Prismark10
Emma Thompson's snaggletoothed and wart infused nanny returns to help out Maggie Gyllenhaal (Isabel Green) a farmer's wife at her wits ends in World War II. Her three children are OK helping her mother out in the farm while dad has gone off to fight in the war. It is when their two snooty cousins arrive from the town to stay with them that things go awry as they make fun of the country life. Also Isabel's gambling brother in law (Rhys Ifans) has amassed debts and wants Isabel to sell the farm which he owns a fifty percent share.Emma Thompson's Nanny arrives unwanted at first but her tapping of her magical cane soon starts to put things right as the kids learn some important life lessons but you feel the underlying issues are not dealt with such as the lying, cheating brother in law who is being threatened by two burly female debt collectors.There are some magical elements in this film such as flying pigs that also perform a water ballet that adds fun to the movie.It is a whimsical tale that kids will like, adults will find it rather contrived and light on plot. There are guest appearances by Ralph Fiennes and Ewan McGregor.
Beatrice McClearn
We saw the original title where the movie was based in the UK. Needless to say, the movie was absolutely horrible to us. There was no humor in the movie (at least none that we could relate to being under 30 and in the U.S.). We couldn't watch more than 30 minutes of the movie the first night. On the second night, we decided to painfully watch the rest in an effort to give it a fair shot. That didn't pan out the way we wished. It was hopeless so we turned off the movie completely.I didn't care for the weird way the movie decided to take place during WWII. I didn't find any humor in the supposed humorous parts such as the synchronized swimming of pigs. I didn't care for the uncle who wanted to rob his brother's family of any type of fortune for their farm. And I especially didn't find Nanny McPhee humorous in this movie.I noticed that there's another version of this movie out there someplace. In the movie trailer there's a baby. Maybe we will give that a shot sometime soon. Prayerfully it's much better.
IDBmmcjwo
Our family loved the charming first movie but this movie is just awful. The negative reviews already written recap the problems very well: Poor directing, plodding story, predictable outcomes, etc. Ghastly. Three additional criticisms not yet mentioned.(1) Very confusing clothing and haircuts. Who would cast farm kids during WWII to wear polo shirts? That and Vince's mop haircut gave the feeling in the opening scene that this was a modern film with elements from American suburbs.(2) On which planet does a fun children's film feature villains who extort characters with deadly threats of removing both kidneys...and worse? I'm not taking this film seriously but that's just too macabre. (3) During the introduction to special features, Emma Thompson says that this is "An entirely new film." That is just so not true. Indeed, an early scene sets you up to expect to see a duplicate scene copied from the first movie. You get fooled but then a few seconds later you see the scene you expected anyway. The only thing original to this movie compared to the first is that pigs fly. There are positive elements to this movie--beautiful country scenes, nice camera work, good acting by lesser characters--but not enough to warrant spending precious time to watch it.
Chrysanthepop
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).
AD
