SummaryIn this dark and witty fable, Emma Thompson portrays a person of unsettling appearance and magical powers who enters the household of the recently widowed Mr. Brown (Firth) and attempts to tame his seven ill-behaved children. (Universal Pictures)
SummaryIn this dark and witty fable, Emma Thompson portrays a person of unsettling appearance and magical powers who enters the household of the recently widowed Mr. Brown (Firth) and attempts to tame his seven ill-behaved children. (Universal Pictures)
What actors! The great Miriam Margolyes has a wonderful cameo as a scullery maid, and Colin Firth manfully endures a face full of frosting. And then there's Angela Lansbury, playing her first movie role in 20 years as the villainous Aunt Adelaide.
True, the movie tends toward the treacly at times, and the children's mischievousness seems a bit forced. But Thompson's turn as a glammed-down Mary Poppins with an even more no-nonsense attitude is hard to resist.
I still remember seeing this film in theaters for the first time as a child, and I've seen it many more times since. I have thoroughly enjoyed this movie every time. It's fantastical, set in a fantasy world that is similar to our own, much like the common fairy tale set in realism. Colin Firth and Emma Thompson do an incredible job in their roles, as do all of the children. Much like a fairy tale, you can sense what the ending will be early into the film, but not sure how you may end up there. This movie is funny at the appropriate times, especially for children, and is quite frankly, a visually stunning film due to the color choices in costume and set. I would recommend this film to anyone with a child, or anyone who is still young at heart and enjoys tales of magic and overcoming worldly evil.
A great movie for the whole family
In this fantasy movie we find a widower on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Lonely since his wife's death, he has to divide his time between running his funeral home and raising his many children. To make matters worse, the kids are real brats who scare away all the mistresses their father arranges to look after them. But everything changes when a special nurse comes to that house.
It is a film clearly aimed at young audiences, but it will certainly be well tolerated by adults. Colorful, cheerful and very fun, has a good story where it conveys good educational values such as respect, friendship, family value. Of course everything is a bit predictable, but even so the movie proves to be catchy. Despite the strength of the kids, who are reserved for the hilarious moments of the movie, the movie is expertly directed by two or three very experienced adult actors who quietly steer it all: I'm talking, of course, about Colin Firth and Emma Thompson, but especially this actress who, in addition to giving life to the lead role, also ensures the writing of the script. She, better than anyone, understood well what the film needed and knew to be up to it. In addition, the film also features the brilliant participation of veteran Angela Lansbury and the sweetness of Kelly Macdonald.
Technically, the film bets heavily on CGI and quality visual and sound effects. A bet that surprises us nothing but does not detract from the final product. Good costumes and scenery help, although I had trouble digesting such an overt abuse of the almost ubiquitous green, yellow, and pink colors. This made the movie visually tiring. Patrick Doyle has signed the soundtrack, which looks beautiful in the film, though not exactly in the ear.
Kirk Jones (Waking Ned Devine) directs with skill, Thompson's screenplay (this is a labor of love) is witty, and the classy cast includes Colin Firth (as the kids' baffled widower-father), Angela Lansbury, Imelda Staunton, and Celia Imrie. Good fun.
Highly recommended if you want to see a distinguished cast of British character actors tarted up in garish Victorian costumes and badly executing a Three Stooges-style cake fight.
Parents might appreciate a lighter hand with the barnyard whimsy and food fights, but overall the movie doesn't condescend about heavy matters (grief, healing, and blended families) and is pleasantly diverting.
There's nothing offhand or spontaneous-feeling about Nanny McPhee; it's a highly mechanical piece of work, and its potentially delightful details are wasted.
Few films make me smile. "Nanny McPhee" did it the right way, providing gleefully entertaining characters with an enjoyably silly story. Still haven't seen the sequel -- don't know why they made it one -- but this picture will remain as one of my all-time favorite movies, thanks to Emma Thompson's likable performance and joyful character moments.
Final Score: 8/10.
Nanny McPhee an all round family movie for the family but some floors that did not impress my Squeamish brother. Another down side to this movie is the plot is around a slightly dark thought of a man who needs to marry or no rent fair enough but this movie scores a 5.5 out of 10 for its lack of fun and differences in the movie.Still if your looking for a good family movie to watch with a bowl of popcorn GO FOR IT.
Jones's fatal attempts of creating a magical music number as Mary Poppins unfortunately fails on all levels in here.
Nanny McPhee
Jones's fatal attempts of creating a magical music number as Mary Poppins unfortunately fails on all levels in here. To what was supposed to play on props and create awestruck delightful moments with the kids, is instead left out dry and unexplored in here. This overly rotten out formulaic structure of the script is not only outdated but is so poorly conceived that it doesn't stand on its own grounds, it contradicts its own nature. The mythical aspects of the storyline that was supposed to attract the viewers, seems like is pretentious and a metaphor gone wrong case.
The reasons and concept may have a heart but that heart isn't pumping at all for either the viewers or the characters. The result is pure Sunday morning venture, you have seen this morning before too and the plans that it has for you is something that you are not looking forward to. Having said that, it doesn't suggest that there aren't any good bits in here. The usual sketchy sequences between the kids and a nanny, the tactics used by bratty mischievous kids and the gags that leads to the bonding of the kids to a newer member of the family, somehow in its giddy nature works like a charm.
Thomson as the nanny herself who also co-wrote the script, is a delight to watch, her caring nature with productive methods and impressive tricks up her sleeve, elevates the momentum and raises the bar of the feature. On the supporting cast, the younger cast has decently managed to stay on the track along with Firth as the man in charge and Macdonald as the driver, who are convincing on their roles. Nanny McPhee is the perfect gift for your kids but only up till its first half, the second half is a big old sobbing mess.
Emma Thompson plays a dumb nanny who does gross things to children and she's a old school nanny . it fails to be myfavorite film . trust me it **** for emma thompson .