“The Nanny Diaries” is based on the best-selling chick lit book by the same name written by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, although the movie is much different from the book, and, I must say, better.
Scarlett Johansson stars as Annie Braddock, a young woman who has just graduated from college and is entering the world of finance. She’s not sure that’s what she really wants for her future, however—she’s much more interested in anthropology, but her mother wants her to get into a field that will really pay well. After making a mess of her first job interview, she goes for a walk in the park, to run into a woman she calls “Mrs. X” (Laura Linney) who mistakes her for a nanny and hires her on the spot. Annie decides she really has nothing to lose by giving it a try.
What she doesn’t know is that the X family is the epitome of dysfunctional. Mrs. X is a control freak who can’t take no for an answer, thinks everyone is there just for her own convenience, and doesn’t listen when anyone talks to her. Mr. X is a workaholic who likes to get involved with his female co-workers and is never home. The child, Grayer, is disturbed, as any child would be living in this house. Annie is tempted to quit, but the money is really good.
The more she works with Grayer, the more she comes to see that she’s his only link to reality. She’s the only consistent person in his life, she’s the only one who spends time with him and takes care of him. He transfers all his affection to her, making her feel guilty about her thoughts of leaving.
Meanwhile, her mother thinks she’s working in a bank, and she’s having to create more and more elaborate lies to keep her mother from finding out the truth. And—there’s this amazing-looking guy who lives downstairs, but she’s forbidden to date, even though she’d really like to go out with him.
Everything comes to a head when Mr. X decides to put the moves in her, and Mrs. X sees it. She blames Annie for the whole thing and Annie leaves, feeling guilty over leaving Grayer but finally understanding that she’s not the answer to this family’s problems.
Mrs. X does learn some things from Annie, though, and starts making up to her son for all the time and affection lost. This is one way in which the movie was better – in the book, the X family never does learn their lesson.
This movie is rated PG-13 for one “f” word and some other swearing. We do see Mr. X getting a little friendly in his office and we learn that Annie wears thong underwear, but each of these scenes weren’t explicit and I was actually surprised that the movie wasn’t a PG. It was most likely on account of the “f” word.
I enjoyed this movie. If you’d like to rent it, you can find it exclusively at Blockbuster.
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Scarlett Johansson: Classic Young Starlet
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