Nanny McPhee is a 2005 fantasy film starring
Emma ThompsonEmma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
and
Colin FirthSirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
. Thompson also wrote the screenplay, which is adapted from
Christianna BrandChristianna Brand was a British crime writer and children's author.- Background :Christianna Brand was born Mary Christianna Milne in Malaya and grew up in India. She had a number of different occupations, including model, dancer, shop assistant and governess...
's
Nurse MatildaThe Nurse Matilda books were written by the British children's author Christianna Brand and illustrated by her cousin, Edward Ardizzone. The books are based on stories told to the cousins by their grandfather....
books.
Plot
In 19th century
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, widowed Cedric Brown (
Colin FirthSirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
) has seven children: 11-year old Simon (
Thomas SangsterThomas Brodie Sangster is an English film and television actor, best known for his roles in Love Actually, Nanny McPhee, The Last Legion, and voice of Ferb Fletcher in Phineas and Ferb.-Personal life:...
), 10-year old Tora (
Eliza BennettEliza Hope Bennett is an English teen actress and singer. Her most notable roles were that of Meggie Folchart in the film Inkheart and Susan in From Time to Time.-Early life:...
), 9-year old Lily (
Jennifer Rae DaykinJennifer Rae Daykin is a British teen actress best known for her role as Liliana "Lily" Brown in Nanny McPhee. She attended Westende Junior School in Wokingham, Berkshire, England- Filmography :- Awards & nominations :...
), 8-year old Eric (
Raphaël ColemanRaphaël Coleman is a British teen actor, best known for his role as Eric Brown in Nanny McPhee.,-Films:*Nanny McPhee as Eric Brown*It's Alive as Chris Davis*"Edward's Turmoil" as Edward...
), 7-year old Sebastian (
Samuel HonywoodSamuel Honywood is an English teen actor best known for having portrayed Sebastian Brown in Nanny McPhee.-Films:*Nanny McPhee as Sebastian Brown*Who Killed Mrs De Ropp? as Conradin-Awards & nominations:...
), 5-year old Christianna (
Holly GibbsHolly Gibbs is an English child actor known for having played in The Story of Tracy Beaker as Millie and Nanny McPhee as Christianna. She is the daughter of former actress Claire Toeman. She recently appeared in TEENSVILLE The show was about the Jewish Bar Mitzvah...
)and 1-year old baby Agatha (Hebe and Zinnia Barnes). He loves his children very much, but spends little time with them, unable to handle raising them all on his own, after their mother died. The children have had a series of seventeen nannies, whom they systematically drive out; it is a point of pride for them to get rid of each nanny as fast as possible. They also terrorize the cook, Mrs. Blatherwick (
Imelda StauntonImelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, OBE is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path, the Harry Potter film series and Vera Drake...
) but are cared for and loved by Evangeline (
Kelly MacdonaldKelly Macdonald is a Scottish actress, known for her role in the independent film Trainspotting and mainstream releases such as Nanny McPhee, Gosford Park, Intermission, No Country for Old Men and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2...
) the young
scullery maidIn great houses, scullery maids were the lowest-ranked and often the youngest of the female servants and acted as assistant to a kitchen maid. The scullery maid reported to the cook or chef...
.
Cedric attempts to hire another nanny from the agency that sent the past seventeen nannies, but the agency refuses him, as the children have sent the past nannies away, terrorized. Desperate to find another nanny, Cedric heeds the advice of a mysterious voice from the house, which says, "the person you need is Nanny McPhee." After a series of mysterious events, an unusual and hideous woman named Nanny McPhee (
Emma ThompsonEmma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
) arrives at Brown home, introducing herself as a "government nanny." By using magic to force the children to destroy the kitchen (almost boiling Aggie in the process), she teaches them to go to bed when they're told. In similar fashions, with discipline and magic, she transforms the family's lives. In the process, she herself transforms from ugly to beautiful. The children, led by Simon, attempt to play their tricks on her, but gradually start to respect her and ask her for advice. They change into responsible people, helping their hapless father in solving the family problems, and making Nanny McPhee less and less needed.
