Friday, May 8, 2009

The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

Annie has graduated from college and still does not know exactly what she is meant to do with her life. While she tries to figure out what she should do, she decides to become a nanny and takes on a job with a wealthy, Park Avenue family in NYC. She soon learns that being a nanny is not an easy job. She must deal with a bratty kid, Grayer, and his snobby mother, Mrs. X. Mrs. X does not have a job, but still needs lots of help from Annie to get through her extremely busy day. Annie finds that being a nanny to an upper class New York City family often means being a surrogate mother. What was supposed to be a part time job turns into an all day, and sometimes overnight, position. Annie finds that she is losing herself in her job, and not in a good way. Her life becomes so wrapped up in her supposedly temporary nanny position that it's almost has if she is giving up her soul.

The Nanny Diaries, as a movie, seems a lot like The Devil Wears Prada, another movie in which the protagonist plans to work for a short amount of time in a job then finds herself changing and becoming too wrapped up in the position. As usual, the book is way better than the movie. The book is much funnier, perhaps because we are "hearing" what the main character thinks, not just watching her go through the actions. However, the movie does have its own charm, and the lessons in it are worthwhile.

Directed by Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini; Starring Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, Scarlett Johansson, Donna Murphy, Judith Roberts, and Nicholas Art

Movie; 13+; Weinstein Company, 2007

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