The Nanny Diaries
for language.
Reviewed by: Laura Ashland
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Average |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Adults Teens |
| Genre: | Romance Comedy Drama Adaptation |
| Length: | 1 hr. 45 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2007 |
| USA Release: |
August 24, 2007 (wide—1,800 theaters) |
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| Featuring | Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti, Chris Evans, Donna Murphy |
| Director |
Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini |
| Producer | Dany Wolf, Richard N. Gladstein |
| Distributor |
“A comedy about life at the top, as seen from the bottom.”
Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “Based on Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin’s popular satirical novel, the film stars Scarlett Johansson as a working-class woman from New Jersey who becomes a nanny to a wealthy Manhattan family. A 21-year-old New York University 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.”
This movie started out with a newly graduated girl looking for a place in the world. She is raised by her single mother, of whom wants her desperately to “do better than she did.” While trying to figure out what is the right path, she happens upon an opportunity to try something totally new… being a Nanny.
The story is very neatly presented in resume form, as the main character Annie (Scarlett Johansson), gives the details of her experience. She thinks this slight detour on living life will give her some perspective on life. Instead, it causes her to get caught up in a family that she really doesn’t want to be a part of.
The movie takes place in New York. Annie finds herself in a big city, working for someone who is an overprotective disengaged wife and mother “Mrs. X” (Laura Linney), and a workaholic, adulterous husband “Mr. X” (Paul Giamatti). She tries to make a difference in the poor falling apart family, and finds herself stuck between a child she is starting to love, and living her life.
The movie is morally okay. I would not take my kids to see it though. The lacking parenting skills aside, there are many things about the movie that I did not care for. The father is caught by Annie kissing on an assistant. He then steps over the line when he makes a pass at her. There is one scene where the little boy pulls Annie’s pants down to “break her in.” Annie uses the f-bomb when she is made fun of by a love interest’s “Harvard Hottie” (Chris Evans) friends. Annie’s best friend “Lynette” (Alicia Keyes) also moves to the city to attend grad school and finds a gay roommate in which there is a scene where he is pretending to be Lynette’s boyfriend. There is one scene where it’s implied that Harvard Hottie and Annie sleep together.
All in all this movie was funny, lighthearted, and sweet. It ends well and despite all of the unnecessary profanity and ugliness, it was good. I would definitely NOT let a child see this.
Violence: None / Profanity: Mild / Sex/Nudity: Minor
Offensive / 3½
I would definitely NOT recommend this movie to anyone walking the Christian path and wanting to abstain from entertainment that uses God’s name in vain. I was shocked and my wife was too. And, not in a good way.
As for morality, there is premarital relations, adultery, dishonoring one’s mother, mass consumption of alcohol, child neglect and abuse, blatant disregard for the parental roles that God’s word teaches, and an overall disregard for all of God’s creatures.
Now, to show that I can be fair and balanced… The acting was not bad. The small child was by far the best actor in the movie. However, some of the other characters, including the nanny herself were “one trick ponies” with facial expressions and line delivery. The acting was so bad in places, it was distracting. Some scenes were poorly placed (like one where the nanny is yelling at moms face to face, then suddenly the moms are not there), with no explanation that it is also distracting. However, the story line was a solid one, once you get past the first 5 minutes.
The mother in the story begins as a self-centered, cruel, poor excuse of a human, but in the end does a full 180 and begins to place her child in higher priority than herself. The nanny begins by lying to her own mother, but does eventually get “caught” (due to the illness of the child) and does finally tell the mom the truth. Still, after lying to her mom through the whole movie, she is left with an imbedded sense of remorse, which is positive. She appears to be right on the border of repentance.
To sum up, if you are a non-Christian, or a Christian that does not yet follow God’s word closely, then this movie may well appeal to you. It would be best filed under the category of “chic flick.” If you are a follower of Christ and adhere to God’s word very closely, then this movie in an abomination to you and should be avoided.
Offensive / 4
Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4
Her uber-rich new employer (Mr. and Mrs. X of Upper East side NYC) use video surveillance to monitor her behavior while she cares for their young son. Nanny exhibits love, joy and acceptance of her charge, devoting herself 24/7 to his care, while his mother obeys a strict social law of detachment and selfish pursuits. Unbeknownst to them, Nanny uses her education in anthropology to observe their behavior as a social class and draws some conclusions that bring clarity to herself and to her employers. The movie ends with a positive outcome—Nanny and her employer both grow from having known each other and make new choices for themselves that bring greater fulfillment and happiness.
There are some uncomfortable moments in the movie. Nanny knows that her mother will be disappointed that she took a job as a “domestic” with her college degree instead of a high paying job, so she lies to her until she is found out later in the movie. Nanny’s girlfriend has many boyfriends, and ends up living with one of them outside of marriage. Nanny meets a young man who she kisses in the apartment hallway and then they go into his apartment, presumably to carry on their lovemaking. Nanny’s employer (Mr. X) makes a sexual advance towards her, which she rebuffs and flees from (Like Joseph and Potiphar’s wife) Also, Mr. X has a kissing session with one of his female colleagues in his office, which Nanny stumbles into by accident.
Overall, I think this movie paints an honest portrait of a young woman of today, the pressures she faces, her choices (mixed) of how to handle them, and her humor and good heart. It’s also a fascinating peek into the lives of the people who live “at the top”! Enjoy!
My Ratings: Average / 4