This definitely has to be one of the best films of the year and is something that can be enjoyed by the whole family, from the wee tot to grandparents. Based upon the 'Nurse Matilda' books by Christianna Brand, the film revolves around seven motherless children who have frightened off seventeen nannies much to their over-wrought father's dismay. The children are unruly and their father has his own stresses of desperately searching for a wife before his mean-spirited great aunt cuts off his allowance and everything is falling apart at the seams...until Nanny McPhee enters the house to sort things out. Think of 'Mary Poppins' if Roald Dahl had written the character and you have an idea of what happens next!
The best thing about this film is that while it will appeal to children, it doesn't dumb down or indulge in cavity-inducing sweetness that you tend to see in films produced by Hollywood. There is much humour and fun to be had but there is also a darker tone, what with children being threatened with the Work House and their father speaking to corpses!
The actors are all excellent. Colin Firth was perfect as this dithering man who may be meek but will do anything for his children and Emma Thompson is totally unrecognisable as the lead character of Nanny McPhee (she also deserves much recognition her skills in script-writing this film). But it's Angela Lansbury, as snooty Great Aunt Adelaide, who steals the show with the way she spends much of the film with such a sour face that could curdle the milk! The children also deserve much praise, especially when you consider most of them are not only very young but had never acted before. I certainly hope to see more of young Raphael Coleman, who played the middle son Eric, in future films as he totally threw himself into his character and was the most engaging of the children.
I'd highly recommend this to people who enjoyed 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (both old and new versions) and 'Matilda'. I doubt many will be disappointed with this film!
