Nanny McPhee (2006) Rank 2 Reviews

Slant Magazine (Dan Callahan)

Nanny McPhee, an adaptation of Christianna Brand's Nurse Matilda books, is in every way an exemplary children's film, but it's much more than that: at its best, it resembles the gently whimsical Ealing comedies of the '50s. The movie heralds something ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Slant Magazine (Dan Callahan)

Chicago Reader (J.R. Jones)

Highly recommended if you want to see a distinguished cast of British character actors tarted up in garish Victorian costumes and badly executing a Three Stooges-style cake fight. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Chicago Reader (J.R. Jones)

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)

Its striking combination of day-glo psychedelic colors and a rich streak of morbidity is enough to keep it afloat most of the time. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)

Boxoffice Magazine (Christine James)

A fugly Mary Poppins meets Nanny 911 in this family comedy whose overly familiar elements still go down easily as if with a spoonful of sugar. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Boxoffice Magazine (Christine James)

ShowBIZ Data (--)

...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at ShowBIZ Data (--)

New York Times (Stephen Holden)

... a movie whose twisted visual imagination is more forceful than its wobbly, zigzagging narrative. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at New York Times (Stephen Holden)

Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)

Likely to fascinate children, even if it may leave adults bored at times. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Las Vegas Weekly (Josh Bell)

Hero Realm (Stefan Halley)

an intelligent children's film which will entertain the adults as much as the children ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Hero Realm (Stefan Halley)

Arizona Republic (Kathy Cano Murillo)

The fun is doled out in small portions and the film is so passive that younger kids will probably fidget in their seats. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Arizona Republic (Kathy Cano Murillo)

The Hollywood Reporter (Ray Bennett)

Colorful, noisy and brimming with special effects, the picture may please young audiences simply looking for loud action, but its corny storyline and brittle lack of warmth may discourage both parents and children. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at The Hollywood Reporter (Ray Bennett)

Village Voice (Jaime Mastromonica)

If you have someone under 10 to take to the movies, this one is charming and painless. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Village Voice (Jaime Mastromonica)

ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)

Unfortunately, Colin Firth seems as though he's on auto-pilot and the relationship between his character and Evangeline is unconvincing, if not borderline inappropriate. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)

The Onion (A.V. Club) (Scott Tobias)

There are times when Nanny McPhee seems designed to drive all but the most sugar-crazed spazzes out of the theater: Colors that should never go together clash like a tempest, the camera whisks around in manic curlicues, and a musical score makes certain ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at The Onion (A.V. Club) (Scott Tobias)

New York Daily News (Jami Bernard)

Any time Thompson curls that prosthetic snaggletooth over her lower lip and murmurs a nearly inaudible harrumph is a comic moment to be treasured. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at New York Daily News (Jami Bernard)

Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)

Nanny McPhee should work for the kids, but it's the unusual adult who will find these proceedings charming. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)

Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)

...off-putting in a garish way. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)

San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)

In a seemingly blithe way, the movie captures an aspect of child consciousness not usually explored onscreen -- that zone between innocence and knowledge. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)

Metromix.com (Matt Pais)

As entertainment for anyone over 10, Nanny McPhee is a supercalifragilisticexpialadisappointment. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Metromix.com (Matt Pais)

Toronto Star (Susan Walker)

Nanny McPhee has its own enduring charm, a mix of witty dialogue, pie-throwing slapstick and eccentric family portrait. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Toronto Star (Susan Walker)

Sacramento Bee (Carla Meyer)

Lack of visual dazzle, combined with barely sympathetic child characters, keeps the film from enchanting as fully as it might have. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Sacramento Bee (Carla Meyer)

ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)

The movie is hampered by production designer Michael Howell's garish neon color palate contrasted against clownish costumes by Nic Ede... ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)

Newark Star-Ledger (Lisa Rose)

Nanny McPhee isn't a bad film, just a disappointing one. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Newark Star-Ledger (Lisa Rose)

Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)

This bracing adaptation of the Nurse Matilda books by Christianna Brand is the acidic antidote to Mary Poppins sweetness. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)

Detroit Free Press (John Monaghan)

Nanny McPhee is clever enough, but it never feels like it's hitting quite the right notes. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Detroit Free Press (John Monaghan)

South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Phoebe Flowers)

Nanny McPhee may well delight kids -- if not eternally -- but their adult chaperones, hoping for pleasures of their own from the Thompson-Firth contingent, are bound to find it a bit lacking. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Phoebe Flowers)

New York Post (Kyle Smith)

I enjoy a cozy homage to Dickens - it beats another ripoff of "The Matrix" - but though the movie has a gentle spirit, neither the actors, whose performances are broad caricatures, nor Thompson bring any wit to it. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at New York Post (Kyle Smith)

Entertainment Weekly (Owen Gleiberman)

One of those raucous, hyperactive kiddie flicks that knocks you upside the head from its opening frame. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Entertainment Weekly (Owen Gleiberman)

Austin Chronicle (Marrit Ingman)

Parents might appreciate a lighter hand with the barnyard whimsy and food fights, but overall the movie doesn't condescend about heavy matters (grief, healing, and blended families) and is pleasantly diverting. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marrit Ingman)

SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review

Emma Thompson has always been one of my favourite actresses. I first noticed Thompson with the fabulous Fortunes of War tv mini-series (1987) and not long after the rest of the world did too. She quickly ascended to a Hollywood and awards ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review

Seattle Post-Intelligencer (William Arnold)

It's a colorful and exuberant but by-the-numbers and fairly charm-free concoction. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer (William Arnold)

TheMovieBoy Review (Dustin Putman)

Uniting the fantasy elements of "Mary Poppins" with the sort of misbehaving tykes found on any one episode of reality series "Nanny 911," "Nanny McPhee" yearns to be a magical, moralistic family entertainment, but doesn't quite come together as it should. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at TheMovieBoy Review (Dustin Putman)

Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)

[An] utterly predictable, yet garishly charming children's tale, ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)

ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

Nanny McPhee is perfect for little girls. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)

Should play well with the small fry, though adults may be more bothered by the clumsy shifts in tone. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)

Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)

Thompson can't or won't diverge much from standard fairy-tale plotting, but enlivens the familiar situation comedy with some pleasingly tart lines. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)

Christianity Today (Peter T. Chattaway)

There are many different kinds of children's movies, and this one tries to be all of them at once -- including one of those in which the children are smarter than the adults. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Christianity Today (Peter T. Chattaway)

Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)

Often as garish and shrill as it is magical and enchanting. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)

Miami Herald (Peter Debruge)

Although such elements lend the film an edge most American children's films wouldn't dare, Nanny McPhee is actually quite conventional in virtually every other regard. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Miami Herald (Peter Debruge)

Movie Parables (Michael Elliott)

Sugary sweet Mary Poppins' day must be over. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Movie Parables (Michael Elliott)

Washington Post (Desson Thomson)

Even Thompson, the one you look forward to watching, is disappointing. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Washington Post (Desson Thomson)

Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio)

Think of it Edward Gorey meets Mary Poppins. ...read the complete Nanny McPhee movie review at Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio)