Review by Daniel Turner
Stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Rhys Ifans, Ralph Fiennes, Maggie Smith, Asa Butterfield, Lil Woods, Oscar Steer, Eros Vlahos, Rosie Taylor-Ritson, Ewan McGregor, Katy Brand
Written by Emma Thompson
Certification UK U | US PG
Runtime 109 minutes
Directed by Susanna White
Emma Thompson returns as the eponymous, magical menopausal Mary Poppins, Nanny McPhee, in this decent – but not totally spellbinding – sequel to the 2005 hit.
It's jolly old England during the the dash-bang Second World War. While her husband is off sticking it to the Bosh, Isabel (Gyllenhaal) is struggling to keep control of her three raucous children - Norman, Megsie and Vincent - as well as keep her slimy brother-in-law, Phil (Ifans), from selling their farm from under them in order to settle his gambling debts. When the kids' posh, brattish cousins come to stay as wartime evacuees, their sneering hoighty-toighty attitude leads to ructions and fisty-cuffs between the kids. But, as Isabel reaches the end of her tether, Nanny McPhee appears on the scene to teach the children five lessons that will make them realise that, like - ok they're different, yeah, but, like, totally the same really and not to judge other people because you don't know what they're going through, right? So lets be, like, totally BFFs 4EVA, yeah?
Or whatever the 1940s equivalent was.
Well, you can't say that they haven't made an effort with this. It comes from the pen of Thompson (an Academy Award-winning screenwriter no less and who has a real devotion to this character - really: she gave up her role in Harry Potter to concentrate on McPhee, allegedly), is directed by Susanna White (Generation Kill, Bleak House) and has a pretty stellar cast. It fizzes along at a cracking pace and has a humourous, if not particularly hilarious, line in visual gags, slapstick, poo jokes, cute animals and off-the-wall characters that will keep the young scamps giggling throughout. Adults, though, may find it just lacks the sparkle and knowing wit to keep them completely engaged to the end credits. (And we know a family movie can provide this - go see Mousetrap and take notes - it is a stonewall classic.)
But that's not to say it doesn't have its moments: Bill Bailey's brief cameo raises a big laugh, as does the brilliant Maggie Smith, who unwittingly steals every scene she is in just by simply appearing on screen. Ifans is great fun to watch, effortlessly slinking into his role as as if he's been a spiv all his life. And in his brief, wordless cameo, McGregor gives one of his best performances in recent years. Honk! Sorry, Ewan - couldn't resist that. The central storyline has a pleasant mix of comedy and tragedy, bitter and sweet without ever being too threatening or saccharine, which is always a possibility. And the five kids all do a fantastic job throughout - you'll only want to punch them in the face when you're supposed to want to punch them in the face.
But there's just a few things that niggle. Gyllenhaal, sadly, is one of them. While her accent is actually pretty bloody good (to me she sounded a bit like the natural Thompson, so maybe a bit of sublte mimickery was going on?) I actually think she is miscast. This might seem an odd thing to say (remember: kids film), but she never convinces that she could be this harrassed, scatty English farmer's wife and mother to three rugrats whizzing around her skirts. Big sister, perhaps. But mum? Hmm ... nah. It's a shame - Gyllenhaal is a decent actress, but someone with a bit more presence could have really given this film just that little extra oomph it needs. And, for the life of me, I can't work out why the film is subtitled The Big Bang. Seriously - I have no idea to what part of the story this refers to. Nanny McPhee bangs her stick on the floor to do hermagic - is that it? If it is, it's not particularly big. Not 'film-title worthy' big for sure.
But don't get me wrong. These are minor gripes. This is a solid, fun family film and will be far better than a lot of similar efforts you might see this year (I expect - Toy Story 3 not withstanding). The youngsters will really enjoy the fantasy element, the animals and, of course, the poo. The grown-ups will feel like they've got good value for their cash this Easter holiday. One last thing though: The posters advertising this film have the tagline "You'll believe pigs can fly!" which is in reference to a portion of the story involving some unimaginably cute CGI piglets who do some ... synchronised swimming. But no flying.
(OK, one piglet does a big jump from a tree. But that ain't flying, pal.)