The Nanny Diaries is the movie based on a popular book about Annie the Nanny and her experiences with a family in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Scarlett Johansson plays Annie who inadvertently gets the nanny gig while deciding what she really wants to do after college and finds out a lot about herself in the process. There are some nice flights of fancy – references to Mary Poppins, Natural History Museum displays of everyday people – that set it apart from other straightforward, narrated fare. Class distinction is a big target, as nannies are portrayed in their indentured servitude almost as slaves.

Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti play the ineffective, well-to-do parents, and they are terrific as usual in these supporting roles, even if their characters aren’t sympathetic. Johansson is a bit more problematic. Watching her trying to strike that tenuous balance between comedy and drama makes you realize how rare actresses like Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts really are. With those three actresses, there is a three-dimensionality to their being, whereas with Johansson, it feels more like shtick.

Much of The Nanny Diaries is played for laughs, but the dramatic aspects tackle some serious ideas. It has an overall positive message about the importance of hands-on parenting. ClearPlay successfully filters the more bawdy references, but some viewers may be uncomfortable with the subtle references of the unfaithful husband (Giamatti).

Marty Nabhan

MPAA Rating: PG-13; Runtime: 105 min; Directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini