DVD Review: The Nanny Diaries
The Nanny Diaries (2007)–**
DVD Review
I don’t know which actor was more miscast in The Nanny Diaries, Scarlett Johansson or Laura Linney. Neither performer seems prepared for the tone of the film, a comedic romp through the world of Upper East Side nannydom with a slightly too upbeat romantic subplot. Both do their very best with the talents they have in order to survive this exercise is uneven filmmaking.
Johansson plays Annie the nanny who is hired by Linney’s Mrs. X, a stiff, cold socialite mother. They met in Central Park where a ponderous Annie, contemplating her lack of self, saved Mrs. X’s son Grayer from being run over by a Segway.
Let me explain the Mrs. X thing. Annie graduated with a practical degree in business administration with a minor in her passion field, anthropology. The Nanny Diaries is her chance as a Jersey girl to immerse herself in a different culture. This culture of the wealthy inhabitants of Manhattan island includes philandering husbands, emotionally disconnected wives and children raised by nannies like Annie. The “X” label is a way of trying to remain distant from her subject. But like many anthropologists, Annie finds herself getting caught up in the world she wants to study from afar.
When I say caught up, part of that is her relationship with the guy she calls Harvard Hottie who lives in the same building as her employer. Played by Chris Evans, Harvard Hottie maybe the only character in the film, with the exception of Mr. X played by the chameleon Paul Giamatti, who matches the actor. Evans, whose Tom Cruise charm and frat boy appearance seem just cut-and-dry enough to be believable, doesn’t let the fact that the film is at times smarter than any romantic comedy today get in the way with his performance as a standard rom-com lead.
Like Evans, Johansson has the star quality to hold together a romantic comedy. In The Nanny Diaries, however, her status as a first-rate dramatic actress doesn’t translate into comedic success. She fits the part like a watermelon fits a lunch bag, letting her buoyant personality tear through the character’s silly self-loathing.
But at least her self-loathing is silly. Linney, a brilliant actor in her own right, allows us to sympathize with her character way too quickly, making her seem less like a devilish Miranda Priestly and therefore less entertaining than she could be.
There is something to be said about the Linney’s dramatic touch, though. I would have loved to see it actually pack as much intelligent commentary as the premise promises mixed into an emotionally resonant story. Unfortunately, The Nanny Diaries is a weak-kneed as most films with the same potential. It falls into the trap of appeasing the standard rom-com audience, producing a film neither genre fans or anyone else will likely enjoy.
Special features:
-Making-Of Featurette
-Confession From the Original Nannies: The Authors of the Bestselling Book
-Bloopers
-Theatrical Trailer
The Nanny Diaries, starring Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti and Chris Evans, directed by Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman is available Tuesday, Dec. 4 on DVD.
Get Email Updates
