| Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang | |
|---|---|
 UK theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Susanna White |
| Written by | Emma Thompson |
| Based on | Characters byChristianna Brand |
| Produced by | Lindsay Doran Tim Bevan Eric Fellner |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Mike Eley |
| Edited by | Sim Evan-Jones |
| Music by | James Newton Howard |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures (International) StudioCanal (France)[1] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 109 minutes[2] |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States France |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35 million[3] |
| Box office | $93.2 million[1] |
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (released in the United States and Canada asNanny McPhee Returns) is a 2010periodfantasy comedy film directed bySusanna White, produced byTim Bevan,Eric Fellner andLindsay Doran with music byJames Newton Howard and co-produced byStudioCanal,Relativity Media,Working Title Films and Three Strange Angels. It is a sequel to the 2005 filmNanny McPhee. It was written byEmma Thompson, based onChristianna Brand'sNurse Matilda books.[4] Thompson reprises her role as Nanny McPhee, and it also starsMaggie Gyllenhaal,Ralph Fiennes,Rhys Ifans,Ewan McGregor,Asa Butterfield andMaggie Smith.[4] It was theatrically released on 2 April 2010 in Europe byUniversal Pictures.
It received positive reviews from critics and it earned $93.2 million on a $35 million budget. It also received a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in a Feature Film. The film was released on DVD andBlu-ray in the UK on 19 June 2010.
Isabel Green is driven to her wit's end by her hectic life while her husband, Rory, fights in theSecond World War. Between trying to keep the family farm up and running and her job in the village shop, run by the slightly mad Mrs Docherty, she also has three boisterous children to look after: 12-year-old Norman, 11-year-old Megsie and 6-year-old Vincent.
When the children's wealthy, pompous and snobbish city cousins, 12-year-old Cyril and Celia,are evacuated to live with them in the countryside, the conflict escalates, only adding to Isabel's problems.
The magical Nanny McPhee arrives to help. At first, the children refuse to listen and carry on fighting, which Nanny McPhee soon puts a stop to with her magic.
Meanwhile, Isabel's brother-in-law Phil has gambled away his half of the farm, and is being chased by two hired female assassins working for a casino owner named Mrs Biggles. Phil desperately attempts to make Isabel sell her half of the farm, using mean and spiteful schemes. He sets loose the litter of piglets to be sold to a neighbouring farmer, but the plot is discovered by the children, leading them to bond as they work together to fix it.
Isabel takes everyone on a picnic as a show of thanks, during which Mrs Docherty'sARP Warden husband warns them about bombs and relates how he imagines a pilot might accidentally release one. Phil subsequently delivers a telegram stating that Rory waskilled in action.
Everyone believes the news except Norman, who is sure his father is alive because he "can feel it in [his] bones". He tells this to Cyril, who thinks he is just upset, but then believes that Norman might be right. They convince Nanny McPhee to take them to theWar Office in London, where Cyril's and Celia's father, Lord Gray, holds an important position, believing he will know the truth.
Lord Gray sneers at Norman's disbelief at his father's death, but after Cyril reveals that he knows he is divorcing their mother and criticises him for his neglect as a parent, Lord Gray investigates what has happened. While he is gone, Norman asks Cyril where he will live following the divorce; upon learning Cyril rarely sees either of his parents, Norman says that he and Celia are welcome to live permanently with the Greens.
Lord Gray returns and tells Norman that his father is merelymissing in action, and that there is no record of a telegram being sent to his mother. Norman deduces that Phil forged the message.
While the older boys are at the War Office, Megsie, Celia and Vincent try to stop Isabel from signing Phil's papers and selling the farm by creating distractions, such as pretending that a mouse was in the kitchen. Finally, as she is about to do so, a German pilot accidentally drops a huge bomb on the Greens' barley field; itdoes not explode, but the impact is strong enough to cover Phil's papers with ink.
When Nanny McPhee, Norman and Cyril return, Phil admits to Norman's accusation of forgery and is handcuffed to the stove by Isabel. The children go out to watch Mr Docherty defuse the bomb, but when he faints, Megsie takes over, succeeding with the help of the other children and Nanny McPhee'sjackdaw friend Mr Edelweiss.
Nanny McPhee helps to harvest the barley with a little magic, saving Phil from Mrs Biggles' hitwomen in the process. While everyone celebrates, Nanny McPhee begins to leave. Mrs Docherty explains to the Greens that Nanny McPhee leaves when she is no longer needed, revealing herself as baby Agatha from the first film.
Isabel and the children chase after Nanny McPhee, only to see Rory, with a bandaged arm, making his way back to them. He runs to his family and they embrace.
In a post-credits scene, Ellie, an elephant conjured by Nanny McPhee to share Vincent's bed, is seen enjoying the magically operated Scratch-o-matic invented for the piglets.
The village in the film isHambleden inBuckinghamshire, the farm set and scenes were filmed inHascombe, nearGodalming inSurrey and the War Office scenes, both interior and exterior, were filmed at theUniversity of London, and the motorcycle scenes on various roads in London.[5]Dunsfold Aerodrome, a filming location for the television programmeTop Gear, nameNanny McPhee and the Big Bang as being filmed there, with more filming taking place atShepperton Studios.[6]
It was released theatrically on 2 April 2010 in Europe.
It was released on DVD andBlu-ray in the UK on 19 June 2010.Nanny McPhee Returns, as the film was renamed for the North American market for undisclosed reasons, was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 14 December 2010.
Emma Thompson wrote a novelisation of the film. She narrated itsaudiobook and included a behind-the-scenes diary.[7] Thompson won theAudie Award for Narration by the Author and was nominated for anAudie Award for Middle Grade Title and aGrammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for her narration.[8][9]
The review-aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 76% based on 120 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Emma Thompson's second labor of love with the Nanny McPhee character actually improves on the first, delivering charming family fare with an excellent cast."[10]Metacritic calculated an average score of 52 out of 100 based on 25 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[12]The Independent also gave a favourable review, with praise given to the actors and Thompson's script."[13]
In the UK the film opened at number one, with £2,586,760,[14] outperforming the new releaseThe Blind Side, grossing a total of £16,211,057. In the United States and Canada it debuted in seventh position with $8.4 million.[1] Gross exceeded $27 million.[15]
| Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFMCA Award | Best Original Score for a Comedy Film and Film Composer of the Year | James Newton Howard forThe Last Airbender,Love & Other Drugs,Salt, andThe Tourist | Nominated |
| National Movie Award | Best Family Movie | Nominated | |
| Silver Medal | Introductions and Lead-in titles | Paul Donnellon (Director) David Z. Obadiah (Producer) Andrew White (Designer) Noel Donnellon (Producer) VooDooDog | Won |
| Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor | Eros Vlahos | Nominated |
A third film, to be set in 21st-century England, was planned,[16] but the sequel did not meet studio expectations and plans for further films were cancelled.[17]
