The 313 Second Movie Review: "The Nanny Diaries"

Hey there guys. Welcome back to the 313 Second Movie Review. Finally, it will be break time before I get to "Good Luck Chuck." For the time being, it's time to finish the summer movie fest that covered 17 straight weekends and 21 movies. Here's the final review of the summer, "The Nanny Diaries." The film stars Scarlett Johansson as Annie Braddock, Alicia Keys as Lynette, Laura Linney as Mrs. X, and Paul Giamatti as Mr. X. Here, the story revolves around Annie, a recent college grad ready to find her place in the world. She wants to go into anthropology, but her mother, Judy, is demanding she find a high-paying career on Wall Street. As Annie ponders her future in Central Park, her jobs selects her. She sees a kid almost get mowed down by a guy on Segway (they're rollin' their eyes because I'm white and nerdy). Instinctively, she pulls the kid out of the way. The boy's mother, known only as Mrs. X, offers her a job as nanny, seeing as their last one left to get married (or so she says). She accepts the job, but needs to cover up, telling lies that keep her mother from knowing what's up. Annie and her friend Lynette pack up from suburban New Jersey and set up camp in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Annie moves in with the X's and learns two things. One, the child she rescued, Grayer, in an uncontrollable brat. Two, the X's know almost nothing about parenting. Sure, they give him the college preparedness and toys he needs, but he's only seven years old and they treat him like he's three and/or non-human. Annie, or as she is now known by the X's, Nanny, is subject to every rule in the X's house. Mrs. X is by far the worst. Picture Meryl Strep in "The Devil Wears Prada" or Glenn Close on "Damages." She is just as evil and as much of a control freak. She practically has Annie on a very short leash. And Mr. X is almost never in the picture (the family's, not the movie). And despite Lynette's pleas to quit, Annie has reasons for not going. One, she doesn't want Judy to realize what she's been up to. Two, she's developed a thing for the guy upstairs (Annie dubs him Harvard Hottie, and that's what it says in the credits). Three, she's developed a close emotional bond with Grayer and doesn't want to leave him to uncaring, inattentive parents. Now, I'm sure you have the trailers, but don't form your opinion of this movie from them. It's not a comedy like they suggest, but a more of a dramedy. You'll be laughing at spots, but there are deeper lessons of parenting that give this film a dramatic feel. That being said, though it failed to meet my preconceived notions, it still entertains with light comedy and makes you see what is needed to be a good parent. You'll probably wind up talking to your friends, making character comparisons after the show. I can't blame you. I wouldn't go to the theatre preparing for a laughfest. Go in with a serious mindset, and you won't leave disappointed. And if you are preapred for a movie that will air on Comedy Central, try to adjust your notions of this film early. I did, and I loved this movie.

My time's up, you've been great. For the road: Fergie "Big Girls Don't Cry"