Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) is a practitioner of corporeal punishment on children through the use of magic. She is a product of the Victorian Age, if not earlier, and her use of child psychology is primitive, to say the least. This was so in the first 'Nanny McPhee' (2005), and it continues with this latest installment. Now she forces the unruly children to beat themselves near unconsciousness in their first lesson in improved behavior. When they still won't apologize, she threatens to destroy their most precious possession -- letters from their father who is off fighting in World War II. For the next lesson she gives them a disease and paralyzes them so they can't get out of bed! Little cousin Celia says, 'That can't possibly be legal,' and these Tdays she would be so right. Their mother never sees the stern nanny's tactics. Where are those teddy bear hidden cameras when you need them? Never mind. Seems Nanny's disciplinary tactics work and the children, and all of us, love her, literally warts and all.
Bedraggled Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has 3 children (Asa Butterfield, Oscar Steer, Lil Woods) who constantly fight, and she's about to get her niece and nephew (Eros Vlahos, Rosie Taylor-Ritson) from London, supposedly to take them out of harms way -- blitzkrieg bombings of London during the war. These new juvenile additions turn out to be more problems, being spoiled rotten and uncooperative. Her husband, we'll call him Mr. Green (Ewan McGregor), whose part is so small we barely have time to recognize him, is off fighting the good fight. As if Isabel didn't have enough to frazzle her, she works at the general store for Mrs. Docherty (Maggie Smith), who is senile and keeps messing up the goods, both dry and wet, and Isabel must clean up after her. Oh, my, now the farm may be lost due to Isabel's gambling addicted brother-in-law Phil Green (Rhys Ifans). All this in the first 15 minutes of the film. Of course, inanimate objects and the very wind itself tell Isabel she needs Nanny McPhee!
Of course, Nanny brings everything to rights. It's easy with a magic cane and a little black bird with a checkered past and an uncontrollable passion for eating window putty. There are some enchanting special effects like a synchronized swimming team of piglets, barley racing through the sky forming lovely cloud patterns, a baby elephant asleep with the children and more. Emma Thompson is so wise in her ways for bringing back these lovely little English stories about country life, core family values, and magic. Why should a little child abuse ruin the show? She is as much a writer as she is an actress, having won Academy Awards for writing the screenplay for 'Sense and Sensibility' ( 1995), as well as for best actress in a leading role. There's something so calming comforting in her performances. She is always the rational, problem solver, motivated by love (just check out filmography), and she is again as Nanny McFee.
Nanny McPhee Returns
Director: Susanna White
Writer: Emma Thompson from the
Nurse Matilda books by Christianna Brand
Execitove Producers: Emma Thompson, Liza Chasin
Cast: Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rhys Ifans, Maggie Smith, Asa Butterfield, Oscar Steer, Lil Woods, Eros Vlahos, Rosie Taylor-Ritson, Ralph Fiennes, Ewan McGregor
Rated: PG
Time: 109 min.
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