Five years after the original, Emma Thompson returns as screenwriter and star of the sequel to Nanny McPhee. As you might expect, things are much the same this time around, except with a new family and a new era for the magical nanny to drop in and help with.
It’s the war, and Mrs. Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is the harassed mother of three rowdy children, trying to keep a struggling farm going and hold down a job while her husband is away fighting. If that weren’t enough to deal with, she’s also awaiting the arrival of her rich, spoiled niece and nephew, who are being evacuated from London, and her brother (Rhys Ifans) is trying to force her to sell the farm, so he can pay off his debts.
Although Mrs. Green keeps insisting everything’s fine, the ugly but magical Nanny McPhee nevertheless unexpectedly drops in to help, telling the children they have certain lesson they must learn, in nothing else to stop their mother going mental. Initially they’re distrustful of this woman who entered into their lives, but soon they come to love and respect her, as she brings magic and happiness into their lives.
It is very much the same as the first one, so if you liked that, you’ll like this one. And like the first one, there’s the sensation of it having been concocted from the best bits of other children’s stories, from Mary Poppins and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, to Oliver and Annie. However it all works very well and is a lot of fun for all the family, with pigs doing synchronised swimming, flying motorbikes and plenty of magic.
It’s also got a ridiculously good cast, enlisting Ewan McGregor, Bill Bailey, Ralph Fiennes, Rhys Ifans and Ewan McGregor all popping up in small and medium roles. Even Maggie Gyllenhaal fits in well, and while it’s apparent she’s only there to help win over American audiences, she plays the part of a British mother with aplomb, including a fairly impressive accent.
Whereas most family films are bright and in-your-face, but hollow and underwhelming underneath, this one genuinely has the feel-good factor, underpinned by real warmth and a sense of fun. Thompson is great as Nanny McPhee, giving a performance that’s a lot smarter and cleverer than it first appears. So if you’re looking for something to shut the kids up during the summer holidays, this would be a very good choice, as they should love it (this is a film that talks about the land of poo, which should be enough to make it many kid’s favourite film, irrespective of the rest of the movie), and parents should have a good time too.
The special features are fairly limited, consisting of a selection of deleted scenes, which handily include descriptions of where they’d have fitted in the film and why they were cut, as well as some featurettes. However, while it looks like there are quite a few featurettes, in total they only add up to 15 minutes worth of footage, so while they’re interesting, don’t expect anything too in-depth. Finally there’s an audio commentary with director Susanna White.
Overall Verdict: A great return for Nanny McPhee, with a film that may feel a little derivative, but which is a lot of fun for all the family and stuffed with magic.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary With Director Susanna White
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Reviewer: Tim Isaac
