| Mr. Nanny | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Michael Gottlieb |
| Produced by | Robert Engelman |
| Written by | Michael Gottlieb Edward Rugoff |
| Starring | Hulk Hogan Sherman Hemsley Austin Pendleton Madeline Zima Raymond O'Connor Robert Hy Gorman with Mother Love and David Johansen |
| Music by | David Johansen, Brian Koonin |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema (US) |
| Release date(s) | October 8, 1993 |
| Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million |
| Box office | $4,348,572 |
Mr. Nanny is a 1993 comedy film starring professional wrestler Hulk Hogan.[1] The working title of the film was Rough Stuff, and David Johansen (who plays the villain) also recorded a song by that name for the film.[2][3]
Contents |
Set in Palm Beach, Florida, Sean Armstrong (Hogan) is an ex-wrestler and Burt Wilson (Sherman Hemsley) is his friend and former manager, now running a bodyguard service. Sean is suffering from wrestler-days' nightmares, while Burt has a bum leg from saving Sean's life and financial difficulties. With much whining and acting, Burt manages to persuade Sean to take a bodyguard job for Alex Mason, Sr. (Austin Pendleton), the head of the prestigious tech firm, Mason Systems, which is developing a new anti-missile system, the Peacefinder Project. The vital information for this project is stored on a microchip. But it is neither the inventor nor the chip Sean has to guard - he is to look after the two Mason kids: Alex Jr. (Robert Hy Gorman) and Kate (Madeline Zima).
As it turns out, Alex and Kate are two highly mischievous brats who vie for their often-too-absent father's attention by wreaking havoc in the household via elaborate and rather vicious pranks and booby-traps, with their specialty targets being the nannies he has assigned to take care of them (Alex Sr. is a widower). Sean witnesses the last nanny jumping into the fountain in front of the house to extinguish the fire in her hair. However, their father proves to be either too distracted or too lenient, which causes the children to continue their schemes. Thinking that he is a new (albeit unusual) replacement, they find a new target in Sean. But after one prank too many, which involves a swimming pool full of red dye ("the Pit of Blood"), Sean finally exerts his authority and not only gets to quiet Alex and Kate down, he also manages to open the eyes of their father to his family problems.
However, the real trouble has just started. The unscrupulous and vain Tommy Thanatos (David Johansen) is after Alex Sr.'s chip, and he will not stop at anything to get it. As it turns out, Sean and Burt had been once at the receiving end of one of his schemes: he had ordered them to throw a match, and when they had not complied, he attempted to shoot them. However, Burt threw himself in front of Sean, taking the bullet in his leg (thus his bum leg); Sean had chased Thanatos to the roof of the stadium, and after a furious fight Thanatos ended up plunging head-first into an empty pool. This accident fractured the top of his skull, forcing the attachment of a steel skullplate and removing part of his afro of which he was so proud.
Thanatos kidnaps Alex Sr. with the help of Frank Olsen (Raymond O'Connor), the corrupt security chief of Mason Systems (who is disposed of en route to the hideout), and demands of him to hand over the chip. When Alex Sr. (who stowed the chip in Kate's doll) refuses, Thanatos has Alex and Kate kidnapped in order to force him to comply. Despite a valiant effort, Sean is overpowered and Burt is taken as well, giving Thanatos an unexpected revenge bonus. But Sean manages to track down Thanatos, and with the help of his friends is able to beat the villains. As Thanatos prepares to charge Sean, Alex Sr. and the children activate an improvised electromagnet to launch him into space, leaving only his skullplate.
The movie ends with Sean preparing to take a leave of absence from the Masons. But Alex and Kate intend to have him back much sooner - and therefore Sean falls victim to yet another prank.
The film grossed $4.3 million at the box office. The film has been poorly received by critics, it currently holds a 7% score on Rotten Tomatoes
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