A half hour sitcom stretched out to over 90 minutes repeats many of its stories even though the characters and most of the cast are different. For six years, Fran Drescher made some people cringe but many laugh with her deliciously nasal accent as Fran Fine, the hairdresser who turned to selling beauty products and ended up becoming the nanny to the three children of a successful and dashing widowed Broadway producer. Charles Shaugnessy was always charming and commanding as the somewhat stuffy Maxwell Sheffield, but in his place here, we have Timothy Dalton as the widowed dictator like president of a tiny Russian like country who has four children who are in desperate need of help since their father tends to neglect them. There is a Niles like assistant who becomes Fran's confidante, a male version of the C.C. Babcock character, and a variety of Jewish character actors playing Fran's family and neighbors.
There's also the gay sensibility, a show queen like atmosphere that has Fran bringing up "West Side Story" to her four charges, posing like Eva Peron out on the president's palace balcony (to major cheers) and obvious connections to "The King and I" and "The Sound of Music". In her beauty school class, a stereotypical gay man makes flip comments and a pass at the black fireman who rescues Fran when his mistake in class causes her school to burn down. For some reason, there are lab rats, raccoons and snakes, a visual gag that makes no sense. Veteran actors Michael Lerner and Phyllis Newman play Fran's parents, with Newman obviously playing a variation of Sylvia Fine, even more clinging to her daughter with the presence of her umbilical cord in Newman's purse!
Certainly, there are some amusing moments, but I'm sure reviews of this pointing out the gay sensibilities turned some viewers off, especially some gay men who found the stereotypes too over the top. A massage scene with Drescher and Dalton is very similar to a gag on "The Nanny" when Fran, posing as a nurse, had to "shave" Mr. Sheffield. Here, Dalton confuses her with the male masseuse and demands a buttocks massage that shows Fran both horrified and turned on. This shows little trust by the writers in giving Fran a different identity and set-up, with the oldest daughter in the film far too close to "The Nanny's" Maggie, and an insecure younger daughter dealing with weight issues just like Gracie dealt with other psychological issues on "The Nanny". Dalton's character lacks the subtle charms of Shaugnessy, coming off brutal in scenes that are straight out of Mrs. Anna's declaration to Yul Brynnur's king that he was indeed a barbarian. The only thing this is missing is an abbey full of nuns who help Drescher and Dalton escape from obvious traitors who want to oust Dalton and take over the country.
There's also the gay sensibility, a show queen like atmosphere that has Fran bringing up "West Side Story" to her four charges, posing like Eva Peron out on the president's palace balcony (to major cheers) and obvious connections to "The King and I" and "The Sound of Music". In her beauty school class, a stereotypical gay man makes flip comments and a pass at the black fireman who rescues Fran when his mistake in class causes her school to burn down. For some reason, there are lab rats, raccoons and snakes, a visual gag that makes no sense. Veteran actors Michael Lerner and Phyllis Newman play Fran's parents, with Newman obviously playing a variation of Sylvia Fine, even more clinging to her daughter with the presence of her umbilical cord in Newman's purse!
Certainly, there are some amusing moments, but I'm sure reviews of this pointing out the gay sensibilities turned some viewers off, especially some gay men who found the stereotypes too over the top. A massage scene with Drescher and Dalton is very similar to a gag on "The Nanny" when Fran, posing as a nurse, had to "shave" Mr. Sheffield. Here, Dalton confuses her with the male masseuse and demands a buttocks massage that shows Fran both horrified and turned on. This shows little trust by the writers in giving Fran a different identity and set-up, with the oldest daughter in the film far too close to "The Nanny's" Maggie, and an insecure younger daughter dealing with weight issues just like Gracie dealt with other psychological issues on "The Nanny". Dalton's character lacks the subtle charms of Shaugnessy, coming off brutal in scenes that are straight out of Mrs. Anna's declaration to Yul Brynnur's king that he was indeed a barbarian. The only thing this is missing is an abbey full of nuns who help Drescher and Dalton escape from obvious traitors who want to oust Dalton and take over the country.