Nanny McPhee - Tata Matilda

Saw the film this morning at a Sunday Times preview and I'd like to think that more than a few of you will be eating your words when you see the finished product. It's beautifully put together, with lots of humour, the attractive Colin Firth and many superb performances. Celia Imrie creates a colourful character in Mrs Quickly, Imelda Staunton is fantastic as the cook (Mrs Blatherwick) and Angela Lansbury is expertly cast as Aunt Adelaide (despite the feathered dress making her look like a turkey!) As guessed at on another thread, Nanny McPhee does teach the children - that manners matter, you should be responsible for your actions, and that actions have consequences. It isn't dumbed down, there's certainly no 'dopey dialogue' - and there's also no annoying Americanisms as beset Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.

At first glance, you could imagine Emma Thompson giving a very over the top performance, given the warts, over-sized nose and tooth. Instead she gives a careful and considered performance - everything in the right measure.

Enjoy Nanny McPhee for what it is - a large dose of magical escapism with plenty of laughs for good measure. A few rude words and food fights to keep the kids (and parents) happy, oh and a dancing donkey, but overall a film that is lots of fun. Can't wait for the DVD.

I went to see this film today with my daughter, who is 31 and her 5 year old daughter and it's a long time since I saw such a truly wonderful film in the cinema.(and I go often)

I went as a typical granny, ready to enjoy the day out for what it was, but I said to my daughter at the end that if it had been a DVD, I would happily have watched it again right away.

Apart from the brilliant performances from all involved, this was a beautifully filmed piece of work. The staging and vivid colours used were absolutely perfect and each set was full of things to catch your eye.

I've always liked Emma Thompson, but not in a 'big fan' kind of way, but I must say she gave one of the most understated, beautifully controlled performances, and her wonderful character was magically endearing within moments of her arrival on the scene.

I thought hard before giving a rating for this film, but couldn't find one thing to stop it from being absolutely perfect.

This was a pleasant surprise, much better than I anticipated. I figured Emma Thompson would be good in the title role because you can usually count on her to be entertaining in form or another, cerebrally, emotionally or comically. What I didn't figure on was the fun, extremely colorful story, overall. This was like a banana split for your senses - all kinds of wild treats for the eyes and ears.....to taste, so to speak.

This film features outrageous color schemes from the word "go," from the interior of the "Brown's" house, to everyone's apparel to the scenery outside. It almost reminded me "The Cat In The Hat" with its crazy colors.

All the characters are as exaggerated as the colors, too. The kids may be brats but they aren't bad once they get some needed discipline and love from Nanny McPhee. They are still fun to watch, and all are quite different in appearance and mannerisms. Thompson is a howl as Mary Poppins-like McPhee and so are the supporting characters. There were no sappy songs, either. This is not a musical.

The only character annoying to me was the kids' dad, played by Colin Firth. The actor was fine but his character was so wishy-washy, so wussy, he was barely tolerable for much of the film. By the way, you might not recognize the famous Angela Lansbury in here. Everyone, including her, must have had a great time filming this movie.

Only the final wedding segment got carried away with juvenile silliness; the rest was fun for adults and well as the kids, who must have loved this all the way through.

This is simply good entertainment and highly recommended.

I almost missed this one because I was turned off by the commercials and previews, with their emphasis on the silliest parts (the dancing donkey, etc.). What a mistake that would have been -- I'd have missed one of the driest, archest, loveliest scripts in years. Emma Thompson can do more with a slightly quirked eyebrow and a quiet "Hm" than most actresses can with an entire Shakespearean soliloquy. The whole cast, children and adults alike, is pretty near perfect, some of the best of the British theater even in the tiniest roles (Derek Jacobi, Imelda Staunton et al). The kids are tough and tart, without a simper in the lot, unlike most US child stars.

Don't let the trailers keep you away -- this is well worth seeing, sort of what Lemony Snicket should have been but wasn't.

I took my children, ages 8 and 5, to see the movie over the weekend and I'd have to say that I enjoyed it every bit as much as they did. The character portrayed by Emma Thompson was simply wonderful. Even though she used her "magic" to get desired results from the children, all one had to do was look into her eyes and see the genuine compassion she felt for the children. The whole scenario with the fairy tale books and logic behind WHY the children misbehaved to much made them not nearly as bratty as one would have expected from such behavior and actually made me feel a bit sorry for them so they became almost likable in their attitudes. They weren't just "brats" for the sake of being brats; they had a genuine fear of losing their father which, ultimately would have happened had he married that harpie Mrs. Quimby.

My children absolutely loved the whole barnyard animal scene, especially the dancing donkey. Second to that was the food fight at the wedding. I found this movie to be appropriate for children of ALL ages and simply enjoyable for myself as well. I highly recommend this movie!!!