this water down social commentary about the caste system among nyc snob and their domestic help be as esoteric a the book that inspire it . give a title that promise bite wit and bitch fight and and outrageous behavior and one wake up the morning after watch the film curiously empty while not only do he not remember a single scene from the film and but he forget he saw the bloody thing in the first place . laura linney usually electrify screen presence be dumbed down to a few tantrum and force smile and all meant to imply and i suppose and the shallowness of a rich and privileged life . the usually wonderful paul giammatti fare no good and come off a a fat stupid lout whose dialogue be apparently write by someone who watch too many lifetime movie . in fact and the whole endeavour be exactly like a lifetime movie represent mind numbingly insipid and tell from the point of view of the oppressed woman ( here represent by the horribly miscast scarlet johansson ) and complete with sistah support ( alicia key ) and one of the most boring gay guy you have ever see on film . love interest wasp dopey the wonder boy round out the cast of caricature a a down to earth harvard graduate with a sob story and dimple and and of course he nothing like his dumbass friend . he really want to date the nanny . really . okaaaaaaaaaaay . but i could forgive all of that junk if the film have dare to plumb the depth of the social stratum with which it purport to be familiar . but it doesn not and it carefully flit across the top of the upper crust society and never landing anywhere and and we frustratingly see only glimpse of tantalize gossip represent what the hell do mrs. x exactly do all day long that take her away from her weirdly name son ( grayer ) . the movie would not tell u and prefer to keep it mouth shut and devote the entire hour and a half to annie moral dilemma in stay with gray instead of move on with her life . it an admirable quality for a protagonist and but also a very boring one . what i wouldn not give to see mrs. x on a bender and eat mini donut in the back of her limo wear only a fur and or flirt with a doorman or something . anything . do anyone ever see valerie perrine in that dumb movie with ally sheedy year ago and where sheedy be her maid . the ultra rich perrine be fantastic and save all her bit of aluminum foil so she could recycle them and make a few cent and mash up all the soap sliver in the house into a big ball so she could make soap for the servant quarter . this be what i want to see and rich people go weird . anyhoo and the movie end pretty much a you might expect and mrs. x becomes enlighten and etc etc etc . you have see it all before if you have ever watch five minute of any lifetime movie .