The Momma Wears Prada
by Flick Chick Vique
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The Nanny Diaries baby-sits 3 Red Vines for being a good chick-lit flick |
In 2002 it was chick-lit that became a New York Times best seller. Flash forward 5 years later and The Nanny Diaries hits the big screen with equally big names attached.
I gotta be honest with you, I didn’t read the book and after hearing some pretty bad buzz, I didn’t want to see the movie. But I figured the franchise was pretty popular with women so it seemed like a good fit for mysweetconnection.com.
I went to a showing right after work and in spite of my rushing, I walked in while the credits were already starting. I’m sure I gave the only other woman in the theatre a start with my late entrance! But I for one was glad for the company!
Annie Braddock (Scarlett Johansson) is fresh from college and more than a little unsure what her next step should be. While contemplating her future, she saves a small boy, (Nicholas Art) from being run down by a biker in the park. The flustered mother (Laura Linney) thanks Annie, mistaking her name for nanny. Before Annie can correct her, the mother is running off at the mouth about her need for a nanny and then simply runs off. As an anthropology student, Annie thinks the nanny gig just might be the thing to do while she decides what to do with the rest of her life. How better to study the other side than from the inside?
From the very start, Annie’s life is a modern day tale of Cinderella. But instead of a wicked step mom and sisters, she has a spoiled, attention starved child, Grayer and two of the most self-centered, boorish parents referred to as Mr. & Mrs. X.
Comparisons to The Devil Wears Prada are inevitable with this seemingly twin tale of a beleaguered young female employee and her equally wicked, demeaning female boss. But while The Nanny Diaries also boasts big name stars, they don’t get to shine nearly as bright as they did in the former movie and the laughs frequently leave only a gentle smile or completely fall flat.
The movie is directed and screenplay written by the team behind the quirky and wildly creative American Splendor. The magical chemistry that is Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini manages to break through in some inventive fantasy sequences. I especially like the take on a modern day Mary Poppins flying through metropolis guided by a red umbrella. Camera angles give some scenes an extra creative edge but overall the really interesting parts just highlighted how ordinary the bulk of the movie was. It really felt like there were two different directors and not one-as in American Splendor. Perhaps the duo was simply not on the same page this time around.
Scarlet Johansson, luminous as ever, got better and better as the movie went along. Laura Linney was as beautiful on the outside as she was shallow on the inside. 8-year-old Nicholas Art as Grayer, couldn’t have been better. He really made me want to run away as the obnoxious child and transitioned beautifully to the kid you wanted to protect no matter what. Paul Giamatti as the nefarious Mr. X is somewhat wasted. But then again this is a movie about women not men, no matter how much they are a part of our lives. Rounding out the cast is Alicia Keys as Annie’s no nonsense friend, Donna Murphy as Annie’s hard working mom, and the simply cuter than cute Chris Evans as Annie’s love interest, the Harvard Hottie.
Overall The Nanny Diaries was a pleasant surprise. But once I saw how creative some parts of it were, I wished they had done more of it that way. It would have made all the difference and elevated it from ordinary to extraordinary. And with the creative types this movie had both in front of and behind the camera, it’s a shame that the end product wasn’t truly special.
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