La niñera

The film received negative reviews, saying it was derivative of other psychological thrillers of the 90s femme fatale, with many comparing it to the wonderful "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle". Despite this, Mariana Klaveno's performance as the psychopath Abby received praise. That said, as I love these B movies of predictable and simple suspense, they capture my attention deeply, instigate and enchant, even though they are abominably horrible, with some many holes, and so, I love it. Imperfect and adorable...

A family hires a nanny who seems to be perfect to take care of their children: young, beautiful, a good cook, careful with cleaning and, mainly, with the children. The nanny ends up becoming part of the family and gets closer every day. What the parents don't even suspect is that she was a problematic child and that she seeks some kind of revenge.

If you have plenty of time to waste ... it's OK. It moves at a good pace but to pull this movie off it would need to be a little longer with a little more background on the sitter.

The acting is OK. Mariana Klaveno as the sitter does the best job and is the most believable.

William R. Moses played a pretty good part as the husband.

Gail O'Grady, as the wife, had a weak part and the reasons for her going back to work were not developed.

The ending is sort of silly. Like most of these sitter movies ... there are parts that are interesting ... but overall it leaves you wondering why you spent the time.

this movie delivers. the best is when the awkward teenage neighbor tries to bike away from the babysitter and in the background looks like he's never been anywhere near a bike in his life as he attempts not to fall off.

but this movie doesn't stop there, when less than 5 minutes later it delivers a scene of nothing but an arm reaching through a fence and into a cooler pulling out a beer.

stereotypical grilling dads, several plot lines that go nowhere, and a former seaQuest actress with a bluetooth cell phone all add up to making this the perfect Saturday night at home.

Although the plot was a bit sappy at times, and VERY rushed at the end, as if the director had run out of his alloted time and needed to hurry up and finish the story, overall it was pretty good for the Made-For-Backwoods-Cable-TV genre.

However, the actress who played the babysitter, Mariana Klaveno, was very good! I hope to see more of her around in movie-land. The music was also well done, getting every possible chill out of the dah-DUH-dah-DUH (think "JAWS") type music-based tension build-ups.

I don't think I'd want to watch "While the Children Sleep" again, but if I did, it would be to focus on the performance of the talented Klaveno.

THE SITTER/WHILE THE CHILDREN SLEEP (TV Movie 2007)

BASIC PLOT: Meghan Eastman (Gail O'Grady) is going back to work, and needs a nanny for her two children. Her husband, Carter Eastman (William R. Moses), also works full time as a lawyer, and they both need someone to help out. At first, Abby Reed (Mariana Klaveno) seems like a godsend, but for unknown reasons, everyone around the Eastman's become suspicious of her. Abby is someone to be feared, can the Eastman's figure out why, before it's too late?

WHAT WORKS: *The husband, Carter Eastman (William R. Moses), is a bit of a spoiled jackass. His career comes first, and he expects his wife to drop her clients, to celebrate his professional victories. He's always a bit peeved, because his wife is busy with work. In his mind, she's not attentive to his needs, and the children, because she's too focused on her career. Nevermind the fact, he's just as busy with his own. This is a believable storyline, that plays out in households across the USA every day.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *No one in this movie is likable. There's not one character you care or sympathize with. The husband is a misogynistic tool, the wife is petulant and selfish, even the kids are brats. The ancillary characters are horrible too. The neighbor Mel, is a shrew, her son Tom is a peeper, Carter's friend Tate is a sexual predator, someone please nuke this neighborhood!

*The family take to Abby (Mariana Klaveno) way to quickly. There's no awkward transition as everyone adjusts, and there always is one.

*Why is a college graduate working as a nanny, and not using her degree? Why don't the parents ask this question? Did they even check her references?

*Why does Shawna (Stacy Haiduk), Meghan's friend, suddenly become suspicious of Abby, when the movie is 2/3's over? Nothing new has happened to make her suspicious. Characters need motivations to make their actions believable. Abby doesn't do anything to make anyone wary of her, but out of the blue, no one trusts her anymore. Why?

*Why does the neighbor, Mel Olson (Joanne Baron) not trust Abby from day one? The only thing that should give Mel pause is her peeping Tom son (Thomas Curtis), spying on Abby as she undresses at night. That's not Abby's fault, so why is Mel so suspicious? She's basically obsessed with this girl, and there's no real reason given.

*The husband is too clueless. This nanny is throwing herself at him, and he's blind to it. No one is that stupid.

*The orphanage Abby grew up in gives out personal information to Shawna. This is not just improbable, but illegal.

*The reason Abby is obsessed with this family is some kind of stalker syndrome, it is never explained properly. It doesn't make sense, and Abby's motivations remain unclear.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *I cannot recommend this movie. It has a quality cast, but the script makes it unwatchable. It's a terrible remake of 1La mano que mece la cuna (1992)" It's not bad because it's a remake, low budget, or because it's a made-for-tv movie. It's bad because the writing never develops any of the characters, or their motivations. I didn't think it would be possible to make Gail O'Gradyunlikable, but this movie somehow achieves it.

CLOSING NOTES: *This is a Made-For-TV movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.