Nanny McPhee DVD Review
Posted by Chad Webb on 06.07.2006
Winner and still champ of the nannies: Mary Poppins
Emma Thompson: Nanny McPhee
Colin Firth: Mr. Brown
Kelly MacDonald: Evangeline
Thomas Sangster: Simon
Eliza Bennett: Tora
Jennifer Rae Daykin: Lily
Raphael Coleman: Eric
Sam Honywood: Sebastian
Holy Gibbs: Christianna
Hebe/Zinnia Barnes: Baby Agatha
Angela Lansbury: Aunt Adelaide
Imelda Staunton: Mrs. Blatherwick
Directed By: Kirk Jones
Theatrical Release Date: January 27, 2006
DVD Release Date: May 9, 2006
Running Time: 97 minutes
Rated PG for mild thematic elements, some rude humor and brief language.
The Film
Nanny McPhee has a good and solid beating heart, but its body could use some shaping. It is Mary Poppins without the magic. Don't misunderstand me, there are plenty of startling magical tricks in this film, but the thought that will creep deep into your head is whether or not you should just turn it off because of how predictable it is. It is pleasant and fluffy, but it reminds me of one of those kids in school was always copycatting someone popular. Many children and even adults will enjoy this, but this movie is one that viewers will know before hand whether or not they want to like it.
Cedric Brown (Colin Firth) has not been the same since the death of his wife. When she died he was left with seven children, who cannot learn to behave. The kids have chased away 17 nannies so far. The leader of the gang is named Simon (Thomas Sangster), who is the oldest child. They all realize that their Dad is on the search for a new wife, but the thought of a stepmother does not sit well with any of them. Every single fairy tale written about stepmothers has portrayed them as evil and wicked. The only female that the kids seem to be nice enough around is the lowly servant Evangeline (Kelly MacDonald), who just might have a little crush on Mr. Brown. When there are no more nannies for Mr. Brown to hire, he starts receiving mysterious messages and voices about Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson). She shows up at the doorstep just in time to set the kids straight. One problem still remains. Mr. Brown must find a wife in one month, or the wealthy Aunt Adelaide (Angela Lansbury) will cut off all the money for the family. That will, in turn, split the children apart.
The performances are all up to standard, and basically enjoyable, tolerable, and bouncy. Oscar winning screenwriter Emma Thompson contributed the script for the film and stars as the Nanny herself. She is a good actress, and under all that makeup and warts, she does convey a genuine passion for the role. As Mr. Brown, Colin Firth's character is an annoying, bumbling, and seemingly clueless parent, but Firth scraps together a decent portrayal with the minimal tools he was given. Angela Lansbury is also appropriately evil as the rich Aunt Adelaide. All the children, while cute and fun to giggle at are relatively forgettable except Thomas Sangster as the main youngster, Simon. On a side note, who was it that thought of the grand idea to put CGI lips on the baby? Director Kirk Jones stated that working with him was just like working with an adult actor. To me, that is a huge compliment, and hopefully moviegoers get too witness more of his talents in the future. The star of this fantasy tale has a very minor role. Imelda Staunton as the cook, Mrs. Blatherwick is absolutely wonderful. She has proven to be an outstanding female actress. I cannot wait to see her in the next Potter film.
The primary hitch for Nanny McPhee is the direction of Kirk Jones. For some reason he decided to use neon bright colors that are nothing more than an eye sore to viewers. Some characters wear normal colored clothing, but then others walk in sporting piercing pink and green dresses. Jones just did not step out of the enormous shadow that Mary Poppins left. While Emma Thompson's transformation into Nanny McPhee was semi-delightful, her screenplay this time around was exceedingly formulaic. It was adapted from Christianna Brown's Nurse Matilda books, and blessedly the name was changed. In addition, the movie might be approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, but there was more than enough room to delve further into the character of Nanny McPhee. I understand she is supposed to be mysterious and all that, but they failed to establish a connection with her and the audience. The musical score is boring and even bothersome in my opinion. At this point, some could say I'm being too harsh, but you know what, the score did not leave anything to the imagination. Whenever a climactic or magical moment was about to occur, it made sure to let us know right away.
To some people, this is a delicious bag full of sweets, with smiles spreading wide whenever Nanny bangs her walking stick, but to others it is only a reminder that they should have unearthed that copy of Mary Poppins a lot sooner. The lessons that are taught to the children are very respectable ones indeed, but those messages can be seen elsewhere, in more superior pieces of cinema. I appreciate this charming little story for the valiant effort, but it appeared desperate for praise by overloading on vibrant set designs and raucously immature nature.
