| | Lori #1 & I went to see Nanny McPhee last night because it's a Colin Firth movie (!!!) and the last two weeks have been heck for both of us at work. I had a salmon burger at Cheesburger Charley's which was VERY good, can I just tell ya? Anyway, the movie was based on the Nurse Matilda books by Christianna Brand (never heard of them until now, evidently it's more of an English thing). This is the 3rd movie Emma Thompson has written the screenplay for and starred in, the other two being Sense & Sensiblity and Wit. While Nanny McPhee probably won't win Thompson a 2nd Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay (who knows, I could be wrong), Lori & I agreed that the film is great fun and very cute (and saved by the fact that it's loaded with great British acting talent, LOL). It's basically a 19th century fairy tale, containing strong elements of the Cinderella story (the romantic subplot with the scullery maid Evangeline). While some reviewers have drawn Mary Poppins comparisions (and justifiably so), Nanny McPhee is a rather unorthodox and particularly hideous looking governess who comes to the rescue of Mr. Brown and his overwhelming family of seven rowdy children, prone to constantly misbehave and used to getting their own way since their mother's death. As long as the children don't want her but need her to teach them their lessons, she must stay; however, when they want her but no longer need her, she must leave.
 Visually the movie is stunning, bursting with bright, vibrant color and quirky, fun sets and costumes. Patrick Doyle provided the score and has delivered his 2nd winner of the last three months (the first being his stunning score for Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire). Historically Doyle has done some of his best work for films starring either Kenneth Branagh or Emma Thompson (think the likes of Hamlet and Sense & Sensibility) and Nanny McPhee is no exception. The comedic cues are bright, vibrant, and whimsical, and perfectly complement the wild misbehaving antics of Mr. Brown's seven wild children. These cues are paired with grand, sweeping, romantic music that reinforces the magical, otherworldly feel of the film. Colin Firth as the harried Mr. Brown was simply perfect of course, and really quite funny -- it was most bizarre to see him as a sort of happy-go-lucky mortician (yes, Mr. Darcy is a mortician...who talks to his "patients" -- extremely funny). However, I have to say that the kids stole the show. Thompson did an impressive job with her screenplay of developing the characters of each of the seven children and giving them all a distinct, quirky, fun personality. It was incredibly entertaining to see all of them interact. All of these kids have tremendous acting potential -- especially Thomas Sangster as Simon (completely shocked to learn that he's almost sixteen years old as he just doesn't look it!!!).
All of this to say that I thought the movie was very enjoyable, well-made, and fun. Which brings me to a point I feel the need to address for a second...before seeing this movie last night I read several reviews online, including Christianity Today's and Crosswalk's. Both reviewers took issue with the film's representation of what they termed inept parenting and Hollywood (again) showing children to be smarter than their parents. In response to this I have to say -- get over it, it's a fairy tale. Have you ever read the original Brothers Grimm? To put it bluntly, parents/authority figures are either dead or dumb in fairy tales because the story isn't about them, it's about how the young protagonists learn to mature and cope with life. However here it's not just the children who learn their lessons, their father also receives a valuable reminder of the importance of being involved in his children's lives.
Hmmm...I don't know, I guess I think that this movie was incredibly over-analyzed. LOL, I sound like my Dad, he's always complaining about "hidden meanings" in movies and books...he's a take everything at face value kind of person, and as an English major generally I am the opposite!
In other news...still sick...feel incredibly icky today. Hopeful that there will be great improvement tomorrow as I really don't want to have to go to the doctor (such a pain). I want to try to post a comparsion of Hidden Places the movie versus the novel later tonight or tomorrow. |
