Nanny McFee is unabashedly a fairy tale. It's important to say this up front because if not viewed through the eyes of someone watching a fairy tale, one could conceivably come up with an array of complaints about the film. However, it is a fairy tale, it is obviously trying very much to be a fairy tale, and in that regard, it succeeds admirably.
The film stars Colin Firth as Cedric Brown, the widower father of seven unruly little brats who pride themselves on the speed with which they scare away nannies. They are almost comically naughty, highlighted by an introduction where they pretend to eat their baby sibling in order to get rid of nanny #17. Mr. Brown is at his wits end when he runs out of nannies to hire, and he hears a voice say "Nanny McFee is who you need." It was a bit disappointing when McFee (played perfectly by Emma Thompson, who also wrote the screenplay) shows up at the Brown Manor front door, without any effort on Mr. Brown's part to get her there, but then, it's only a fairy tale. The challenge in the story comes when Brown is given an ultimatum by his wealthy great aunt (Angela Lansbury wonderfully channeling a cranky nearsighted tortoise) to either get married by month's end, thereby providing the children with a necessary mother figure, or cease to receive her monthly stipend, which is all that is keeping the Brown family in their home and together.
Twists and turns are not the goal of Nanny McFee. You know who Mr. Brown is going to marry the moment you see her. You know that the children are going to learn to love Nanny McFee and that she's going to have to leave them when they do. McFee is not about surprises for the viewer. It's about getting lost in a fairy tale. I believe that for the most part, this movie achieves everything it tries to achieve. I only wish I had been able to enjoy it with a niece or nephew, to get their point of view. My guess is, kids will love it. Mary Poppins it isn't. It doesn't have the depth, and it feels heavy-handed at times (well, most of the time). At some points McFee seems too colorful, the gags too cartoony. Plus, Mary Poppins was smart enough not to have a talking baby in it, and I'm sorry, fairy tale or no, talking babies are always creepy.
Besides that small flaw, and a really loud presentation at my theater, I enjoyed Nanny McFee. It's definitely aimed at the kids, but grownups won't be completely uninterested watching it. The performances by everyone in the cast were fantastic, with special kudos going to the children. Finding seven children who can convincingly play their roles is challenging to say the least. A standout from the young group is Thomas Sangster (Love Actually) as the ringleader older brother Simon, the last to accept Nanny McFee into his heart (awww .). The film has a satisfying final scene but never answers the question; who is Nanny McFee? Well, it's either a good conversation starter for the family or a question to be answered in the sequel.
The film stars Colin Firth as Cedric Brown, the widower father of seven unruly little brats who pride themselves on the speed with which they scare away nannies. They are almost comically naughty, highlighted by an introduction where they pretend to eat their baby sibling in order to get rid of nanny #17. Mr. Brown is at his wits end when he runs out of nannies to hire, and he hears a voice say "Nanny McFee is who you need." It was a bit disappointing when McFee (played perfectly by Emma Thompson, who also wrote the screenplay) shows up at the Brown Manor front door, without any effort on Mr. Brown's part to get her there, but then, it's only a fairy tale. The challenge in the story comes when Brown is given an ultimatum by his wealthy great aunt (Angela Lansbury wonderfully channeling a cranky nearsighted tortoise) to either get married by month's end, thereby providing the children with a necessary mother figure, or cease to receive her monthly stipend, which is all that is keeping the Brown family in their home and together.
Twists and turns are not the goal of Nanny McFee. You know who Mr. Brown is going to marry the moment you see her. You know that the children are going to learn to love Nanny McFee and that she's going to have to leave them when they do. McFee is not about surprises for the viewer. It's about getting lost in a fairy tale. I believe that for the most part, this movie achieves everything it tries to achieve. I only wish I had been able to enjoy it with a niece or nephew, to get their point of view. My guess is, kids will love it. Mary Poppins it isn't. It doesn't have the depth, and it feels heavy-handed at times (well, most of the time). At some points McFee seems too colorful, the gags too cartoony. Plus, Mary Poppins was smart enough not to have a talking baby in it, and I'm sorry, fairy tale or no, talking babies are always creepy.
Besides that small flaw, and a really loud presentation at my theater, I enjoyed Nanny McFee. It's definitely aimed at the kids, but grownups won't be completely uninterested watching it. The performances by everyone in the cast were fantastic, with special kudos going to the children. Finding seven children who can convincingly play their roles is challenging to say the least. A standout from the young group is Thomas Sangster (Love Actually) as the ringleader older brother Simon, the last to accept Nanny McFee into his heart (awww .). The film has a satisfying final scene but never answers the question; who is Nanny McFee? Well, it's either a good conversation starter for the family or a question to be answered in the sequel.