The Nanny Diaries (2007)

“The Nanny Diaries” is based on the best-selling chick lit book by the same name written by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, although the movie is much different from the book, and, I must say, better. Scarlett Johansson stars as Annie Braddock, a young woman who has just graduated from college and is entering the world of finance. She’s not sure that’s what she really wants for her future, however—she’s much more interested in anthropology, but her mother wants her to get into a field that will really pay well. After making a mess of her first job interview, she … Continue reading

What a Girl Wants (2003)

Amanda Bynes stars as Daphne Reynolds, a girl who has grown up without a father. Her mother (Kelly Preston) tells her a wonderful story on her birthday every year, of a dashing man who swept her off her feet and they were married by the chieftain of a Bedouin tribe, but were unable to stay together because his family disapproved. All Daphne has of her father is a picture. She’s never seen him and he never knew she existed. Daphne misses having a father. Whenever she sees a daughter with her father, she feels the lack. Finally, she decides to … Continue reading

The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

Based on an Oscar Wilde play, this movie became one of my very favorites from the moment I saw it. Jack Worthing (Colin Firth) is leading a double life. At home in the country, he’s a dedicated landowner, conscientious about his duties, fastidious to a fault, and devoted to the care of his young ward Cecily (Reese Witherspoon.) But a man can get very bored of such a life, and so every once in a while, he heads up to London, where he calls himself Earnest, spends too much money, and woos Gwendolyn, (Frances O’Connor) the daughter of the irascible … Continue reading

Pride and Prejudice (1995)

I approach this blog almost timidly, feeling the weight of the task upon my shoulders. How can I possibly, through mere words, explain to you everything that this movie is? It’s like trying to describe the Grand Canyon in one sentence. But I shall do my best. “Pride and Prejudice” first began as a novel, written by Jane Austen. Over the years, it has been adapted into film on a couple of occasions, first as an old black and white starring Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson, which was a nice try but no cigar. It was impossible to fit the … Continue reading