SYNOPSIS: In Nanny McPhee Returns, Oscar®-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson returns to the role of the magical nanny who appears when she’s needed the most and wanted the least in the next chapter of the hilarious and heartwarming fable that has enchanted children around the world. 

REVIEW: As is my usual habit, I like to take my two youngest boys to screenings of family films. Nanny McPhee (small c big P) was one of my favorite family movies and although I didn’t see a sequel coming, I was looking forward to visiting with this old friend. I think that Emma Thompson could probably do just about anything she sets her mind to. Who would have thought that not only is she a great character actress, but her writing is truly whimsical. Folks, this film is all about whimsy and childish fantasy and it does not disappoint in both those areas. When I saw the trailers for this film, I remember thinking that the last film was in a completely different era than this one, being that this family is clearly living in World War II England. But I simply should have realized that Nanny is timeless. All that said, I truly wanted, after all this time, to get one of my sons to give his opinion on a film. The following was written by my middle boy, Joshua James:

This week I was given the pleasure of watching the latest child fantasy movie, “Nanny McPhee Returns”. On my way to the theatre, I honestly was not looking forward to watching it, but I was convinced. I saw the first Nanny McPhee when it came out a few years ago and I loved it. So you might be asking why didn’t I want to see the sequel. Well I thought that the first movie was the kind of movie that should stand on its own. It had no need whatsoever for there to be a second one. So that was my, “beef” with this movie, but boy did my outlook change.

The movie starts off slow, a small farm family living in England. A mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal), two sons and a daughter, with the father fighting in the war. The children are preparing for the arrival of two big city cousins from London. The mother is on her way to work and is once again hounded by her gambling brother-in-law (Rhys Ifans) who is trying to sell the family farm for his own reasons. While she is at work the snooty cousins come one day early and immediately get on the nerves of her children. Before she gets home, the cousins break the last straw with the farm kids and they go into an all out war. She gets home to see her house in disarray, when a strange character knocks at the door, Nanny McPhee. She sets out with her bag of tricks, or should I say stick, to teach the children discipline with her 5 lessons.

While watching this movie, one thing that I really noticed and enticed me was the scenery that was portrayed. In the beginning of the movie it shows beautiful English farm land and wheat fields that go on for days. The house that the family lives in has a nice canopy of trees behind it, and it just made me dream of living there. As soon as the protagonist nanny arrives on the scene the movie lights up and feels enjoyable from that point on. This tale kept you on the edge of your seat and satisfied your need for childhood fun. If you’re looking for a movie that both you and your kids will love, watch Nanny McPhee Returns.