Nanny McPhee
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Nanny McPhee is a 2005 children's film. It was adapted from Christianna Brand's Nurse Matilda books by Emma Thompson.
Plot outline
Widower (and undertaker) Cedric Brown has seven children (Tora, Simon, Lily, Eric, Christianna, Sebastian, and Aggie). He loves his children but spends little time with them and cannot handle them. The children have had a series of seventeen nannies, which they systematically drive out by bad behavior (it is a point of pride for them to drive out each nanny as fast as possible). They also terrorize the cook, Mrs. Blatherwick, but are cared for and loved by Evangeline, the scullery maid.An unusual woman named Nanny McPhee comes to help. With discipline, and a little magic, she transforms the family's lives. In the process, she slowly changes from ugly to beautiful. The children, led by the eldest son Simon, first try to play their tricks on her, but gradually start to respect her and ask her for advice. They change to responsible people helping their hapless father in solving the family problems, making McPhee less and less needed.
The family is financially supported by Cedric's nearsighted Aunt Adelaide (his late wife's aunt, his aunt by marriage, and the children's great-aunt). However, she demands custody over one of the children. She first wants Christiana (Crissy), one of the daughters, but Evangeline volunteers and Adelaide agrees, assuming she is one of the daughters, adopting her as her own, something which satisfies both Evangeline's wish to be properly educated and the requirement of Adelaide's latest condition to the contract.
She also threatens to cut off the allowance unless Cedric remarries within the month. The family would lose the house, and it would not be able to stay together. Desperate, Cedric turns to frequent widow Mrs. Quickly. The children assume from books that stepmothers are terrible. Therefore they sabotage a visit of Mrs. Quickly, who leaves, angry at Cedric. After the children are explained the truth about their father's situation, they agree to the marriage, and appease Mrs. Quickly by confessing they were to blame for the disturbance of her visit.
However, they discover that Mrs. Quickly is unkind, as they knew all along. When everyone is gathered for the marriage ceremony, they disturb the ceremony by pretending a swarm of bees has been attracted to Quickly's flowered hat. Things quickly get out of hand, resulting in a food fight. Cedric understands that they do not like the bride, and that he does not like her himself, and therefore starts disrupting the ceremony himself. Mrs. Quickly cancels the marriage and storms off.
This seems to mean that Adelaide's marriage deadline is missed. But then Simon asks Evangeline whether she loves Cedric. She first denies it, explaining that that would be inappropriate because of her station as maidservant, but then admits she does. Cedric marries Evangeline the same day, with magical wedding decorations, satifying Aunt Adelaide's demand, and solving all of the family's problems again, and completely nullifies any remaining need for Nanny McPhee's services.
Nanny McPhee leaves surreptitiously, in accordance with what she told the children before: "When you need me, but do not want me, then I will stay. When you want me, but do not need me, then I have to go."
Starring
- Nanny McPhee - Emma Thompson
- Cedric Brown - Colin Firth
- Evangeline - Kelly Macdonald
- Great Aunt Adelaide - Angela Lansbury
- Mrs. Quickly - Celia Imrie
- Mrs. Blatherwick - Imelda Staunton
- Mr. Wheen - Derek Jacobi
- Mr. Jowls - Patrick Barlow
The Brown Children
- Simon - Thomas Sangster
- Tora - Eliza Bennett
- Lily - Jennifer Rae Daykin
- Eric - Raphael Coleman
- Sebastian - San Honywood
- Christianna "Chrissy" - Holly Gibbs
- Agatha "Aggie" Hebe Barnes and Zinnia Barnes
Nanny McPhee's Five Lessons
Nanny McPhee has five very important base lessons which she teaches the children, while also teaching them discipline, manners and the consequences of their actions.
- First Lesson - To Go To Bed When They Are Told
- Second Lesson - To Get Up When They Are Told
- Third Lesson - To Get Dressed When They Are Told
- Fourth Lesson - To Listen
- Fifth Lesson - You Must Do Exactly As You Are Told
Quotes
"When you need me, but do not want me, then I will stay. When you want me, but do not need me, then I have to go." - Nanny McPhee to the children."The person you need is Nanny McPhee." - A mysterious voice to Cedric Brown.
"I NEVER say 'please'!" - Simon Brown
"I did knock." - Nanny McPhee to Mr. Brown, multiple times. Notably, every time, she doesn't actually knock, just appears
"The nanny is a witch." - Eric Brown
"Incest?" - Aunt Adelaide
"Nanny McPhee, we need you" - Eric Brown
"They don't dare come in this kitchen... I have it in writing!" - Mrs. Blatherwick
"Beehive" - Baby Aggie after Mrs. Quickly says "behave".
"Poop Bum" - Aggie
"Oh, my lord! Your Higherness!" - Mrs Quickly after the cake she throws hits Aunt Adelaide in the face.
Trivia
- This film marks the first return of Angela Lansbury to the big screen in more than 20 years, although she does have role in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991).
- Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, and Thomas Sangster also appear together in Love Actually.
- It was actually Emma Thompson who threw the cake that hits Angela Lansbury in the face.
- There was a scene where Cedric is playing around with a corpse's mouth, and tightening his jaw, but it was cut from the film as it proved too frightening for children.
Box office
- $47,144,110 (domestic) + $73,682,709 (overseas) = $120,826,819 (worldwide)
External links
- [}}}] at Box Office Mojo
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