Michael's Movie Grade: B
A very charming dramedy.
In this film, a man in his 30's just lost his job and is suffering from anxiety attacks. It is then he gets a job nannying his therapist's three granddaughters. While doing this job he falls for the girls' actress mom.
There is a lot to love about this movie. The main character is delightful and instantly relatable. While in lesser hands such a character could have come off simply as pathetic and pitiful, underneath all his anxieties he is quite charming and a very good guy. This is because like a real person who has anxiety, his anxiety is part of him but doesn't define him. Matthew Shear (who also directed and wrote this film) is simply wonderful in this main role, showing a nerdy type of charm and charisma. Also wonderful is Amanda Peet as the girls' mother. She delivers a truly great and film stealing performance that in many ways is just as emotionally powerful as anything involving the actual lead character. Actresses having a hard time finding work as they reach a certain age and struggling to deal with this has been a subject that has been covered countless times in other movies. However, Amanda Peet's performance makes this part of the story still hit hard emotionally. The chemistry between the two is fantastic and the two stars truly light up the screen when they share it.
Adding to this movie's charm is that it is often hilarious. The early scene where the main character is talking to his therapist is truly hilarious with Judd Hirsch giving an especially great comedic performance.
At only an hour and a half, the movie does often feel too rushed though. This is heavily seen when it comes to the main character's relationship with the girls he is watching. The first time we see them together, he is having trouble controlling them. The next time, he and the girls seem to get along perfectly. We have no clue to what made this change. With the focus on the possible romance between the nanny (or manny as he is called in multiple scenes) and the mom, the girls receive surprisingly little screen time and during that limited time, we barely get to know who these characters (who are very important to the story) are as people. The rushed pace also makes so that important plot points either happen way too quickly or are mentioned rather than shown.
This is a very charming movie, even if it feels really rushed.
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