Nanny McPhee

 

When I first saw trailers for Nanny McPhee, based on the Nurse Matilda book series by Christianna Brand, ahead of its 2006 US release, I wasn’t sure about watching it since I was just entering my teenage years at the time, but the curiosity nonetheless persisted in the back of my mind for some time. On a recent flight, however, I saw this film pop up as one of the in-flight entertainment options, and so I finally found my chance to give it a fair shot. Unfortunately, my experience was marred with a number of sub-optimal conditions, including having to use cheap headphones bought from the terminal after a pair of mine broke shortly before another preceding flight, plane noise necessitating the use of subtitles to understand the dialogue even after turning the volume on my phone higher than I normally would, and very spotty Wi-Fi that lead to connection issues (I could not get my phone to connect properly no matter what I did and ended up having to use another family member’s phone that could) and a near-constant onslaught of buffering, in addition to the film being presented in modified full-screen as opposed to the original widescreen. Despite this, I actually enjoyed Nanny McPhee enough to want to watch it again under more optimal conditions.

Cedric Brown (Colin Firth) is a widower who is seeking to remarry to support his seven children. Unfortunately, his attempts to find a nanny constantly fail as the children misbehave to the point of scaring every nanny off. With no options left, he is told that he needs the help of Nanny McPhee, who is not on anyone’s books. When Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) arrives on the Browns’ doorstep, she brings with her five lessons that the children must learn in order to properly behave.

 

Cedric Brown (Colin Firth) has trouble finding a nanny for his children.

On the onset, there is an inevitable comparison with Disney’s film adaptation of Mary Poppins, in that they star magical nannies who use their magic to teach lessons unto naughty children in their care, but the comparisons really end there. While the world of Nanny McPhee has its share of whimsy, it nonetheless takes a more grounded approach, with Nanny McPhee’s magic having evidently more defined rules and only being used when necessary. The children, especially Simon (Thomas Sangster), also have a well-paced and believable collective character arc, and the rate at which they learn their lessons is consistent with Nanny McPhee’s physical appearance, wherein she becomes increasingly more beautiful as a result.

 

Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) has five lessons to teach.

Though some use of CG is a little obvious, the movie has some really great visual effects, with Nanny McPhee’s magic in particular implemented near-flawlessly to an impressive degree. On that note, special mention goes to the make-up used on Emma Thompson to portray Nanny McPhee herself, as it perfectly captures the character’s initial ugliness and her increasing beauty remains consistent throughout (ex. when one of her warts disappears, it remains absent for the rest of the film). Selma Quickly (Celia Imrie) also has a rather inspired lamb theme, reflecting the nature of her character. The Victorian setting also gives the film a nice “British countryside” feel, contributing further to the whimsy of Nanny McPhee’s magic.

Despite the suboptimal conditions of my initial viewing, I thought the acting was great overall, especially Emma Thompson and Colin Firth, with even the child actors putting in solid performances. Celia Imrie in particular pretty much owns her role as Selma Quickly, leaning into the character’s more unlikable traits just enough to make the audience despise her without overdoing it.

Even as someone unfamiliar with the original Nurse Matilda series, I found a lot to enjoy about Nanny McPhee and its grounded, yet whimsical world. If you’re familiar with the original Mary Poppins film and are going in expecting more like it, you will be disappointed, but I would nonetheless recommend it as a solid family film.