The family is financially supported by the late Mrs. Brown's Aunt, the fearsome Lady Adelaide Stitch (
Angela LansburyAngela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
). Though she is acting in concern for the well-being of her family, Lady Adelaide is the source of major conflicts in the Browns' lives. In conjunction with her support for the family, Lady Adelaide demands custody over one of the children in order to ensure their continued education and proper upbringing in society. She initially chooses Christianna to go with her, but as the children - and Cedric himself - loathe the idea of parting with one of the siblings, Simon offers up Evangeline in Chrissy's place. Adelaide agrees, assuming that she is one of the daughters, and adopts Evangeline as her own. Both Evangeline's desire to be properly educated, as well as Adelaide's latest contractual stipulation, are satisfied by the act of trickery.
Lady Adelaide also demands that Cedric remarry within the month, threatening to cut off the family's allowance and have him sent to debtors' prison if he fails to do so. Desperate to keep his family together and prevent losing his house, Cedric turns to the vulgar and thrice-widowed Mrs. Selma Quickly (
Celia ImrieCelia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
), a local woman with garish taste in clothing. Based on the image of stepmothers in fairy tales, the children assume that stepmothers are all cruel, and attempt to sabotage a visit from Mrs. Quickly. However, their tricks backfire and Mrs. Quickly initially assumes that Mr. Brown is keener on her than he actually is. During the tea party, Mr. Brown's endeavors to protect Mrs. Quickly from his children result in him throwing himself on top of her, pulling her to the floor and burying his face in her cleavage. Nevertheless, Mrs. Quickly - ignorant of the children's pranks - is happy with all this provided that she gets a proposal. However, when his proposal is ruined by more pranks, she leaves angrily and refuses to see him again. After the truth of their father's situation is explained to the children, they agree to the marriage, and appease Mrs. Quickly by confessing they were to blame for the disturbance of her visit, and lure her with promises of Aunt Adelaide's wealth.
On the day of the wedding, the children discover that Mrs. Quickly is as conniving and cruel as they had feared when she breaks Aggie's rattle - a memento of their late mother. When everyone is gathered for the wedding, Simon despairs that there is nothing more they can do to stop this marriage. Nanny McPhee advises Simon the best thing is to do "exactly as you are told." Baby Aggie begins repeating "beehive" to Simon, and realizes the baby is telling him what to do. Following Nanny McPhee's advice to do as he is told, he and the other children disrupt the ceremony by pretending a swarm of bees has been attracted to Quickly's flowered hat. Things rapidly descend into chaos; the priest is deathly allergic to bees and panics, and this soon leads to a riotous
food fightA food fight is a form of chaotic collective behavior, in which food is thrown at others in the manner of projectiles. These projectiles are not made to harm or damage others, but to simply ignite a fight filled with spontaneous food throwing. Food fights may be impromptu examples of rebellion or...
. Cedric realizes that both he and his children truly dislike his wife-to-be, and joins in the disruption of the ceremony. Mrs. Quickly asks Cedric point blank if he can actually see any bees, and he says that yes, he can, then swats an imaginary bee from her hat so forcefully, she falls to the ground. Angered, Mrs. Quickly puts an end to the wedding and storms off.
Just as it seems that Adelaide's marriage deadline has passed without result, Simon realizes that his father could still marry Evangeline, to whom he has demonstrated something of an attraction, and vice versa. Although both Cedric and Evangeline attempt to deny it, due to the inevitable breaking of class boundaries such a marriage would cause, they finally admit their love for each other.
Nanny McPhee taps her magic staff one last time, and provides a perfect backdrop for Cedric's marriage to Evangeline by creating a beautiful snowstorm, covering over the ruined mess of the ceremony site, and fulfilling Mrs. Blatherwick's declarations that "it'll be snowing in August before this family is straightened out!" She also magically transforms Evangeline's dress into a glorious, white wedding gown, seemingly woven from the falling snowflakes. Aunt Adelaide's demand is satisfied, and all of the family's problems are solved. Even Aggie's rattle is restored.
Now that the children have learned all of Nanny McPhee's lessons, she has been transformed from the heavyset hag they first met into an attractive young woman. As the wedding ceremony commences, Nanny McPhee is seen in the final frames, her silhouette walking into the horizon, with her voiceover reiterating her earlier declaration that "When you need me, but do not want me, then I must stay. When you want me, but no longer need me, then I have to go."
