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"You Cannot Have
Your Cake And Eat It
Too!" |
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Directed by Kirk Jones -
Written by Emma Thompson
Starring Emma Thompson,
Colin Firth, Kelly
MacDonald, Angela
Lansbury
Distributed by Universal -
2006 - 97mins - Rated PG |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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B+ |
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Love makes you real... |
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Based on the British
"Nurse Matilda" children's stories from the 1960's, "Nanny McPhee" is
a visually delightful family film with a strong cast, fluid direction
and a clear, concise story that will please young children and should
involve parents enough to make the entire experience a wonderful
opportunity for parents and children to chat openly and honestly about
a variety of family matters.
These days, it seems as if the vast majority of children's or family
films are simply dumbed-down adult films or they have story lines with
subliminal double entendres that will please adults while children are
supposedly distracted by the visual goings on. The reality is most
children these days get the double entendres more quickly than adults
and these films are anything but family films.
"Nanny McPhee" is different. Whereas this month's "Hoodwinked"
attempted to accomplish a similar mission of returning to to the
essence of family films, it forget its other obligation...to
entertain.
"Nanny McPhee" entertains, though in much the way other British
comedies entertain. "Nanny McPhee" combines visual imagery, subtlety,
consummate dialogue and a touch of morality into a simple, yet
captivating package. "Nanny McPhee" will seldom, if ever, have you
rolling in the aisles with laughter, but it will likely have you
constantly watching, thinking, smiling and looking over at the
children in the auditorium as they giggle, shake their heads with
familiarity and, ultimately, remain hypnotized by the screen.
"Nanny McPhee" is a labor of love by its screenwriter, Oscar-winning
British actress Emma Thompson, who also stars in the title role.
The story centers around Mr. Brown (Colin Firth), a recently widowed
funeral director with seven children who are, shall we say,
behaviorally challenged. The film opens with their chasing off their
17th nanny by "eating the baby," a seen that is rather gross but
remarkably ingenious. When Mr. Brown goes to the nanny agency to hire
yet another nanny, the agency abruptly closes. As he walks away he
hears "The nanny you need is Nanny McPhee."
We learn, of course, that there's no Nanny McPhee working at the
agency, or any agency, and all attempts to find this nanny fail. Then,
one night when the children are particularly out of control, there's a
knock on the door and at the door is a rather disfigured, unattractive
Nanny McPhee, warts and all. She enters the kitchen, where the
children are torturing the ever so frazzled cook (Imelda Staunton)
and, well, the situation is resolved through a unique mix of natural
consequence and what seems like magic.
We learn that Nanny McPhee is there to teach the children five basic
lessons, then her work is done. She states very clearly that this is
how she works..."When you need me, but do not want me I must stay.
When you want me, but no longer need me I must leave."
This is, perhaps, the brilliance of Thompson's script but also its
greatest hindrance. The film is, in fact, perfectly laid out. The
previous paragraph tells you exactly what will happen in the film, and
while how these lessons are played out varies it is, nonetheless, this
journey we are on and this journey we receive. There is nothing more
and nothing less to the film. This ultimately works because Thompson's
script delivers on its promise. By the end of the film, and this is
the way it should be in a family film, the issues are resolved and the
lessons have been learned.
The film's cast is uniformly marvelous and even a tad inspiration.
Colin Firth brings a depth to his character that makes us feel his
grief as he sits at night talking to his wife's empty chair, ignores
his grieving children and the world crumbling around him.
Unknown to the children, the family has been supported for years by
their rich Aunt Adelaide (Angela Lansbury), a nearly blind, always
obnoxious old woman who believes in proper elocution and that he MUST
remarry for the sake of the children. In fact, she states that if he
does not remarry by the end of the month the family "allowance" will
be cut off.
In a panic, he proposes to Selma Quickly (Celia Imrie), the very sort
of stepmother the children read about in fairy tales and who frightens
them immensely. In the meantime, a secretly smitten servant Evangeline
(Kelly MacDonald) believes herself too lowly and that he would never
be interested in a woman who is just now learning to read.
All of this is wrapped neatly around Nanny McPhee's lessons to the
children, and while there are a few cute, effective special effects
director Kirk Jones ("Waking Ned Devine") largely relies on the
chemistry within the cast to sell the story. It works.
As the lessons unfold, the children learn much more than the defined
lessons. They learn about family, friendship, loyalty and the natural
consequences of the choices we make. In a scene where Aunt Adelaide
has come to take the burden of one child off of Mr. Brown, we see the
servant Evangeline offer herself to Aunt Adelaide, who fails to even
notice this is a young woman and certainly no child. What a powerful
lesson it is that in the midst of when Mr. Brown is trying to marry,
Evangeline ultimately does what love must do.
"Nanny McPhee" also has a bit of a "Velveteen Rabbit" theme to it as
that common lesson that "Love makes you real" radiates throughout the
film. It is most vivid in the person of Nanny McPhee, who becomes more
beautiful each time the children learn a lesson. One by one, her warts
disappear, her skin clears and her disfigured face becomes a face of
beauty.
Likewise, when Aunt Adelaide comes back to the home for the wedding
between Mr. Brown and Selma with the now prim and proper Evangeline
the kids are awestruck at how much she's changed and how beautiful she
is. Mr. Brown's response? "She's always looked that way." Beautiful,
simply beautiful.
"Nanny McPhee" is a recipient of the Truly Moving Picture Award from
the Heartland Film Festival, and is truly a moving picture that serves
as a wondrous view for the entire family. Fans of Working Title's
British comedies will likely find this more family-oriented fare
tremendously satisfying. With strong performances from Thompson, Firth
and the entire supporting cast including the children (most notably
Thomas Sangster of "Love Actually") "Nanny McPhee" features a
beautiful color palette, enchanting production design, and stellar
costume design to perfectly complement Thompson's script and the
direction of Kirk Jones.
It is truly love that makes one beautiful, and I can't possibly state
it more clearly. I loved this beautiful little film called "Nanny
McPhee." |
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© Written by Richard Propes |
TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Richard
Propes' Comment
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Jacob
Hall's Comment
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