Emma Thompson ("Sense And Sensibility") plays a magic-working nanny in a script she wrote based loosely on Christianna Brand’s ‘60s era "Nurse Matilda" books. Under the clumsy direction of Kirk Jones ("Waking Ned Devine") Thompson’s witch of a nanny—she sports a single eyebrow, two hairy warts and one overly long front tooth—mysteriously arrives at the unkempt household of widowed funeral director Mr. Brown (Colin Firth). Mr. Brown’s seven devilish children take pride in the speed with which they have scared off 17 prospective nannies with such diabolical antics as pretending to eat their infant sibling. With calm aplomb Nanny McPhee instills in the disobedient children her five lessons for well mannered behavior while Mr. Brown searches for a wife within the one month timeframe that his late wife’s Aunt Adelaide (Angela Lansbury) has allowed him if she is to continue financing the oversized family. The movie is hampered by production designer Michael Howell’s garish neon color palate contrasted with clownish costumes by Nic Ede that drag the movie through a romper room of spilled nursery school paint. Special features include a commentary track with director Kirk Jones and numerous child actors, a second commentary track with Emma Thompson and co-producer Lindsay Doran, three making-of featurettes, seven deleted scenes with director’s commentary, and a brief gag reel. Aspect ratio is 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, with sound quality processed in Dolby Digital 5.1. surround sound.
(Movie – Two Stars, DVD features – Two Stars) Rated PG. 88 mins. (Universal)
