The Nanny Diaries

In the shadow of the Devil Wears Prada comes The Nanny Diaries, of similar chick lit calibre. Despite boasting big names like Laura Linney, Scarlett Johansson’s watermelon bosoms and Alicia Keys, the Nanny Diaries moused its way into cinemas with little publicity, becoming one of those movies you’d watch just because its screening time was appropriate, despite the fact you’d never heard of it. The sort that might as well have been released straight to DVD.

Johansson plays Annie Braddock who in the midst of an identity crisis, turns down a sensible career to work as a nanny for an Upper East Side family. This subsequently lands her in an anthropologist position to observe and narrate a foreign culture of New York’s social elite. In true chick lit fashion, she rakes in the boss from hell (Linney), and a guy standing in the sidelines of her journey to self-discovery (Chris Evans).

With the synopsis of a Prada knock-off, The Nanny Diaries sure had some pretty darn big heels to fill. However, the idea of Johansson as the girl next door raises much scepticism. In her first shot to carry a mainstream movie, she falls short by appearing more pitiful than interesting. Linney, however, permeates the neurotic and egotistical Mrs X with a dose of humanity and likability. Nicholas Reese Art is cute, but we gave up looking for the next Jerry Maguire kid years ago. Pardon the cynicism, but considering the moral of the story is to be nice to your nannies, you can’t really expect much. While pleasant, Diaries appears as shallow as the Upper East Side it condemns. With lacklustre performances and storylines, don’t count on it becoming a chick flick staple.

Cast Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Chris Evans, Alicia Keys Director Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini Runtime 106mins

Text Claudia Low