Nanny McPhee Returns

Terrific acting!

We watch this one ever so often. Thoroughly enjoy it every time.

This has to be one of the best films I have ever had the pleasure to see. Emma Thompson has done a truly magnificent piece of work with "Nanny McPhee Returns." As much as I liked Nanny McPhee, this movie outstrips it. Not only did Emma Thompson do a magnificent job writing the screenplay, but she was splendid again as the rather homely Nanny McPhee.When she first comes to the door you find yourself unconsciously asking yourself, "Where did she park her broom?" Nanny McPhee, at first, is a very homely, overweight woman with warts and a buck tooth that has to be seen to be believed. Despite her appearance, she definitely projects an air of unquestionable authority, though at first the children do question it, as youngsters will do. Slowly but surely she teaches them the lessons they need, assisted at times by a thump of her magical cane on the floor.In  Nanny McPhee Returns , there are three rather unruly children who are the despair of their mother, since their father has been called off to WWII. To throw some pepper into the soup, their two cousins arrive from the city. It is obvious from the get-go that the two cousins are spoiled brats, so you have a fair idea of just why Nanny McPhee shows up. The five youngsters (obviously) do not get along at all, and in fact Nanny McPhee has to quite literally show them who's boss, which she does rather well.There is more of her magic, but unlike Mary Poppins there are no songs to carry the story along and, in truth, they are not needed.To add to the mother's problems, her smarmy brother-in-law is trying to get her to sell the farm. There is an ulterior motive for his actions: he's in debt over his ears to a casino. Worse, the casino owner has sent his "Hit-men," actually two rather bloodthirsty women, to collect.An interesting tidbit is the jackdaw that hangs around Nanny McPhee and hold conversations with her. The bird is forever belching because it has a habit of eating window putty. This bird, and several other things, move the show right along. I must add that Dame Maggie Smith (remember her as Prof. McGonnagal in "Harry Potter"?) is absolutely delightful as the little old lady who runs the local store. She (and several others) remember Nanny McPhee very kindly. At the end of the film you find out why, but only if you saw the first film.All in all, this is a truly delightful film, in spite of a little over-the-top acting on the part of the brother-in-law and the two ladies(?). If you liked the first Nanny McPhee, you are going to love this one, too. I do highly recommend it, and I'm very glad I have it.

It's great to see Nanny McPhee back, although quite why the UK title (Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang) was jettisoned for the pedestrian 'Nanny McPhee Returns', I'm not sure. However, the lady who talks softly but carries a big stick is as magical as ever.Moving the setting forward to World War Two creates a different ambience for the action, with a purple Rolls-Royce, a supercharged motorbike and an enemy bomber all contributing to the story. There are more computer graphics with this film, but they are so expertly done that it's often hard to see where reality ends and studio wizardry takes over. Do watch the excellent bonus features for some insights into how the special effects were produced.The acting is excellent, including Maggie Gyllenhaal as the harassed mother, Rhys Ifans as the villainous Uncle Phil, Ralph Fiennes in a cameo as Cyril and Celia's father and the inimitable Maggie Smith as the eccentric shopkeeper who has a little secret of her own. The children are also uniformly wonderful and the whole thing is held together by Emma Thompson as the lady with the lumps (with the assistance of Mr. Edelweiss).I've rated this movie as one star less than the first NM, mainly because there isn't the same sense of antagonism between the children and Nanny McPhee as there was in the first film. Their 'not wanting her', part of the reason for her being there, doesn't manifest itself very much and soon they are routinely calling on her for help. They also seem to be doing pretty well at learning her lessons on their own; at one point, she even remarks that things shouldn't be too easy and promptly gives them an entirely fresh, and magical, challenge. This lack of tension somewhat changes the dynamics of the movie and it becomes more the children and Nanny McPhee against the bad guys than Nanny McPhee teaching the children lessons about life.However, this isn't a movie which needs deep philosophical thought. It's a jolly romp which leaves the viewer feeling happy, and wanting more Nanny McPhee.

If this were the first Nanny McPhee movie, I dare say there wouldn't be a second.The first Nanny McPhee movie is something of a classic (in broad terms) so I was interested in this one. Sadly it does not live up to the level of the first. It doesn't have the finesse of the first, jumping instead right into the magic. When a film relies so much on CGI and 'fireworks' you can be assured that the story is weak. And you have that here. The production values were high, as you would expect of an Emma Thompson movie. The story, sadly, was too predictable and formulaic. I was hoping for a little originality but was disappointed. The four stars are for Ms. Thompson.

I'm an adult so... this sequel was a bit more delightfully silly than the first movie but, in some ways. a bit too absurd in other parts. But I bet most young children will love ALL the silly parts. Both are fun movies, but I liked the Return just a smidgeon more because it had more personal interactions going on. It was just not a completely obvious story within the context of a single household but brought in the spoiled children from the city and other characters to broaden the social dynamics. Yes, it was predictable but still a fun ride -- and seeing Aggie at the end was a pleasant surprise to tie both films together. We need and want another Nanny McPhee -- please!

love these films

Not as engaging as the first Nanny McPhee. My 5 year old granddaughter had to have much of it explained to her which was not the case with the first film.

Très beaux films

compte pour enfant moral

Très bon film à partager en famille. Je vous le conseille si vous aimez l'univers de Nanny McPhee.