 The Nanny Diaries. A comedy about life at the top, as seen from the bottom. A college student (Johansson) goes to work as a nanny for a rich New York family. Ensconced in their home, she has to juggle their dysfunction, her studies, a new romance, and the spoiled brat in her charge. Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Donna Murphy, Chris Evans, Paul Giamatti, Alicia Keys. Written by Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, Jenny Bicks. Directed by Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini. Rated PG-13.
FILM SYNOPSIS: The Nanny Diaries tells the story of Annie Braddock (Johansson), a young woman struggling to understand her place in the world. Fresh out of college, she gets tremendous pressure from her nurse mother to find a respectable position in the business world, although Annie would prefer to trade in her blackberry for an anthropologist's field diary. Through a serendipitous meeting, Annie ends up in the elite and ritualistic culture of Manhattan's Upper East Side -- as remote from Annie's suburban New Jersey upbringing as life in an Amazon tribal village. Choosing to duck out of real life, Annie accepts the position as a nanny for a wealthy family, referred to as simply "the X's." She quickly learns that life is not very rosy on the other side of the tax bracket, as she must cater to the every whim of Mrs. X (Linney) and her precocious son, Grayer, while attempting to avoid the nasty Mr. X (Giamatti).
PREVIEW REVIEW: Containing a subtle, involving performance from the magical Ms. Johansson, some good comic satire from the writers, and a stressed message that money is not the end all, it’s Mary Poppins for grownups. Indeed, there are several not so faint tributes to Disney’s Poppins, including the lead’s flight of fantasy as she sails above the city with the aid of an umbrella, and the film’s message: true riches are found in one’s own children. In place of a spoonful of sugar, Nanny convinces her little charge that peanut butter and jelly makes the medicine go down. She even finds an opportunity to repeat the world’s longest word, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (can you say it backwards?). Well, it lacks the class and classic-ness of Mary Poppins, but it is an enjoyable outing with its Erma Bombeck-like witty narration and humorous satire of parents who treat their children like possessions. That said, read the content before you decide to attend.
For other free reviews from Phil Boatwright’s perspective, go to: previewonline.org.
(Disclaimer: These are the views of the author and not necessarily the staff of JesusJournal. Given the synopsis and content, concerned parents and moviegoers can decide if the new releases are suitable for viewing.)
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