recent college grad annie braddock ( scarlett johansson ) be all set for a career in business when she quite literally fall into a position a nanny for the four year old son ( nicholas art ) of a snooty and self absorb upper east side socialite name alexandra x and play by a sadly miscast laura linney ( among many of the movie wearisomely cutesy touch be not give a surname to the family that hire her ) . base on the novel by emma mclaughlin and nicola kraus and the nanny diary be and unfortunately and every bit a predictable and trite a it simpleminded premise would lead one to expect . beyond traffic in just about every stereotype and cliché imaginable the heartless and neurotic and slave driving elitist while the sensitive knight in shin armor love interest ( chris evans ) while the nagging and free living best friend while the lecherous and nanny chasing husband ( paul giamatti ) the movie be woefully unsuccessful even at tread that fine line between cleverness and cuteness that can make or break a film of this type . there be an affectionate tribute to mary poppins that early on at least suggests that the movie might actually try to do something a little daring and a little different . but that air of fanciful creativity be quickly squelch in favor of formulaic storytelling and cookie cutter characterization . interestingly and the filmmaker and for all their championing of the woman employ a nanny and seem to have almost a low an opinion of the profession itself a do the elite snob who appear on screen . all tell and johansson be really the only decent thing about the nanny diary ( well and little nicholas art be pretty cool too ) and but even her staunch admirer would be well advise to look the other way when it come to this film .