breaking it Down:
Story: 6.9 (Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus: novel, Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini: screenplay)
Direction: 7.2 (Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini)
Acting: 7.6
Cinematography: 6.5
Music/Sound: 6.0
Entertainment Value: 6.5 (not an average)
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