The Video
One thing that is without a doubt, top notch, is the picture. Despite some minor grain, everything looked stupendous. I have mentioned the colors being bright and lively, so it should be no surprise that they show up just as pleasantly on DVD. It is presented in an anamorphic widescreen ration of 2.35:1. This causes the transfer to be displayed as pretty damn excellent to be honest. Thankfully, none of the colors bleed together, and the contrast is spot on.
The Audio
The sound is nothing spectacular. At points it becomes irritating because of the children banging pots and pans, slinging food, and screaming like banshees. When I wasn't watching a scene of total chaos, the characters were all very understandable as they spoke. I am sure the crew did a fine job on the sound, but in my opinion, it was not conveyed as it should have been. There is a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, as well as subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.
The Extras
Casting the Children (11:37) – This includes interviews with Director Kirk Jones, Producer Lindsay Doran, Casting person Pippa Hall, and so one. They inform us that the crew had to decide on many children. Thomas Sangster was given a part early on though. This is kind of interesting because they describe the characters, and let us know that the newer kid actors caused some trouble due to not knowing what goes in to the making of a film. It requires patience kiddies.
Village Life (3:50) – Even though it is a short itty bitty featurette, it is necessary nonetheless. The director talks about wanting a strong sense of color, and the fact that they had to build the set from scratch to avoid any modern type of buildings. Michael Howells was the production designer, and he seemed to do a great job. They wanted the audience to believe in this world. I think they accomplished that.
Nanny McPhee Makeover (5:37) – Producer Lindsay Doran chats about wanting Emma Thompson to look exactly as the character in the books. She is supposed to be scary, funny, and different. Peter King was the Hair and Makeup guy, and he shows us that it had to be done in multiple stages. He also informs everyone that the process was not as long as many actors fear. Also included are thoughts on the Nanny McPhee's body changes throughout the film. Watching this featurette showed me that they could have better addressed those changes.
Deleted Scenes - There are seven all together. Most of them were suitable cuts from the film, but a couple could have actually helped the overall rating for me. I will not discuss every deleted scene in detail, but I will talk about my favorites. Kirk Jones introduces each scene and explains why they were cut. One deletion was an alternate opening in which they show some humorous glimpses of past nannies, and some from different countries. If this was fine tuned a bit, it could have been a great beginning. The other sequence which was actually quite creative was a silent film version of the "Tea Party" segment where Mr. Brown is attempting to impress Mrs. Quigley, while the children want to sabotage the meeting. This could have worked well, and it would have exhibited some individuality for the picture.
Gag Reel (2:44) – This is something every viewer is familiar with. I will not judge it because it is a special feature that is enjoyable if you liked the movie, and stupid if you did not like the film. It has some funny moments I guess.
How Nanny McPhee Came To Be (7:40) – This is basically a history of author Christianna Brown. Emma Thompson talks about adapting the book for the screen, and what alterations she was forced to make. They converse about how Christianna Brown came to create the stories from her family, and they also take some time to touch on the books original illustrator, who was Christianna's cousin.
Feature Commentary - It would be horrible of me to spoil too much of the commentaries. This part of the extras really spices up the DVD as a whole. The first commentary is with Director Kirk Jones and the children actors. This does not have a great deal of info since the children contribute to it. Certain portions are funny, and if the younger viewers listen to a commentary at all, this would be it. The second commentary is with Producer Lindsay Doran and Screenwriter/Actor Emma Thompson. This is the commentary adult fans will enjoy. It is very informative all around with Doran talking about the film process itself, while Thompson touches on her character and the script.
The Film: 6.0/10.0
The Video: 9.0/10.0
The Audio: 6.0/10.0
The Extras: 9.0/10.0
The 411: If you love this film, I will not argue with you too much. For me it was just too damn similar to Mary Poppins. Many reviews mention that same thing, but only because it is true. It is filled with brief and entertaining special features for those who really enjoyed the film, but I have already started to see this movie make its way into used DVD stores like mad. That tells me that this film was nowhere near as memorable as certain fans thought. The acting is solid, but the direction is not, and in the end it was too light and feathery. It is worth a rent if one is looking for a family film, but that’s it.
