Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (Susanna White, 2010) - Emma Thompson's wise, warty heroine returns in this enchanting children's film. It is 1940 and Britain is at war. So too are the children of Mrs Green (Maggie Gyllenhall). With their father fighting overseas and their home under threat, the last thing the put-upon youngsters need is a visit from their snooty urban cousins. Arriving weighed down with designer labels and familial angst, the Londoners proceed to infuriate their rural relations, dubbing their farm "the land of poo" and destroying an irreplaceable jar of jam. Cue a massive free-for-all, and enter Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson), the magical troubleshooter who's determined to teach the kids five crucial life lessons. This sequel to the 2005 hit is an extraordinarily well-written, unpretentious, intelligent children's movie that strikes just the right balance between fantasy and reality, with impeccably-drawn characters who develop in believable and touching ways as they're brought to life by a hand-picked cast.
Engaging performances from the children are supported by pitch-perfect turns from Gyllenhall, Ewan McGregor, Maggie Smith, villain Rhys Ifans - a spiv in the George Cole mould - and Ralph Fiennes, the pick of the bunch playing an arrogant, emotionally-repressed War Office bigwig. Thompson, who also scripted, is a delight as the titular saviour, ideas brewing endlessly beneath that thatched grey hair. The film gets its many laughs without resorting to spoofery or lazy pop culture gags - offering slapstick, observation and effective character comedy - and packs a real emotional wallop. The scene between the uptight Fiennes and his unhappy son is the highspot, made all the more moving by being so doggedly unsentimental, while the movie's bittersweet climax yanks on the heartstrings in an entirely agreeable manner. Ultimately, Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang is everything that kids' films should be and yet so rarely are, wearing its prestigious influences lightly as it casts a gentle spell over the viewer. It also features an Esther Williams-style synchronised swimming dance number performed by pigs - and movies don't get much better than that.
Engaging performances from the children are supported by pitch-perfect turns from Gyllenhall, Ewan McGregor, Maggie Smith, villain Rhys Ifans - a spiv in the George Cole mould - and Ralph Fiennes, the pick of the bunch playing an arrogant, emotionally-repressed War Office bigwig. Thompson, who also scripted, is a delight as the titular saviour, ideas brewing endlessly beneath that thatched grey hair. The film gets its many laughs without resorting to spoofery or lazy pop culture gags - offering slapstick, observation and effective character comedy - and packs a real emotional wallop. The scene between the uptight Fiennes and his unhappy son is the highspot, made all the more moving by being so doggedly unsentimental, while the movie's bittersweet climax yanks on the heartstrings in an entirely agreeable manner. Ultimately, Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang is everything that kids' films should be and yet so rarely are, wearing its prestigious influences lightly as it casts a gentle spell over the viewer. It also features an Esther Williams-style synchronised swimming dance number performed by pigs - and movies don't get much better than that.