Nanny Mcphee (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Funeral director, Mr. Brown (Colin Firth) is at his wits end in 'Nanny McPhee' (directed by Kirk Jones). His wife has died, he has little $$, & his children need constant governing by Nannies. You see, the devilish, motherless children scare away nearly every Nanny who crosses their threshold. 17 nannies have run screaming from his house. And to top it all off, Mr. Brown finds out that his Great Aunt Adelaide (Angela Lansbury) will discontinue his 'allowance' unless he finds a new wife within the month! Mr. Brown goes down to the Nanny agency but finds that there are no more nannies to choose from. A voice rings in his here 'The person you need is Nanny McPhee'. He doesn't think much of this supernatural occurrence until the mystical woman appears in silhouette on his doorstep.
She is rather ugly; bulbous nosed, raged haired, full of cellulite, warts, rosacea, frumpy attire, the list goes on. Mr. Brown alerts her that there are 5 life lessons that his children must learn & conquer in order to be well-behaved, well-mannered human beings. Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) bangs her magic walking stick on the ground & the misbehaved children suddenly begin to 'listen'. Where they once misbehaved, they are now learning to respect themselves and the hard-working adults in their life (dad, maid, cook - played by a wonderfully batsh*t Imelda Staunton, & Nanny McPhee, herself).
The process of these 5 lessons being substantiated is fun to watch (bedroom antics, a trick on Aunt Adelaide). With each lesson that is learned, Nanny McPhee not only loses something physically hideous about herself, but other events begin to unfold in Mr. Brown's pursuit for a new wife. The plot goes along & a lot of funny moments occur. The climax of the film involves a winter wonderland wedding and all is right in the world of fantasy. This is a movie tailor-made for kids. But for some reason I felt that this would appeal to everybody. Instead, I'd really call this a kids movie that adults can appreciate simply because their kids like it.
Emma Thompson's deadpan portrayal as Nanny McPhee is a real hoot. Angela Lansbury shines as the awkward-looking Great Aunt Adelaide. She's able to poke fun at herself & lend a real antagonistic tone to the film. While I typically enjoy Colin Firth, there's not much for him to do in this film. In fact, Mr. Brown is a slightly annoying character, in that, he is oblivious & naive to many everyday occurrences involving his kids. The casting of Kelly MacDonald as Evangeline, the house maid, is perfect for this type of whimsical tale. And the children (including Thomas Sangster as Simon) are cute enough that you couldn't hate them, even when they are misbehaving (particularly during a scene in which they wreak havoc in their own kitchen).
The film has brief moments of light-heartedness, humor, & wit. There's a naughty tone to the movie that I kinda dug. This film drips with loud colors, loud costumes & loud characters. That said, the film also borders on 'frenzy', at times. And the final message that is conveyed is not at all groundbreaking. I think of a very cute, engaging family film from 13 yrs. ago, Hocus Pocus, starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, & Sarah Jessica Parker. That film & this film are very similar. But 'Nanny McPhee': including similar whimsy, charm, magic, & story-telling, doesn't move me quite as much. Still, this is a very cute film. Pure confection. And while it didn't completely gel for me, it's still a decent family film for all.
She is rather ugly; bulbous nosed, raged haired, full of cellulite, warts, rosacea, frumpy attire, the list goes on. Mr. Brown alerts her that there are 5 life lessons that his children must learn & conquer in order to be well-behaved, well-mannered human beings. Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) bangs her magic walking stick on the ground & the misbehaved children suddenly begin to 'listen'. Where they once misbehaved, they are now learning to respect themselves and the hard-working adults in their life (dad, maid, cook - played by a wonderfully batsh*t Imelda Staunton, & Nanny McPhee, herself).
The process of these 5 lessons being substantiated is fun to watch (bedroom antics, a trick on Aunt Adelaide). With each lesson that is learned, Nanny McPhee not only loses something physically hideous about herself, but other events begin to unfold in Mr. Brown's pursuit for a new wife. The plot goes along & a lot of funny moments occur. The climax of the film involves a winter wonderland wedding and all is right in the world of fantasy. This is a movie tailor-made for kids. But for some reason I felt that this would appeal to everybody. Instead, I'd really call this a kids movie that adults can appreciate simply because their kids like it.
Emma Thompson's deadpan portrayal as Nanny McPhee is a real hoot. Angela Lansbury shines as the awkward-looking Great Aunt Adelaide. She's able to poke fun at herself & lend a real antagonistic tone to the film. While I typically enjoy Colin Firth, there's not much for him to do in this film. In fact, Mr. Brown is a slightly annoying character, in that, he is oblivious & naive to many everyday occurrences involving his kids. The casting of Kelly MacDonald as Evangeline, the house maid, is perfect for this type of whimsical tale. And the children (including Thomas Sangster as Simon) are cute enough that you couldn't hate them, even when they are misbehaving (particularly during a scene in which they wreak havoc in their own kitchen).
The film has brief moments of light-heartedness, humor, & wit. There's a naughty tone to the movie that I kinda dug. This film drips with loud colors, loud costumes & loud characters. That said, the film also borders on 'frenzy', at times. And the final message that is conveyed is not at all groundbreaking. I think of a very cute, engaging family film from 13 yrs. ago, Hocus Pocus, starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, & Sarah Jessica Parker. That film & this film are very similar. But 'Nanny McPhee': including similar whimsy, charm, magic, & story-telling, doesn't move me quite as much. Still, this is a very cute film. Pure confection. And while it didn't completely gel for me, it's still a decent family film for all.