Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Slow-paced dramedy with mature themes isn't about soccer.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
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The Soccer Nanny
What's the Story?
Helen (Traci Lords) raises buffalo on a farm in Kansas with her two sons. She hires a male nanny named Oddmund, who arrives from Norway and is rarely seen without a soccer ball. Helen is still grieving over the untimely death of her husband as she struggles to raise her sons and ignore her growing feelings for Oddmund while disregarding the advances of the high school sports coach. As the jovial Oddmund tries adjusting to his new surroundings, he tries to get the community interested in soccer. Helen must find a way to accept that her late husband was bisexual and must move on and accept the changes taking place in herself, her kids, and her community.
Is It Any Good?
Don't let the title fool you: The Soccer Nanny is not really about soccer. What is utterly bizarre about this movie is how some in this rural Kansas town act as if soccer is as foreign as cricket, when obviously soccer has been played by American kids of all backgrounds in schools and sports leagues for decades. Instead, this is a slow-paced dramedy addressing weighty topics such as the untimely deaths of loved ones, closeted homosexuality in rural areas, and abortion. One of the problems is that the story itself doesn't really go anywhere; things just happen.
The titular character is the ultimate cliché of the jovial foreigner who bungles the English language from time to time but still manages to be happy-go-lucky. The movie itself is an earnest effort to address serious topics, but it's overdone and ham-fisted, with way too much background music distracting every scene. Furthermore, the packaging and marketing of the film under its current title (its original title, Au Pair, Kansas, is much more representative of what's actually going on) is a transparent attempt to lure soccer fans into a movie that is only tangentially about soccer.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way movies are marketed. Why would a movie that isn't really centered on soccer have a title such as The Soccer Nanny and a cover with the lead characters on a soccer field?
What are some of the issues addressed in this movie? Do you think they were handled well?
On his 16th birthday, the lead teenage character is given a videotape to watch, a message from the boy's late father in which he tells him that if he goes to a party and drinks, he can always call home and get picked up, no questions asked. What are the pro and con arguments to this idea?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 25, 2011
- On DVD or streaming : June 22, 2014
- Cast : Havard Lilleheie , Traci Lords , Spencer Daniels
- Director : J.T. O'Neal
- Studio : Marvista
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- Run time : 95 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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