Scarlett Johannson Brings More than a Spoonful of Sugar to The Nanny Diaries
Written: Aug 24 '07
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Bang For The Buck |
 |
|
|
Pros: Johannson, surprisingly serious examination of love and responsibility, some funny moments
Cons: very focused on Annie's view of the world; others fall to the wayside a bit
The Bottom Line: Adults looking for a surprisingly serious look at family, love, and responsibility will definitely get their money's worth from the movie.
|
|
|
| quasar's Full Review: The Nanny Diaries |
I had less than no interest in reading The Nanny Diaries yet somehow I found myself interested in the movie version. I'm not really sure why, to be honest, but I'm glad I did.
Annie Braddock (Scarlett Johannson) accidentally falls into a job as Greyer's nanny. A typical son of that curious tribe of islanders known as Upper East Side Manhattanites, Greyer rarely sees his womanizing, workaholic father. His mother spends all of her time at soirees and charity events and parenting seminars rather than actually being a parent. Annie is really all he's got, the only person who's there for him on a regular basis. She puts up with a lot from her employers, but how much is too much? Is an infrequent night off and a break from picking up the dry cleaning really too much to ask?
The Nanny Diaries is an examination of love and responsibility and how both are both a blessing and a curse. Annie becomes a nanny in part because she feels crushed by her mother's expectation that she become a big businesswoman. Those expectations stem from love, but that makes them harder to bear. Annie remains a nanny because she loves Greyer and because she knows he has no other stability. She feels responsible for bringing him some measure of the security his parents seem incapable and uninterested in providing. Oh yes, love and responsibility are definitely both a blessing and a curse.
While there were moments of levity, The Nanny Diaries was definitely much more serious than I expected. It worked that way, worked as a powerful examination of family and of society as a whole. Part of the reason it worked so well is Johannson's wonderful performance as Annie. Both Donna Murphy as Annie's mom and Laura Linney as her employer Mrs. X were excellent too, but this really is Johannson's movie and everyone else is just along for the ride.
Parts of The Nanny Diaries were disturbing, but it all rang true. Even the most outrageous acts fell within the realm of the believable in the world presented. This isn't a movie I'd encourage for children (for some reason it seemed to attract younger viewers), but adults looking for a surprisingly serious look at family, love, and responsibility will definitely get their money's worth from the movie. Go see it.
Recommended:
Yes
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.