Newly graduated from college, Annie (Scarlett Johansson) wants to change the world. Or at least observe it. An aspiring anthropologist, she reads Margaret Mead and studies the dioramas at the Museum of Natural History. Little does she know that she'll soon be studying the "bizarre social patterns" of an alien culture less than an hour away from her New Jersey home.
Her chance comes at the start of THE NANNY DIARIES, when an accidental meeting in Central Park leads to a job as a nanny for Upper East Side denizen Mrs. X (Laura Linney). Because Annie's mother wants her to be a CEO, she lies about her move to the city, saying she has a job with a finance firm and loves her new apartment. But she's really living in a teeny room next to the laundry area, picking up Mr. X's (Paul Giamatti) dry cleaning, and picking up her 6-year-old charge, Grayer (Nicholas Art) from school each afternoon. Annie does, however, confide in her best friend Lynette (Alicia Keys) that she's appalled by Mrs. X's seemingly selfish negligence of her son.
It's not like Annie knows exactly what she's doing ("Everything I knew about nannying," she says, "came from the movies"), but she does discover a sense of mission, imagining herself as a newfangled Mary Poppins, complete with flying umbrella and a profound dedication to Grayer's welfare. It's not long before Annie sees that wealthy Mrs. X is actually very unhappy. Her husband is cheating on her, her competition with her peers is wearing her down, and her condescending attitude is based more in insecurity than in confidence.
In other words, The Nanny Diaries has very little new to say. Instead, it provides Annie with a shaky moral high ground: She'll have to learn some lessons (lying to your mother is bad) and also find true love with the Harvard Hottie (Chris Evans), who just happens to live upstairs from the Xes.
Worse, as she observes little Grayer's efforts to make sense of his disgruntled parents, Annie writes a "field diary," a too-cute way for the film to take her point of view, even when she misreads situations. Linney's smart performance helps smooth over the film's frequent overstatements, but, for the most part, it's a very slightly dialed down version of The Devil Wears Prada, a book Annie happens to read on the beach -- so you're aware that the film is aware of its own borrowings.
Perhaps most frustrating is the movie's focus on beleaguered women, which doesn't lead to any sense of "freedom" (despite the fact that George Michael's song by that name shows up on the soundtrack a couple of times). "I don't think that having money makes it any easier," Annie opines at last. Translation (for her purposes)? While "male monogamy remains an elusive and much mythologized trait," women still need to take care of their kids.
Young fans might prefer Mary Poppins or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -- both of which feature adult caretakers instructing and inspiring children. And grown-ups might like American Splendor, which was directed by the same filmmaking team (and is a much stronger film). Or, go back to the source material and check out the novel that inspired the movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that although teens might love Scarlett Johansson, this movie is about nannies and employee/employer relations -- hardly a big topic of interest for the average 13 year old. Many parents are presented as overprivileged, immature prima donnas. The strain between the central "bad" parent (an upper-class New Yorker) and her less-upper-crust nanny leads to some sad, tense scenes featuring a young boy, as well as some frank discussion of parenting goals and strategies. The film also includes mild sexual imagery (cleavage, kissing, a couple of uncomfortable groping scenes) and drinking (mostly social, though at one point Annie deliberately gets drunk). Language includes one use of "f--k" in anger, plus "s--t," "hell," and the other usual suspects.
Families can talk about the movie's main conflict: Why does Annie think Mrs. X is a bad parent? Do you agree with her? Why or why not? What makes someone a "good" or "bad" mom or dad? Is it different in real life than it is in movies and on TV shows? How? Do you think Mrs. X thinks she's a good mom? What is Annie's role in the X family? How does she see herself compared to how the Xs see her?
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
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