NANNY CAM/SITTER CAM
(TV Movie 2014)
Brian McAuley, please contact me, I could help.
BASIC PLOT:
The Kessler's are a hard working couple, with a small daughter, Chloe (
Farrah Mackenzie). After a near miss at serious injury, with their last babysitter, Mrs. Highsmith (
Carol Herman), they are determined to find a better replacement. The Kesslers want to make sure they find the right person, but are having no luck. Linda Kessler (
Laura Allen) is an ad exec, and Mark Kessler (
Cam Gigandet) is a contractor, who's working flipping a house. He's been trying to pick up the babysitting slack in the afternoons, when Chloe gets home from school. It's not going well, and after a near miss with a nail gun, they are relieved to have Heather (
India Eisley), a local girl, save the day. She seems like the perfect fit, and Chloe loves her, but after the last disaster, they decide to get a nanny cam. It's illegal in their state to record audio, without both parties consent, but it seems like video will be enough. At first all seems fine, but over time Heather's behavior becomes increasingly bizarre. Can they discover her secret in time to save their family?
WHAT WORKS:
*Finally, an awesome trailer, with a fantastic voiceover! Excellent!
*
Cam Gigandet's portrayal of Mark Kessler, man-child, is excellent. He embodies the role, and presents the challenges many women have to have to face when dealing with "two children".
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*Most people, in today's modern age, wouldn't take just one phone reference, as gospel. They would do an intensive background check, especially after what happened with their last babysitter, Mrs. Highsmith (
Carol Herman), who ended up having dementia.
*What is with the lighting in the kitchen scene, at the 28 min mark? That kind of lighting is terrible for EVERYONE! Who thought that was a good idea? Most kitchens are lit with more than one bulb.
* It's a mistake killing Mrs. Highsmith (
Carol Herman). There's no need, Heather's cruel behavior towards her was enough as a plot device. There was no need to eliminate her, it's overkill.
*NO WORKING MOTHER WOULD OBJECT TO A NANNY/BABYSITTER THAT CLEANS! As a matter of fact, it's part of the job description for full-time nannies, and au pairs. A man definitely wrote that drek (I'm talking to you
Brian McAuley), because no woman would feel that way. A nanny/babysitter would see the pressures a working mother is dealing with, and try to help. Linda would be grateful for this, NOT HOSTILE.
*Once again, I can tell this is written by a man, before even looking, because men tend to write older women as jealous shrews. I see this time and time again as a plot device, and frankly, it's insulting to women in general. Linda Kessler (
Laura Allen is supposed to be a smart, attractive and very successful ad executive. She's the only woman in the room at her job, and she's good at it. Those types of women, powerhouses, would not be intimidated by some tiny 18 year old babysitter, because she can cook and clean, or because the family likes her. Men fantasize about women fighting over them, but often times what's going on in the male brain, is not reality.
Brian McAuley's depiction of older women, both in this movie, and in the movie
Appuntamento con la morte (2016), says more about him, than any real woman. His infantalized Mark Kessler (
Cam Gigandet), as the man-child, is believable to a point, but eventually becomes insulting to men. Mark's a man who needs constant reassurance, who runs from responsibilities, and makes the woman do everything. Why is it Linda's job to cook, clean and do the laundry, when they both have full-time jobs? She's also the sole breadwinner, and yet he's mad when she often has other things on her mind, like the safety of their child.
*Mark implies to Heather that he wishes Linda wouldn't focus on her career, would stay at home, and be a 1950's housewife. Why? Because he only cares about his needs, and could give a flip about hers? The movie also tells us, it's the woman's fault when her husband cheats. Mark screws up the house he's flipping, screws up the deal to sell it, and then calls his wife in the middle of the work day, to get reassurance. She's busy, can't coddle him, and so he goes home and commiserates with the 18 year-old babysitter, while getting loaded. Are any of these tropes healthy for the viewers, men or women? Why perpetrate negative stereotypes to your audience? Why do we, as viewers, put up with it? WE, AS WOMEN, SHOULD DEMAND BETTER FOR OURSELVES! The days of, "bringing home the bacon, frying it up in a pan, and never let you forget you're a man" are over! Art imitating life, can also end up with life imitating art. Demanding change is how we, as viewers, can change the zeitgeist, and our lives, for the better.
*Mark does not fire the babysitter, or tell his wife, after she makes a pass, and performs a striptease for the nanny cam. Addicts call this, "making a reservation" to misbehave later. I find this goes beyond melodramatic stereotyping, and into blatant man bashing. It's one thing to have your character be flawed, it's another to make him have every flaw there is.
*Linda is detained by police, after an anonymous call informed them she might have kidnapped a child. No child had been reported missing, there was no respondent, therefore no means to get a warrant.
Police need a warrant to search your trunk, or detain you. We have rule of law in this country, and you can't bypass it for a plot device.
*Finding out your babysitter lied should be grounds for dismissal, any sane parent would find Heather's behavior disturbing. Mark's defense of the babysitter puts his daughter at risk, and is not believable, even for a man-child.
*Executive assistants are very much like concierge, they get the tasks done. Jess (
Renée Felice Smith), Linda's executive assistant, wouldn't dream of telling her boss no, especially since what she's asked to do is a legal background check. Jess's change of heart, also doesn't work, since it was Jess who gave Linda the idea about the nanny cam in the first place. WRITERS! UNDERSTAND YOUR CHARACTER'S MOTIVATIONS!
*After Linda and Mark's horrendous fight, she wouldn't be calling him "babe". They wouldn't be speaking at all! He not only shoved an abortion in her face, but also called her a terrible wife and mother. She accused him of sleeping with the nanny. Those kind of fights hang around in a relationship for awhile. WRITERS, REMEMBER YOUR CHARACTER'S MOTIVATIONS!
*Your movie has a problem, when the most likeable character is the Spy Shop Clerk (
Anthony Backman).
*Most healthy, white newborn babies, are adopted quickly. They should have given Heather a heart defect, or some other ailment, that would have made her less adoptable.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:
*I can't, in good conscience recommend a movie that's bad for the audience. These types of messages to men and women, are abhorrent. We, need to demand better! If you're looking for an evil nanny movie, try
Uno sconosciuto in casa (2017). It's one of my favorites.
CLOSING NOTES:
*I have a background in psychology, I also worked as both and executive assistant, and an au pair.
*This is a made-for-tv movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.
*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.
