Nanny McPhee Returns review

NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS was known as NANNY MCPHEE AND THE BIG BANG in England
NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS, known as NANNY MCPHEE AND THE BIG BANG in England

NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS is a bright and bouncy – albeit disappointing – sequel based on the Nurse Matilda series by Christianna Brand and starring Emma Thompson as the beloved nanny.

Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is struggling to hold onto her husband’s (Ewan McGregor) farm while he is off fighting in World War II. Assaulted at all times by her criminal brother-in-law (Rhys Ifans, using the opportunity to be an absolute ham) and rowdy children (Oscar Steer, Asa Butterfield, and Lil Woods), Green is forced to consider the sale of the family farm until Nanny McPhee appears. Nanny McPhee, who uses her indescribable ugliness and sternness to tame the children and their spoiled-brat cousins (Eros Vlahos and Rosie Taylor-Ritson), also manages to do a spectacular job of  saving the farm from bankruptcy, robbery, and even violent destruction. As the children learn their lessons, McPhee’s hideous visage becomes more and more tolerable, through a mix of special effects transitions and sturdy make-up work, .

As written and played by Thompson, McPhee is quite simply the darkly dressed, crueler version of that other memorable nanny, Mary Poppins. Thompson gives the role dignity and believability, insofar as any character who makes pigs fly and speaks to ravens can be believable. Gyllenhaal, donning a false English accent and more floral dresses than in her most notable roles (SECRETARY, CRAZY HEART, or THE DARK KNIGHT), does not seem to be the most natural casting choice, but she gives the role of a harried mother all she’s got. Such reliable British talents as the unctuous Ifans, Maggie Smith and Sam Kelly as a dotty married couple, comedian Bill Bailey as a farm, and Ralph Fiennes and Ewan McGregor in effective cameos provide a high pedigree, unusual for such a typical child-oriented film. Their presence make NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS a sweet but wispy pleasure for viewers of all ages.

NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS (a.k.a. NANNY MCPHEE AND THE BIG BANG: UK release, May 2010; US release, August 20, 2010). Directed by Susanna White. Screenplay by Emma Thompson, based on the Nurse Matilda series by Christianna Brand. Cast: Nanny McPhee – Emma Thompson; Isabel Green – Maggie Gyllenhaal; Phil Green – Rhys Ifans; Vincent Green – Oscar Steer; Norman Green – Asa Butterfield; Megsie Green – Lil Woods; Mrs. Docherty – Maggie Smith.

Nanny McPhee Returns theatrical release date

nanny_mcphee_and_the_big_bangAfter being released as NANNY MCPHEE AND THE BIG BANG in the U.K. (its country of origins), NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS arrives on U.S. screens with a new title, courtesy of Universal Pictures releases. this sequel to NANNY MCPHEE (2005) recycles the same basic set-up, a sort of riff on MARY POPPINS, about a magical nanny who works miracles with difficult children (although she does not fly with an umbrella).  Emma Thompson once again writes the script (based on the books by Christianna Brand) and takes the title role, supported by Ralph Fiennes, Ewan McGregor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Maggie Smith. Susanna White directed. The response from English critics was not wildly enthusiastic: apparently the story is episodic and too similar to the first film.
U.S. release date: August 20.
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