Ranks up there as one of the absolutely worst "made for TV" movies, and that's quite a feat. With a plot that's an amalgam of "Cinderella" and "Sound of Music" and fires off ridiculous clichés with almost every plot turn, "Au Pair" is terrible from start to finish.
Heidi Lenhart is tolerable in her role as the knuckle-headed fish out of water, but only wins in the end because the writers (I assume there were writers) penciled in a happy ending. From the boyfriend you know will cheat on her from the first scene, to the evil nemesis complete with wicked sisters, to the MTV video inspired make over that turns bland and boring Jenny into a hot vixen, to the kids she wins over through determination and pluck, this movie manages to take on every cliché ever made.
It also features a "twenty years older than her" Gregory Harrison as the children's father, who dumps the evil witch and marries Jenny, apparently on a whim, as there is no chemistry, no interest, and to that point, they'd spent maybe twenty minutes together. But she's hot, the kids seem to like her, and he needs some new eye candy, so it must make sense in his universe.
John Rhys-Davies is given the thankless role of the chauffeur who actually sees things as they are (in this reality anyway) and encourages Jenny to get what she wants. Thankfully, he'd see a better role in Lord of the Rings a couple of years later.
I can't imagine who this movie was meant to appeal to (elderly squirrels? bad movie fans?) but it lacks any redeeming quality at all. Avoid at all costs.
Heidi Lenhart is tolerable in her role as the knuckle-headed fish out of water, but only wins in the end because the writers (I assume there were writers) penciled in a happy ending. From the boyfriend you know will cheat on her from the first scene, to the evil nemesis complete with wicked sisters, to the MTV video inspired make over that turns bland and boring Jenny into a hot vixen, to the kids she wins over through determination and pluck, this movie manages to take on every cliché ever made.
It also features a "twenty years older than her" Gregory Harrison as the children's father, who dumps the evil witch and marries Jenny, apparently on a whim, as there is no chemistry, no interest, and to that point, they'd spent maybe twenty minutes together. But she's hot, the kids seem to like her, and he needs some new eye candy, so it must make sense in his universe.
John Rhys-Davies is given the thankless role of the chauffeur who actually sees things as they are (in this reality anyway) and encourages Jenny to get what she wants. Thankfully, he'd see a better role in Lord of the Rings a couple of years later.
I can't imagine who this movie was meant to appeal to (elderly squirrels? bad movie fans?) but it lacks any redeeming quality at all. Avoid at all costs.