This movie opens on a familiar scene of children driving away a string of housekeepers, but that's only one of the plot threads in this heart-warming seasonal movie. There's a lot to like despite the frequently-visited trope of the super-nanny straightening out the chaotic household.
What makes it an outstanding example of the concept is not only the highly relatable problems faced by the family - no over-the-top issues here - but the realistic way those problems are brought out and resolved over the course of the film.
The young boys are cute and lively but troubled. The way their inner trouble is portrayed is subtle - comments by their teachers and a brief, odd reaction from their father (the handsome and vulnerable James Van der Beek). Nanny predictably fills a void in their lives.
She also, predictably, nudges their dad gradually into delivering what his sons need from him, and what he needs from himself. Nanny's mechanism for coaxing Dad out of his funk is the delightful Reba (played by the equally delightfully Erin Karpluk with deftly handled emotional fragility), a local businesswoman with her own problems.
The romance felt a bit rushed, especially between the first meeting and the first date, and the nanny's departure was also rapid. Another reviewer complained about the speed of reconciliation in Reba's family but I found it very realistic.
In fact, one thing I particularly like was that, instead of the plot benefiting from one of those last-minute miraculous interventions so common in Christmas movies, the 'Christmas Spirit' only nudged, and the humans had plenty of chances to turn away from the inner changes needed to bring the plot to a satisfactory resolution. It felt real and probable, especially as played by Van Der Beek and Karpluk.
I'm pretty sure I'll be watching this movie again in future years.
What makes it an outstanding example of the concept is not only the highly relatable problems faced by the family - no over-the-top issues here - but the realistic way those problems are brought out and resolved over the course of the film.
The young boys are cute and lively but troubled. The way their inner trouble is portrayed is subtle - comments by their teachers and a brief, odd reaction from their father (the handsome and vulnerable James Van der Beek). Nanny predictably fills a void in their lives.
She also, predictably, nudges their dad gradually into delivering what his sons need from him, and what he needs from himself. Nanny's mechanism for coaxing Dad out of his funk is the delightful Reba (played by the equally delightfully Erin Karpluk with deftly handled emotional fragility), a local businesswoman with her own problems.
The romance felt a bit rushed, especially between the first meeting and the first date, and the nanny's departure was also rapid. Another reviewer complained about the speed of reconciliation in Reba's family but I found it very realistic.
In fact, one thing I particularly like was that, instead of the plot benefiting from one of those last-minute miraculous interventions so common in Christmas movies, the 'Christmas Spirit' only nudged, and the humans had plenty of chances to turn away from the inner changes needed to bring the plot to a satisfactory resolution. It felt real and probable, especially as played by Van Der Beek and Karpluk.
I'm pretty sure I'll be watching this movie again in future years.