Based on the novel by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, The Nanny Diaries is the story of a college graduate who gets hired by a rich woman to become a nanny to her son as the job ends up becoming a nightmare. Written for the screen and directed by Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman, the film is an exploration into the world of nannies as a young woman deals with her new job as well as the world that her client lives that would prove to be troubling for her client’s child. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Chris Evans, Nicholas Art, Donna Murphy, Alicia Keys, and Paul Giamatti. The Nanny Diaries is a very conventional and mediocre film from Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman.
The film plays into the world of a young woman who becomes a nanny to a young boy whose rich mother makes her new job a living nightmare. It’s a film that plays into this college graduate trying to bring happiness to the life of a young boy while seeing that the woman whose son she’s taking care of starting to fall apart due to her neglectful husband. All of which is told from the perspective of its lead character Annie Braddock (Scarlett Johansson) who tries to understand her new surroundings, based on her studies in anthropology, yet deals with the neglect of the boy Grayer (Nicholas Art) and the world of Grayer’s mother Mrs. X (Laura Linney) who hides her unhappiness through shopping and social events. Even as she has Grayer go to the best schools and such to think that she’s a great mother only to be in denial as Annie watches from afar as she is dealing with her feelings in a neighbor known as the Harvard Hottie (Chris Evans).
The film’s screenplay definitely wants to be all sorts of things but it is quite messy where much of it ends up being very conventional. Though it is told from Annie’s perspective, it’s a film that has her be put into some very ridiculous situations such as her first days as a nanny to Grayer which is a nightmare. Though there would be events which would shift into something less chaotic where Grayer starts to trust Annie more, it does feel contrived at times where it wants to be this exploration into the world of nannies. It wants to have some idea of satire but some of the dramatic embellishments makes it hard for the film to be taken seriously as it would play into Annie’s conflict in her work as the one person she would never tell about her new job is her mother (Donna Murphy) until one day when Grayer became sick. It would then lead into this dramatic third act that is wrapped into sentimentality but also moments that definitely feels contrived.
While the direction of Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman does have some moments such as the scenes involving Annie’s interest in anthropology and some funny moments such as Annie’s fantasy of being a nanny as it relates to Mary Poppins. Unfortunately, their script makes the film very uneven in tone where it wants to be all sorts of things but it would end up feeling very pedestrian in its approach to humor and drama. Especially in some scenes where some of Pulcini’s own editing really tries to hard to make the drama mean something only to become very manipulative. Since the film is told from Annie’s perspective where it requires a lot of voiceover narration, it ends up being a tool that becomes very expository to the point that it becomes unnecessary where the filmmakers don’t seem to trust the audience enough to have any ideas on what is going on. Overall, Pulcini and Berman create a film that has some good moments but end up creating an overly drawn-out and contrived film that ends up not having much to say.
Cinematographer Terry Stacey does nice work with much of the lighting in the film‘s exterior location settings in New York City along with some unique scenes for the anthropology sequences. Production designer Mark Ricker, with set decorator Andrew Baseman and Ben Barraud, does excellent work in the set designs such as the posh home of the X‘s as well as some of the places in New York City. Costume designer Michael Wilkinson does terrific work with the posh dresses that Mrs. X wears to the more casual look of Annie and the Harvard Hottie.
Visual effects supervisor Harry Dorrington does wonderful work with some of the visual effects such as Annie‘s Mary Poppins-inspired fantasy. Sound editor Nicholas Renbeck does superb work with the sound with some of the location sounds in New York and in the Hamptons plus some of the parties and such that Annie and Grayer go to. The film’s music by Mark Suozzo is pretty good for some of the upbeat orchestral score for its humorous moments though the dramatic portions end up being very heavy-handed in its arrangements while music supervisor Randall Poster does create a fun soundtrack filled with music from George Michael, Lily Allen, and some 70s disco music.
