The Nanny Diaries
Directed by Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
- comedy
- drama
- romance
The story
A college graduate goes to work as a nanny for a rich New York family. Ensconced in their home, she has to juggle their dysfunction, a new romance, and the spoiled brat in her charge.
What it’s like
Bright, glossy Upper East Side interiors filmed in warm, sunlit rooms that feel more showroom than home, with the palette tilting toward cream, camel and polished wood, and a steady, handheld-leaning camera that stays close to its heroine as she moves through hallways and tense dinner tables. The mood is sharp and satirical with a bittersweet undertow: a wry, observational comedy about class and status that slides into a soft romance and a sincere, slightly melancholy story of a young woman learning what she is worth. Scenes are brisk and chatty, with witty dialogue, pointed looks across dining rooms, and a bright pop-leaning soundtrack that keeps the energy up even when the emotional stakes tighten. Its cruelty is verbal and social rather than physical: snobbery, neglect and humiliation are played for both laughs and sting, with no violence and only light references to sex and drinking. It suits a lazy afternoon or a comfort rewatch, for viewers who enjoy a satirical look at wealth with a warm, romantic heart and a heroine who gets her footing.
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