Cast
- Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
as Nanny McPhee
- Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
as Cedric Brown
- Kelly Macdonald
Kelly Macdonald is a Scottish actress, known for her role in the independent film Trainspotting and mainstream releases such as Nanny McPhee, Gosford Park, Intermission, No Country for Old Men and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2...
as Evangeline
- Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
as Great Aunt Adelaide
- Celia Imrie
Celia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
as Mrs. Selma Quickly
- Imelda Staunton
Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, OBE is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path, the Harry Potter film series and Vera Drake...
as Mrs. Blatherwick
- Derek Jacobi
Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE is an English actor and film director.A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, and Oedipus the King. He received a Tony Award for his performance in...
as Mr. Wheen
- Patrick Barlow
Patrick Barlow is an English actor, comedian and playwright. His comedic alter ego, Desmond Olivier Dingle, is the founder, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the two-man National Theatre of Brent, which has performed on stage, on television and on radio.-Radio:Barlow is the scriptwriter, as...
as Mr. Jowls
- Thomas Sangster
Thomas Brodie Sangster is an English film and television actor, best known for his roles in Love Actually, Nanny McPhee, The Last Legion, and voice of Ferb Fletcher in Phineas and Ferb.-Personal life:...
as Simon Brown
- Eliza Bennett
Eliza Hope Bennett is an English teen actress and singer. Her most notable roles were that of Meggie Folchart in the film Inkheart and Susan in From Time to Time.-Early life:...
as Tora Brown
- Jennifer Rae Daykin
Jennifer Rae Daykin is a British teen actress best known for her role as Liliana "Lily" Brown in Nanny McPhee. She attended Westende Junior School in Wokingham, Berkshire, England- Filmography :- Awards & nominations :...
as Lily Brown
- Raphaël Coleman
Raphaël Coleman is a British teen actor, best known for his role as Eric Brown in Nanny McPhee.,-Films:*Nanny McPhee as Eric Brown*It's Alive as Chris Davis*"Edward's Turmoil" as Edward...
as Eric Brown
- Samuel Honywood
Samuel Honywood is an English teen actor best known for having portrayed Sebastian Brown in Nanny McPhee.-Films:*Nanny McPhee as Sebastian Brown*Who Killed Mrs De Ropp? as Conradin-Awards & nominations:...
as Sebastian Brown
- Holly Gibbs
Holly Gibbs is an English child actor known for having played in The Story of Tracy Beaker as Millie and Nanny McPhee as Christianna. She is the daughter of former actress Claire Toeman. She recently appeared in TEENSVILLE The show was about the Jewish Bar Mitzvah...
as Christianna Brown
- Hebe and Zinnia Barnes as Agatha (Aggie) Brown
Production
The film reunites
Emma ThompsonEmma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
,
Colin FirthSirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
and
Thomas SangsterThomas Brodie Sangster is an English film and television actor, best known for his roles in Love Actually, Nanny McPhee, The Last Legion, and voice of Ferb Fletcher in Phineas and Ferb.-Personal life:...
who all previously starred in
Love ActuallyLove Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress...
.
Critical reception
The film received generally positive reviews. According to the review aggregation website
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
,
Nanny McPhee currently ranks 73% favorable, thus being Certified "Fresh".
Box office
The film did well at the box office, earning $122,489,822 - $47,144,110 in the United States and $75,345,712 elsewhere. It premiered in the United States on January 27, 2006 with an opening weekend total of $14,503,650 in 1,995 theaters (an average of $7,270 per theatre) ranking at No. 2 (behind the
Martin LawrenceMartin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House...
film
Big Momma's House 2Big Momma's House 2 is a 2006 American crime comedy film directed by John Whitesell and written by Don Rhymer. The film is a sequel to Big Momma's House and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner. The film was released theatrically on 27 January 2006, and was...
).
Sequels
Emma Thompson revealed on
Friday Night with Jonathan RossFriday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
that two more films are planned. The second film,
Nanny McPhee and the Big BangNanny McPhee and the Big Bang is a 2010 family film. It is a sequel to the 2005 film Nanny McPhee. It was adapted by Emma Thompson from Christianna Brand's Nurse Matilda books...
, was released in March 2010. It costars
Rhys IfansRhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
,
Maggie SmithDame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE , better known as Maggie Smith, is an English film, stage, and television actress who made her stage debut in 1952 and is still performing after 59 years...
,
Ralph FiennesRalph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
and
Maggie GyllenhaalMargaret Ruth "Maggie" Gyllenhaal born November 16, 1977) is an American actress. She is the daughter of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal and the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal. She made her screen debut when she began to appear in her father's films...
. The character of Aggie Brown returns as the now elderly Mrs. Docherty. In it, Nanny McPhee takes charge of the children of a woman whose husband has gone to war.