DVD Reviews

The Nanny Diaries

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• Details: Scarlett Johansson, Donna Murphy, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti.

Adapted from Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus's best-selling novel by the American Splendor writerdirector team of Springer Berman and Pulcini, The Nanny Diaries is more ambitious than it sounds but is still a wasted opportunity, the filmmakers balking on a dark side that would have made their movie a lot better than it is. 21-year-old college graduate Annie Braddock (Johansson) fancies herself as something of an anthropologist, observing Manhattan's yummy mummies going about their day. When she stumbles across one of her subjects - the controlling Mrs. X (Linney) - in Central Park, Annie agrees to nanny her son if only to get closer to her study. However, drawn into the emotional ups-and-downs of a family, Annie grows attached to Grayer (Nicholas Art), the kid in her charge, and can't stay objective for long. Initially a satire of the upper crust on the Upper West Side, The Nanny Diaries in adaptation is just another poor chick-flick. Throwing in a romantic subplot for Johansson was the first major problem for Springer Berman and Pulcini: Annie falls for the cute guy (AKA Harvard Hottie played by Chris Evans) that lives in Mrs. X's building, something X is none too happy about. See, every romance has to have something standing in the way and this is one of the many formulaic trappings the directors fall into - and in the process, steer potential towards the bland. Johansson is fine in the role, but is reduced to the 'I-can't-believe-this-family-is-so-uptight' face for the most part; it's Linney that steals the show and puts her banker husband Giamatti in the red.
Details: US / 106mins (12A).

Review by Gavin Burke