This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Yes, but what's the (male) nanny's pronoun?
Plot Overview
Newly divorced Sandy Padgett
(Catherine Zeta-Jones) at 40 moves with her two kids Sadie age 9 (Kelly
Gould) and Frank Jr age 7 (Jake Cherry) to a loft above Mojo
Café in Manhattan. Recent college grad Aram Finklestein
(Justin Bartha) is 24 and employed there as assistant manager while
he's coasting career-wise. He's processing a divorce from a French
girl Alice Marnier (Stephanie Szostak) who'd married him to obtain
a green card. He takes on baby sitting for the widow upstairs and
eventually a nanny position as her work load expands. Due to their
post-relationship vulnerabilities and time spent together,
they form an attachment, which is complicated by their age difference.
Ideology
An obscure biblical character Agur (Prov. 30:1) while not claiming to be any great one offers a chapter of advice to his buddies, (Prov. 30:2-3) “Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.” He gives four career nuggets sized down to his level: (Prov. 30:24) “There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:”
(Prov. 30:25)
“The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat
in the summer.” The first career advice is to start working
early at piddling jobs when young, in the summer of life. Aram bought
Tampons at the store for his mother when he was a kid, then went on
to do this & that in college, and progressed to a barista at Smokin'
Joe Cafe, and on from there. Sandy did competitive wind surfing as
a girl and salsa dancing, then spent her time while a stay-at-home
mom to develop a sports rating system, and after her divorce went
to an entry level fact-checking position at Sports News Network (SNN.)
(Prov. 30:26)
“The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses
in the rocks.” The next important step is to settle in a good
location for one's chosen career. Aram really needs to move on from
his current location (“You live at your parents' house,”)
as “Living at your parents' place isn't exactly grabbing life
by the balls.” But Sandy has the right idea moving to New York
(“The city is the center of everything, guys.”)
(Prov. 30:27) “The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands.” Another step is to develop an informal support network. Aram has his (Jewish) father's financial connections, though he seems to gravitate to the nanny gig, and Sandy gets her baby sitting help right from downstairs and emotional support from a women's issues group.
(Prov. 30:28)
“The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.”
The final step to success is to take hold of opportunities to
secure one's niche in life. It's an imposing palace that the little spider
dwells in. Sandy's way seems greased to her potentials, but Aram must
try again and again to get lines on his ultimate goals.
Production Values
“” (2011) was written
and directed by Bart Freundlich. It stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and
Justin Bartha. The principals do a good job, but the plot calls for
more. Improbabilities mount up to zaniness, which is okay, but
it would take the comedic timing of a Lucille Ball to pull it off.
We don't need the most beautiful actress in the world, just the funniest.
Instead of an 8/10 we got a 10/8. However, the bit parts were filled
by some of the best character actors in the world harvested handily
from NYC where it was shot.
MPAA
rated it R for language, some sexual
content and brief drug use. It could have been shot acceptable to
a younger audience, but it was not. Sets, costumes, and photography
were exemplary. Humor transitions into drama towards the end.
The gender bender humor
of a male nanny should have been allowed to exhaust that joke line,
but the tomboy with a penchant for dissecting animals would have worked
better with the boy in the role, not the fair sex.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
I think the writer/director's reach exceeded his grasp. A more talented production might succeed better with a remake, but I wouldn't count on it. Many obstacles to a happy ending lends itself to comedy but it isn't automatic. This one is better skipped unless the viewer can be satisfied with a piece of fluff. Feminist man-haters might like it, though.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: No action to speak of. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Well, at least you can't see the strings. Video Occasion: Better than watching TV. Suspense: Keeps you somewhat on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Three stars out of five.
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