The casting by Ann Goulder is brilliant for some of the notable small roles from Julie White as a society lady, Judith Roberts as Mr. X’s very drunken mother, and James Urbaniak as an educational counselor. Alicia Keys is excellent as Annie’s friend Lynette who tries to ground Annie while living a much easier life without many responsibilities. Donna Murphy is terrific as Annie’s mother Judy who wants the best for her daughter but is baffled by her daughter’s decision to work as a nanny. Paul Giamatti is wasted as Mr. X as he doesn’t appear very often and his character is essentially a caricature as this neglectful husband/father who likes to sleep with other women and be very mean. Nicholas Art is amazing as the young boy Grayer as a child who just wants attention and be loved though some of his development in the script doesn’t work.
Chris Evans is superb as the Harvard Hottie as Mrs. X’s neighbor who befriends Annie while trying to understand why she would take this job as he warns about the dangers of getting too close. Laura Linney is fantastic as Mrs. X as this very pampered high-society woman who tries to maintain her reputation to mask the unhappiness she is having in her marriage while being oblivious in her role as a mother. Finally, there’s Scarlett Johansson in a performance that is pretty good at times where Johansson displays some charm and charisma to the role though there’s moments where she can’t really play into the film’s humor as it comes off as awkward and forced. Much of that material has Johansson feel miscast though she does try to make it earnest as it’s a performance that has its good moments but also some bad ones.
The Nanny Diaries is an unremarkable film from Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman. Despite the performances from Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, and Chris Evans, it’s a film that tried to be a lot of things but ends up being very conventional with its contrivances and ridiculous moments. In the end, The Nanny Diaries is a very mediocre and bland film from Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman.
Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman Films: (Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen’s) - American Splendor - (Wanderlust (2006 film)) - (The Extra Man) - (Cinema Verite) - (Girl Most Likely) - (Ten Thousand Saints)
© thevoid99 2014
Based on the comic series by Harvey Pekar and the graphic novel Our Cancer Year by Pekar and Joyce Brabner, American Splendor is the story of comic book writer Harvey Pekar who would create a comic book based on his own misery as he would become sort of famous while struggling with depression and such. Written for the screen and directed by Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman, the film is a mixture of documentary and dramatization as the real Pekar and Brabner appear in the film, along with Pekar’s friend Toby Radloff, while they’re respectively played by Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis. Also starring Judah Friedlander and James Urbaniak as Robert Crumb. American Splendor is an imaginative yet captivating film about the life of Harvey Pekar.
Through his American Splendor comics that he would write, Harvey Pekar would gain fame writing about his own miserable life in his hometown of Cleveland as he would become a cult figure and make appearances on David Letterman’s talk show during the 1980s and early 1990s. Yet, the film is told in a very unconventional style where it plays into dramatized versions of Pekar’s life as he endures his dissolution of his second marriage and finding inspiration to write his comic with the help of Robert Crumb’s illustration that would also lead him to meet and marry his longtime partner Joyce Brabner. The film also is told in a documentary fashion where the real Pekar and Brabner are interviewed as the film would also incorporate archival footage of Pekar’s appearances on David Letterman’s show plus a MTV news footage of Toby Radloff preparing for Spring Break as he is seen as a goofball.
The film’s screenplay showcases much of Pekar’s misery early in his life as he spends much of his time working as a file clerk in a Cleveland hospital whenever he’s not writing. Yet, it would feature moments that would eventually motivate Pekar into becoming a writer as the first act revealed how he met Robert Crumb while the second act is about how he met Joyce Brabner through corresponding letters as she was asking for an issue of one of his comics. Pekar and Brabner’s relationship is one of the aspects of the story that makes interesting as their marriage would eventually become material of its own where the third act is about the making of Our Cancer Year when Pekar was suffering from cancer in the early 1990s as it would give the duo rave reviews as well as a new lease on life despite Pekar’s on-going encounter with misery and Joyce’s refusal to work as well as analyzing people about their neuroses.
