I absolutely hated this movie the first time I saw it. I found it trite and unbearable. I saw it today and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I understood the whole anthropology stance. Just think I was expecting something different the first time. Not a bad movie at all :)
shareYes, that is how I also felt upon watching it. I didn't hate it necessarily, but it definitely didn't leave much of an impression the first time. This may have been because I watched when it first came out and I was only a sophomore in high school. I just watched it again tonight with a new appreciation for it (I too am an anthropology major who is a nanny, though my family is not nearly as dysfunctional as this one.) Because I felt like I had more in common with the protagonist, I was able to pick up on and enjoy things I hadn't caught in the movie earlier.
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I was super critical when it first came out, but I had JUST read the novel. I think this movie is charming and adorable if you're about 5 years removed from having read the book. Back then, I was incensed by how much they left out. Looking back at it now, I actually feel that Annie (movie)is a heck of a lot more likeable than Nan (book). There's something very refreshing about sharing Annie's journey as a "newbie" being introduced to nanny-dom rather than reading the embittered ravings of a seasoned veteran.
I also like, as someone else posted in another forum, that there was a sense of change - some redemption for Mrs. X. A happy ending for Grayer. And some bit of justice for Mr. X.
Finally, I'm a fan (as I was even at the time) of the way they matured "Harvard Hottie" in the screenplay of the movie. I never liked H.H. before. He struck me as a real flake who never understood Nan very much and was almost uneccessary. In the movie, I enjoyed the contrast between Hayden and Mr. X. It was a nice subtle way to suggest that people CAN be raised in upper-class environments like this and NOT end up complete pri***. H.H. was a real anchor for Annie in the movie, and I enjoyed that - unlike the book where I felt he was altogether weak.