Plot: Elise (Michelle Borth) is an ambitious woman who balances her art gallery with her family, but she would love to have some help at home. Her husband Brian (Antonio Cupo) works hard and is a good father, but an indiscretion caused some trust issues and the couple works to repair those wounds. After Brian helps land a huge account at work, the couple decides to hire an au pair to help with their son, as well as free up some time to focus on their relationship. Amber (Olesya Rulin) shows up late, but she charms the couple and after her references check out as impeccable, she is hired and moves into the household. At first, things go so well and Amber is a nature fit and a massive help, but things take a bad turn when Brian is passed over for a promotion, despite his recent hard work. Soon Amber begins to seduce Brian, Elise’s art gallery is trashed, and brutal murders unfold. As Elise begins to suspect her au pair of shady behavior, it becomes clear there is more to Amber than she revealed…

Entertainment Value: This movie is soaked in the Lifetime formula, packed with melodrama, unstable females, betrayals, and of course girl on girl violence. Devious Nanny takes that formula and dials up the usual elements, then throws in some nice twists to keep things fresh. The narrative is classic Lifetime, with a married couple hosting a beautiful, but perhaps imbalanced young woman in their home, which leads to all kinds of fun drama. The premise is familiar of course, but the movie manages to keep a step or two ahead of the formula and deliver some nice twists, so it doesn’t feel like a retread in the least. The pace is brisk and no real filler is present, the movie carves ahead at a nice clip and is never slow or dull. I appreciated the writing here, but the real bright spot has to be the cast, as this group embraces the melodrama and really makes the most of the material. Olesya Rulin has some of the craziest eyes ever in Lifetime cinema, but is also so cute and charismatic, you can see why people would lower their defenses around her, despite her unstable presence. Michelle Borth steals the show however, as the power wife who refuses to allow her marriage to crumble, but struggles to balance her work and home lives. She is not the typical Lifetime movie wife and really shines in this role, great melodrama from her. Antonio Cupo is fun as the clueless husband, while Skyler Wright has a small, but memorable role as well. If you’re a fan of Lifetime’s unique brand of melodramatic thrillers, Devious Nanny is one you won’t want to miss, as it hits all the right notes and has some super fun performances.

This is a Lifetime movie, so no nakedness. Amber is insanely seductive in that special way only crazy girls can be, but Brian’s shirtless workouts are as close to sleaze as this one gets. A little blood, but never graphic or visible kinetic violence. This one has a dark, murderous thread involved, so it can get tense, but the movie keeps those instances quick and mostly bloodless. But we are blessed with one of the best catfights in Lifetime history, as Amber and Elise tangle in a fun showdown. No one will confuse this with a martial arts masterpiece, but it is longer and more involved than most girl fights in these movies, to be sure. The dialogue is a lot of fun, with melodrama, bitchiness, and betrayal stacked up often. Amber and Elise provide most of the memorable, dramatic moments, but Jax offers some fun lines, even with limited screen time. Elise is a wild character and Amber is a ball of unstable emotions, while Brian is such an oblivious goof and his vapid presence is also fun. As for craziness, Devious Nanny is generous with the melodrama and other Lifetime movie staples, the cast is colorful, the dialogue is super fun, and the twists, emotional breakdowns, and girl on girl violence adds even more point, so this is a wild, fun thriller.

Nudity: 0/10

Blood: 1/10

Dialogue: 5/10

Overall Insanity: 6/10