The direction of Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman is quite abstract not just in its offbeat presentation but also in how they approach the story. Much of the dramatization portion of the film is shot on location in Cleveland where it focuses largely on intimate compositions from close-ups and medium shots along with unique camera angles to play into Pekar’s life and his relationship with Brabner. There’s even moments in the dramatization where Brabner watches the real-life footage of Pekar on David Letterman through his many appearances with the exception of his final appearance on the show which is presented in a dramatic context due to the controversy that Pekar would create that eventually kicked him out of the show for good. Some of the direction infuses some animation by John Kuramato that sort of breaks down the fourth wall as it would often motivate Pekar or play into what Joyce would see upon meeting Pekar for the first time.
The documentary portion of the film is shot in a soundstage where the real life Pekar, Brabner, and Radloff show up while the actors would play them would be in the background. There’s some interviews in the film to play into Pekar and Brabner’s commentary on their own marriage plus Radloff embracing his role as a nerd. With Pulcini as the film’s editor, he uses a lot of archival news footage as well as Pekar’s appearances on David Letterman to great use along with montages about how his stories in his comics would mirror his own real life. Much of the editing is stylized yet the direction remains very intact to play into Pekar’s world and his struggles with depression and cancer where it ends unconventionally but also with tenderness that showcased how far Pekar has gone into becoming a celebrated figure in American literature. Overall, Pulcini and Berman craft a very lively and whimsical portrait of a writer who creates art through his own misery.
Cinematographer Terry Stacey does amazing work with the film’s cinematography from the way it captures some of the realism of the locations in Cleveland to some of the lighting in some of its interiors for the scenes at the New York City hotels that Joyce and Harvey stayed during his David Letterman appearances. Production designer Therese DePrez and set decorator Robert DeSue do fantastic work with the set pieces from the messy home of Harvey Pekar as well as file-hall where he does much of his work. Costume designer Michael Wilkinson does nice work with the costumes as it‘s very low-key and drab to play into the personalities of Pekar and Brabner.
Sound editor Nicholas Renbeck does terrific work with the sound from some of the sound collages in some of the images in Pekar‘s comics as well as some of the sound effects. The film’s music by Mark Suozzo is brilliant as it low-key in its emphasis on Americana with folk and jazz while music supervisor Linda Cohen brings in a fun soundtrack filled with jazz, rock, and pop music to play into the different time periods that Pekar lived in his life.
The casting by Ann Goulder is great as it features appearances from the real Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner, Toby Radloff, and Pekar/Brabner’s adopted daughter Danielle Batone plus cameos from Donal Logue and Molly Shannon as stage versions of Harvey and Joyce, respectively. Other notable small roles include Daniel Tay as a young Harvey Pekar, Earl Billings as Pekar’s hospital boss Mr. Boats, Maggie Moore as an old classmate that Harvey runs into, Vivienne Benesch as his second ex-wife, and Madilyn Sweeten as the young Danielle whom Harvey and Joyce would befriend during the making of Our Cancer Year. James Urbaniak is excellent as the famed comic illustrator Robert Crumb where Urbaniak brings a low-key approach to his role as someone with an odd sense of humor. Judah Friedlander is amazing as the nerdy Toby Radloff who always like to do nerdy things and spend part of his time eating jellybeans, White Castle burgers, and embracing his role as a nerd.
Hope Davis is phenomenal as Joyce Brabner as she brings this character full of frustrations and low expectations while often analyzing people and describe their neuroses as it’s one of Davis’ dazzling performances. Finally, there’s Paul Giamatti in an outstanding performance as Harvey Pekar as it is a performance that provides a lot of laughs as well as anguish where Giamatti brings that sense of misery and despair that makes the character so engaging while also showcasing some offbeat humor as it’s Giamatti in one of his greatest roles ever.
American Splendor is a magnificent film from Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman. Armed with the great performances of Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis along with its unconventional presentation between documentary and dramatization. It’s a film that explores the world of one of the great writers of American comics without the need to go into any kind of convention while being humorous and heartwarming. In the end, American Splendor is a tremendously rich film from Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman.
Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman Films: (Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen’s) - (Wanderlust (2006 film)) - The Nanny Diaries - (The Extra Man) - (Cinema Verite) - (Girl Most Likely) - (Ten Thousand Saints)
© thevoid99 2014
