Nanny McPhee Returns (2010)

First, I need to say we saw the first Nanny McFee film and loved it. We were hoping for the same charm in this film. Unfortunately, we found it lacking. We were quite ready to suspend reality and enjoy a magical nanny, but we didn't find the movie to have the humor and general upbeat styling we were expecting.

This film seemed to be in a great hurry to finish all the lessons Nanny wanted to teach without us ever knowing what they were. The lessons were taught after one incident of naughty behavior. No one, not even movie kids, learn a life lesson in one episode! Part of the charm in the first movie was that you were left to wonder if the lessons were learned due to the children learning and living them or from the magic of Nanny McFee. In the second movie, there is no question that magic has changed behavior, not a realization of why this new behavior is proper.

Less than half way through the movie, my 10 year old daughter leaned in to me and said, "This one isn't funny like the first one, is it?" She was quite right, as a whole, this wasn't a funny movie. There was too much mean-ness and too many dire situations for it to be considered funny.

This cast deserved better and Emma Thompson did not deliver a viable story. Though I must say, we LOVED Maggie Smith's character and her surprise revelation at the end.

This movie on it's own ranks a 4 or 5, but this movie as a sequel ranks only a 3.

Fmovies: Emma Thompson did a great job as Nanny McPhee again. The make-up is excellent! Miss Thompson is an attractive lady and the make-up department totally changed her for this role..good job there. All the actors did a great job in this film. The young actors worked together and made the movie seem real. The photography was great and the scene with all the poop made me want to check my shoes. Funny...attention grabbing story about real people in tough times. I liked this movie! I hope there is a Mcphee 3, 4, 5 etc. We need more films with this quality and a message that means something. I guess the pigs were computer generated but they looked great...very realistic.

Not having seen Nanny McPhee 1, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised.

The film was very easy to get into and the story and plot were well written and set.

The actors young and old performed brilliantly making the whole thing enchanting and a highly believable fantasy.

The special effects were very well done and the comedy in it was delightful. I took my children with me, aged 5, 12, 15 and 18 and they all loved it too, with lots of laugh out loud moments and lots of smiles throughout.

All in all a very good film and I recommend it highly.

If you're going to see it I suggest you take all the family. Its a definite must see for all ages and you'll not be disappointed.

Nanny McPhee Returns fmovies. Having not seen the previous Nanny McPhee movie, what I got was a pleasant surprise watching this funny and touching sequel starring and written by Emma Thompson. As the title character, I wasn't completely sure of what to think of her but she, like everyone else in the cast, eventually grew on me as the movie went on. And she's accompanied in the film by many compelling actors like Rhys Ifans, Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, and Maggie Gyllenhaal who sounds fine sporting an English accent. There's also an appearance by Ewan McGregor in a role I don't want to reveal. Also fine were the children playing Ms. Gyllenhaal's offspring and the cousins who convincingly transition from spoiled rotten to more socially appealing during the picture. And the special effects involving the animals also rate highly with me. So on that note, Nanny McPhee Returns comes much recommended from me.

Emma Thompson takes us back to the colourful world of Nanny McPhee. This time Nanny McPhee has a mission with a new family. I loved the first movie. Not only was it a refreshing tribute to classics like Mary Poppins, but it had heart and magic and its world looked surreal, a splendid movie for the entire family.

Here too the world is just as colourful and surreal and looks like a fun place. Yes, even Isabel's muddy farm looks like an enjoyable place to live at. The creativity in writing and art direction amuses me, for example, watching those piglets lying in the scratch machine was cute and hilarious. The new animal characters, especially the baby elephant, are a delight. The lighting and slightly yellowish tint gives 'Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang' a very sunny look. The humour works very well as it had me laughing out loud on various occasions.

However, unlike in the first movie, the story here felt rushed and there were some inconsistencies. The bomb sequence, as entertaining as it was, wasn't necessary and it only distracted from the main story. The child actors here are competent but their counterparts in the first film performed better. While the special effects here are very good they didn't appear as authentic.

Emma Thompson reprises the title role and she does a fine job. She mostly takes the backseat while letting the other actors perform. Maggie Gyllenhaal shows a knack for comedy and her English accent sounds authentic. Maggie Smith is a riot. Rhys Ifans does well as the greedy uncle.

'Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang' may not measure up to 'Nanny McPhee' but it's still a lot of fun and a good watch for the family. I was smiling after it finished (watch it through the closing credits as there's a very cute surprise).

If you've seen the first Nanny McPhee movie, then you know the premise of the second: A harried single parent (this time a woman played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) is overwhelmed by her three children plus two cousins from London who come to stay at her small farm. World War II is raging, her husband is somewhere in the battle theater, and her brother-in-law (Rhys Ifans) wants nothing more than to sell the family farm out from under her.

Just as poor Isabel Green wonders how she'll manage to make a payment on the tractor, get the crops in, keep her senile boss (Maggie Smith) from destroying the store, fend off Phil Green's efforts to get her to sign away her rights to the farm, and still take care of five children, Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) arrives on the scene.

Nanny McPhee, of course, takes the children promptly in hand and wastes no time teaching them the lessons they need to learn. If Isabel and Phil learn something along the way, so much the better.

The script is fairly silly (penned by Emma Thompson, it's aimed at a very young audience), though it does have its occasional moments of cleverness and poignancy (and one especially silly moment that I must confess was hysterical no matter your age). There's also a heart-rending tie-in to the first film.

The acting is quite good though melodramatic (which, in fairness, is entirely appropriate here). As an aside, Maggie Gyllenhaal's English accent is pretty convincing! The children are just fine, but I must single out Eros Vlahos (who plays cousin Cyril) and Lil Woods (in the role of Megsie Green). Maggie Smith is, of course, her usual stellar self, and Emma Thompson manages to play a caricature of a character without overdoing it at all. A small part for Ralph Fiennes and a cameo from Ewan MacGregor cap off a very capable cast.

BOTTOM LINE: Nanny McPhee Returns was cute, but it wasn't all that good from my own perspective. I'll tell you, though, that every last four, five, and six year-old in the theatre giggled, gasped, laughed, and cooed right when they were supposed to. While I can't recommend this movie for your own grown-up (or even teen-agers') night out, your younger kids will just love it.

POLITICAL NOTES: Although Nanny McPhee Returns takes place during World War II and mentions of the war feature prominently, no details of the reasons for the fight or any political judgments whatsoever are made. Given the nature of that particular conflict, I'd say that there was some real skill exercised in writing about it!

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Nanny McPhee Returns is rated PG for "rude humor, some language and mild thematic elements." Frankly, children young enough to enjoy this movie take especial delight in rude humor like that exhibited here, and the mild thematic elements will likely be largely above their heads. Any real concerns should be easily addressed by Mom or Dad after the movie's over.