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Hollywood Hues
What’s it like to see how the other side of the world lives, or more accurately the upper half, as the catchline says "about life at the top as seen from the bottom," that’s what The Nanny Diaries is all about. Based on a novel of the same name by Emma McLauglin and Nicola Kraus, it deals with a small island community known as Manhattan, Upper East Side to be specific, where child-rearing is a nightmare and therefore left to the nannies of the world who vary from elderly blacks to immigrants looking for work, that is till Anne Braddock (Scarlett Johanssen), an anthropology graduate decides to join the club. Actually, it happens when Annie rescues a little boy Grayer (Nicholas Reese Art) from being run over in the park. Till then, Annie is not sure what she wants to be. So she decides to play nanny for the time being. Mrs X (Laura Linney) is her employer who does not work but loves to shop and attend community meetings, leaving no time for little Grayer. Mr X (Paul Giamatti) is busy with his business and travels a lot. But it is not a good idea calling them Mr and Mrs X because it certainly affects the human interest flow even though it is meant to convey their anonymity. The screenplay is by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini and it covers much ground, with the establishing shots somewhat predictable. Grayer is the spoilt child and Annie-turned-nanny has to find her way to his heart. The slapstick anecdotes are blas`E9. So is the introduction to that sophisticated Manhattan family life. Like most Hollywood flicks, it tends to glorify that lifestyle even though it eventually pulls it down. But it stretches the film unduly and 105 minutes seems like much more. The romantic interest is looked after a neighbour called Harvard hottie (Chris Evans) who could have been given more footage. In fact, he and Annie’s nurse single mother Judy (Donna Murphy) and her sidekick Lynette (Alicia Keys) could have been given more footage. Instead, we have the X family dominating the proceedings and the only relief is the sound track of Claude Lelouch’s A Man and a Woman, some saucy situation centred on Lynette like their "freedom" entry to the Big Bad Apple and the Mary Poppins touch but they are not just enough. The duo directors don’t
seem to be in sync. They give Scarlett Johnsson a range of facial
variations, which are at best cosmetic. Her real work is in the last
quarter and because of the lackadaisical approach in the beginning it
is then rushed through. Nicholas Reese Art does his bit even if it is
rather predictable but Laura Linney comes off well as the snobbish
society woman and Paul Giamatti does justice to the wimp of a
character he portrays. That seems to be the order of the day with a
resurgence of the braless women’s lib. Of course the morale of the
story is admirable but getting through to it is wading through so much
zilch and that takes the sting out of it.
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