University graduate Annie (Johansson) gets a job as a nanny for the wealthy X's (Linney, Giamatti) when she saves their son Grayer's life; but she soon finds that her charge isn't getting all the love he should be from his parents...
A sequel to the book, Nanny Returns, has been written.
This work contains examples of:
- Actor Allusion: When coming up with a nickname for Grayer, Annie first proposes "Spongebob," which is totally not in the book, referencing Scarlett's role as Princess Mindy in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
- Cool Big Sis: Annie eventually becomes this to Grayer.
- Everyone Hates Mimes: Grayer's idiot parents hire two French mimes for his disastrous birthday party.Grayer: I thought clowns were supposed to be funny.
Annie: Well, they're French clowns, Grove. - Fanservice: One scene in the film contains a Panty Shot of Annie.
- Funny Background Event : While Mrs. X is on the phone with Annie, her yogi is calmly going through the positions while Grayer throws stuffed dinosaurs at him.
- Goofy Print Underwear: Annie's pink doggy-print panties.
- Gratuitous French: Annie is instructed to help Grayer with his French, so he can get into a private school he's wait-listed at. At the age of four.
- This is Truth in Television, as rich people will go extreme lengths to make sure their children get accepted at private schools.
- Incredibly Obvious Bug: The camera in the teddy bear.
- Ivy League for Everyone: Subverted. Grayer is rejected from Collegiate, which in Real Life is one of the most prestigious private schools in the country and an Ivy feeder.
- Karma Houdini: Mr. X suffers no consequences when he sexually assaults Annie.
- Lighter and Softer: The movie ends on a happy note with most of the cast making an effort to improve themselves. The book, on the other hand, is followed by a sequel that depicts the X family stuck in a perpetual cycle of misery.
- Lonely Rich Kid: This is the trope that Grayer was and would be until Annie give out The Reason You Suck at Mrs. X.
- Love at First Sight: Annie is immediately smitten when she meets "Harvard Hottie".
- Meet Cute: Annie meets her love interest, Hayden, when she's bending over and has her Goofy Print Underwear panties exposed. It doesn't get much more embarrassing than that.
- Nice Guy: "Harvard Hottie" (or Hayden, as his real name turns out to be), is an overall decent guy and something of a Cool Big Bro to Grayer.
- No Name Given: The family's surname is never revealed, and Chris Evans' character (our heroine's Love Interest) is known as "Harvard Hottie" until the end of the film. (Then again, in the novel, Annie was called "Nanny.")
- Oh, Crap!: Mrs. X has one of these when... well, see "The Reason You Suck" Speech below.
- Pants-Pulling Prank: At one point Annie challenges Grayer to a race, only for him to respond by pantsing her in order to get a head-start. See Goofy Print Underwear above.
- Parental Neglect: Turns out that Grayer's parents are incredibly absent in his life, which culminates into his uncontrollable attitude.
- Precision F-Strike: Annie, when telling off Harvard Hottie's jerk friends at the bar.Take it from me, guys, enjoy tonight because your future looks pretty fuckin' bleak!
- Rape as Drama: Mr. X abruptly sexually assaults Annie in the kitchen by groping her genitals, which shocks her deeply. Otherwise though it has no consequences seen, either for him or her.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After she's fired, Annie gives the X's one of these via nanny cam, telling them off for their terrible parenting skills with a detour to calling Mr. X out for being less interested in his own wife than in Annie's ass (which admittedly is understandable, this being Scarlett Johansson). But Mrs. X doesn't see it until after Annie's gone. And she sees it in public. Oh, Crap!.
- Shipper on Deck: Lynette totally encourages Annie to go out with Harvard Hottie, and damn the expense.
- Spoiled Brat: Subverted with Grayer who is initially quite the handful for Annie. However, it's later revealed that he's really a sweet kid who has severe Parental Issues.
- Security Blanket: Mr X's business card, to Grayer.
- Shout-Out:
- To Mary Poppins, several times. Obviously with the umbrella flight, less so with Annie's ringtone, the leitmotifs of Annie and Grayer, and the trip to Central Park.
- And unabashedly to Spongebob Square Pants.
- Took a Level in Kindness: After getting a well-deserved "The Reason You Suck" Speech from Annie, Mrs. X finally sees the error of her ways, leaves Mr. X, and finally starts to spend quality time with her son, something that greatly improves both of their lives. She even expresses personal gratitude to Annie for making it possible.
