Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8776 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-02-18
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 101 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Based on the best-selling book of the same name, the film version of The Nanny Diaries is a chick flick, but it lacks the witty tone of the novel, which took time to flesh out the characters. The tone is set early on when the narrator notes, "In Africa they have the saying: 'It takes a village to raise a child.' But for the tribe of the Upper Eastside of Manhattan, it takes just one person: the nanny." Recent college graduate Annie Braddock (a brunette Scarlett Johansson) becomes the nanny for Mr. and Mrs. X, a narcissistic and selfish couple who have no clue that what their precocious son Grayer really needs is a mum and a dad who will pay attention to him. At first, Annie can't believe her good fortune. Caring for Grayer a few hours each day in the X's luxurious apartment seems like a dream job. But as her job turns into a 24/7 nightmare, she loses her identity and becomes Nanny. Annie's attempts to befriend her oddly charismatic boss are met with rebuffs by Mrs. X (Laura Linney). When Annie mentions her home life, Mrs. X is stunned. "Nanny, you never mentioned you had a mother," she says, as if she expected that nannies were shot out of giant pods. Despite the film's flaws, Linney is a standout. Like Meryl Streep, who made an unlikeable character sympathetic in The Devils Wears Prada, Linney brings humour to her role. Unfortunately, Paul Giamatti (as the philandering Mr. X) and singer Alicia Keys (as Annie's best friend Lynette) are wasted in their thankless roles. While we are meant to feel sorry for Annie, we are left wondering why a beautiful and educated young woman would allow herself to be manipulated into working ridiculous hours for less than minimum-wage pay. When Annie finally does stand up to her employers, it's a little too late. For everyone. --Jae-Ha Kim

Synopsis
Loosely based on the bestselling roman a clef by Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Kraus, THE NANNY DIARIES is the story of Annie Braddock (Scarlett Johansson), a fresh-out-of-college Jersey girl who is uncertain of her future. Annie's mother (Donna Murphy) is pressuring her to take a job in business, but Annie has more interest in anthropology. After blowing her first interview with a New York financial firm, Annie heads to Central Park to mull over her options. As fate would have it, it's there that she meets Mrs. X (Laura Linney), a wealthy mother from the Upper East Side. Mrs. X happens to witness a warm interaction between Annie and her son Grayer (Nicholas Art), and mistakenly assumes Annie is a nanny. She immediately offers Annie a job, and despite the warnings of her best friend, Linette (Alicia Keys), Annie takes it. She decides to approach the job like an anthropologist in the field, and she is alternately fascinated and appalled by her observations. Despite their luxurious lifestyle, the Xs are revealed to be a truly dysfunctional mess. Annie quickly learns that money might indeed buy you a house on Nantucket, but it certainly can't buy you an honest husband or the affection of your son.
Linney is excellent as the ice-cold Mrs. X, and Paul Giamatti delivers a perfectly smarmy performance as the philandering Mr. X. The film has a great time poking fun at the absurdity and hypocrisy of Manhattan's upper-crust, and it's at its funniest when relying on the sharp observations of its source material. It's surprisingly fanciful in places, with quick nods to MARY POPPINS and its very amusing use of the Natural History Museum. A sort of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA with a fantastical edge, THE NANNY DIARIES is a satisfying slice of cinematic schadenfreude.

Customer Reviews

Surprisingly entertaining rom-com adaptation
I rented this movie not expecting to enjoy it, due to the fact that the role of leading lady Annie was left to Scarlett Johanssen- an actress who I have usually taken to disliking from seeing her in other, less favourable roles. However, after reading and enjoying the book I wanted to give it a go and was left surprsingly pleased. "The Nanny Diaries" is a pleasant enough film, most likely to appeal to an audience who enjoyed films such as "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Sweet Home Alabama". It provides touching moments throughout, mainly seen through the sweet friendship formed between Annie and Grayer- the young child who is left in her care everyday by the rich Mrs X (played fabulously by Laura Linney). It also maintains its title as a comedy well, with a few moments causing me to laugh out loud. Over-all I would recommend The Nanny Diaries to people looking for an entertaining, light film and also to those, who like me, beforehand may not have always been a fan of Scarlett Johanssen.

Marvellously entertaining
Charming, funny, sophisticated. Extremely well-acted. Mrs X must be one of Laura Linney's best performances. Alpha-plus.

Dear Diary, today I wasted 101 precious minutes of my life watching this awful film
Oh dear, this is awful. The book wasn't exactly a classic, but it did at least get you clenching your fists with rage. It tells the tale of a hapless nanny who finds herself at the beck and call of her horribly WASPy employers, and as I turned the final pages I was practically spewing with disgust at the antics of 'Mrs X' and the complete inability of our 'heroine' Nan to defend her spineless self. You keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting for that venomous witch to get her comeuppance... But the whole point is, she never does. That's the key to the book's success.

This being the Hollywood version, however, I don't feel I'm spoiling anything by telling you to expect a hideous saccharine ending. Laura Linney (as the evil Mrs X) is a wonderful actress and she doesn't disappoint here either, but she wasn't in charge of the script, and this ridiculous little bubble-headed film includes one of the least plausible character transformations in the history of the universe.

If you're a fan of Lost in Translation who's been longing for another shot of the leading lady's pants, then sit back and relax because it's on its way. Chris Evans (from Fantastic Four) provides eye candy for the ladies. The little boy who plays the son isn't bad at all. And that's it, really. There's nothing else I can say to recommend it. If you're into codswallop like 'Raising Helen' or 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' or 'Le Divorce' (read the excellent Diane Johnson book instead) then you may well enjoy this. Everyone else - steer clear.