Le journal d'une baby-sitter

This is better than you'd expect. Do watch it. It is fascinating to watch as it shows a surprisingly not exaggerated view of New York domestic life. It's funny and touching.

Scarlett does a good job - this is the first movie I really liked her in. She is not afraid of looking unglamorous if the role requires it.

Comparing this with Devil Wears Prada - I think this is more realistic, funny and moving. Linney is good as always - doesn't overact. Paul Giamatti is a bit unlikely as a successful finance person. Should have chosen someone a bit more executive like. Alicia Keyes is a bit out of place as the friend - too pretty.

This is an entertaining feature, if not as enjoyable as 'The Devil Wears Prada'. 'The Nanny Diaries' takes aim at upper class New Yorkers who neglect their kids leaving them with their hassled nannies. There are numerous stinging barbs and Laura Linney is excellent in a slightly underwritten role as the tyrannical employer. Scarlett Johansson is good as the confused college graduate who bravely enters the bizarre world of New York nannies. Paul Giamatti turns in yet another fine performance as the uncaring adulterous husband. The film is a trifle weak dramatically but the satire more than makes up for it.

Overall 7/10

"The Nanny Diaries" certainly has to be a feel good summer movie, it's entertaining and sweet and a coming of age story as told thru one characters point of view. The ever beautiful and attractive Scarlett Johansson stars as Annie Braddock a suburban New Jersey girl who just graduates college and she has dreams of becoming an anthropologist. Yet beyond that much isn't clear so Annie moves to New York City to take a job as a nanny and first she feels freedom! Only to soon have reality crash in once she's hired by a Manhattan socialite and sophisticated classy upper east side narcissist called Mrs. X(Laura Linney) who does nothing, but shop and eat out all day and attend glamour events. So it now falls on Annie to look after five year old Grayer(Nicholas Art) and it's very tough as to Mrs. X Annie never does anything right. Also Mr. X isn't much better played okay by Paul Giamatti who really is nothing more than a successful business man who's hooked on any attractive female in a skirt and short shorts. Yet all along the way attachment and friendship is developed between Annie and Grayer a real coming of age story for Annie to see this society in an anthropological way and learn from it and come of age. As in the end Annie convinces Mrs. X to be a loving mom and Annie sees her real passion is grad school not a nanny. Really a touching comedy that educates showing people have to learn thru experience and culture what life is right for them and that dealing with different cultures is a loving and life remembering experience. Scarlett Johansson gives a very sweet and people pleasing performance that she just glows on the screen making this a sleeper hit comedy.

This wasn't well liked by the critics but I watched it on TV and thought it was pretty good, that's mostly down to the cast though. Laura Linney is fantastic as Mrs. X, a snooty neurotic upper east side socialite and Paul Giomatti is perfect as her nasty adulterous husband. Just a pig of a man.

I always enjoy Scarlett Johansson and she does a good job with the material here, her role isn't much of a stretch, even cheesy at times but she was enjoyable. The romance aspect with Chris Evans kinda took a back seat and was lost.

Described as "a hilarious adaption of the bestselling novel" (I wouldn't go that far) it is however entertaining. Johansson plays 'Annie', a recent college grad who takes a job as a live in nanny for the very wealthy X's, looking after their troubled son -who I suppose was meant to be cute and precocious but for the most part I just found bratty and annoying.

The story itself was okay, it didn't blow me away or anything, but it was enjoyable enough. 'Nanny' is such a nice, sympathetic character that you want to see how it all plays out for her. Watching this did make me want to read the book. 8/24/15

Many seem to be disappointed with 'The Nanny Dairies' because of its failure to properly deliver the social commentary about New York women of different class. However, I agree to an extent that it does not go into the depth of the theme in order to be a good satire but it remained nonetheless an entertaining flick. The film seems to mainly focus on Annie's view of the upper class (as she works as a nanny for such a family) and therein lies a danger, where she pretty much (as we are shown), in her own assessment generalizes her conclusion from one experience and in the other cases, with one encounter.

Now regarding the family she works for, Mr.X is a complete caricature of the businessman jerk who constantly cheats on his wife by shagging anything wearing short skirts or hotpants and he is bitter towards his family (including wife, son and even own mother). Mrs. X is portrayed under a more humane light. She is definitely in denial about a marriage that has already been long dead and she copes with it by avoiding herself from her own son and giving more focus to trivial away-from-home activities while believing that her husband still loves her. Amidst all this, it is the son who suffers.

Scarlett Johanssen is a miscast. She does not seem comfortable with comedy (as has been evident as well in Woody Allen's 'Scoop') and her outburst scene in the end looks theatrical. However, she is quite good in the scenes that display Annie's stress and fatigue while taking care of Grayer and overall, Johanssen does try to deliver. The child actor does not convince. Alicia Keys is forgettable and Chris Evans plays the clichéd rich white guy boyfriend. Ravishing Laura Linney is fabulous. Her character is technically a bitch but there is a vulnerability and depth that she draws which allows the audience to somewhat sympathize for Mrs. X. Paul Giamatti suffers from bad writing.

Despite the flaws, 'The Nannie Diaries' was quite enjoyable. I was not bored. I laughed at a few scenes and was interested to know what Scarlett's Annie would do to finally confront Mrs. X. The sets, though typical New York, was nice to look at. The Mary Poppins reference with the Umbrella was a bit pointless. In my opinion, this film is much better than the likes of pretentious movies like 'The Devil Wears Prada'.