 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Nanny Diaries
- Review Date: December 3, 2007
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 2007
Common Sense Media says
Where's Mary Poppins when you need her?
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that although teens might love Scarlett Johansson, this movie is about nannies and employee/employer relations -- hardly a big topic of interest for the average 13 year old. Many parents are presented as overprivileged, immature prima donnas. The strain between the central "bad" parent (an upper-class New Yorker) and her less-upper-crust nanny leads to some sad, tense scenes featuring a young boy, as well as some frank discussion of parenting goals and strategies. The film also includes mild sexual imagery (cleavage, kissing, a couple of uncomfortable groping scenes) and drinking (mostly social, though at one point Annie deliberately gets drunk). Language includes one use of "f--k" in anger, plus "s--t," "hell," and the other usual suspects.
What's the story?
Recent college grad Annie (Scarlett Johansson) wants to change the world. An aspiring anthropologist, she reads Margaret Mead and studies the dioramas at the Museum of Natural History. Soon she's studying "bizarre social patterns" of an alien culture less than an hour away from her New Jersey home, as nanny to the X family: Upper East Side denizen Mrs. X (Laura Linney), Mr. X (Paul Giamatti), and 6-year-old charge Grayer (Nicholas Art).
Is it any good?
THE NANNY DIARIES has very little new to say. Instead, it provides Annie with a shaky moral high ground: She'll have to learn some lessons and also find true love with the Harvard Hottie (Chris Evans), who just happens to live upstairs from the Xs. Worse, as she observes little Grayer's efforts to make sense of his disgruntled parents, Annie writes a "field diary," a too-cute way for the film to take her point of view, even when she misreads situations.
Linney's smart performance helps smooth over the film's frequent overstatements, but, for the most part, it's a very slightly dialed down version of The Devil Wears Prada, a book Annie happens to read on the beach -- so you're aware that the film is aware of its own borrowings. Perhaps most frustrating is the movie's focus on beleaguered women, which doesn't lead to any sense of "freedom" (despite the fact that George Michael's song by that name shows up on the soundtrack a couple of times). "I don't think that having money makes it any easier," Annie opines at last.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the movie's main conflict: Why does Annie think Mrs. X is a bad parent? Do you agree with her? Why or why not? What makes someone a "good" or "bad" mom or dad? Is it different in real life than it is in movies and on TV shows? How? Do you think Mrs. X thinks she's a good mom? What is Annie's role in the X family? How does she see herself compared to how the Xs see her?
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AGE
great
scarlett is cool.paul giamatti is evil in every movie
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AGE
This movie has a lot of wine and other achohol and @#$%
Annie delibretly drinks achohol from the bottle many times
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AGE
a good movie for those kids who dream or will have a Au Pair or Nanny!
The movie was wonderful. I believe the connection between Annie and mrs. X's son was highly touching, which i hope to find in a Nanny-Child relationship. However, there are a few upsetting problems. The relationship with the parents the child had disturbed me, cause the relationship was quite shallow and unemotional, making annie the only stable person in his life to look up to for help, and it made me angry that the mother was not contactable when the son got sick, leaving annie scared for his health and the only one to look after him. The father was a outrage, have a relationship when he already had a wife! Plus both parents show off their child like its the latest accessory in the city, and had thrown a complete cow when the son did not get into a highly expensive private primary school! But i believe Annie was a good role model and managed to sort the house hold back to order and getting the parents back to earth with their child.A wonderful movie and i hope my Au Pair (its a person who is of a nanny but has less responsibility than a nanny] is like annie because she is going to be our live-in au pair!
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AGE
Ok movie
this movie is just ok. it was pretty funny but also pretty dull. the only reason this movie is rated PG13 is becasue of the language and the idea that Mr.X is cheating on his wife. Teen girls that see this film will be more interested in Hayden, the "cute boy" of the movie. pretty good, 12+
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AGE
A good laugh
This move had some language that wasn't really all that bad but over all it had some funny parts. The only thing was the language in it. I would say 10+
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AGE
Sweet dramedy may be too much for youngest children
Sexual Content (Pause): Grayer pulls down Annie's pants, revealing her thong, then says he's going to take his clothes off (with Harvard Hottie responding, "That's popular on this floor"). Annie takes Grayer to use the bathroom in his dad's office and finds him making out with another woman ("Why is Daddy tickling that lady?"), and he (Mr. X) later tries to seduct Annie. Annie shows a lot of cleavage throughout the film, especially in a Betsy Ross costume. Harvard Hottie's friends say that dating a nanny is "so porno".
Violence (Not an Issue): Slapstick violence.
Language (Pause): One use of "f*ck", a few uses of "s*it", "hell", "D**n", and "ass" (2 used with "-hole").
Social Behavior (Off): Annie breaks many of the X's rules and lies to them (and her mother), Mr. X has an affair with another woman, Mr. and Mrs. X neglect Grayer (Mrs. X hires Annie despite being unemployed and having plenty of time to take care of him), Mr. and Mrs. X lie to each other.
Commercialism (Pause): SpongeBob SquarePants, Cheerios.
Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco (Pause): Social drinking, except for one instance where Annie deliberately gets drunk. A nanny smokes.
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| Studio: | MGM/UA |
| Directors: | Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman |
| Cast: | Chris Evans, Laura Linney, Scarlett Johansson |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 105 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | August 23, 2007 |
| DVD release date: | December 4, 2007 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | language. |
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