Seen: May 26th, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 7
I love kids' flicks. They're unique in that if done remotely well, they get to break all the rules and get away with it scot free.
This one's done very well.
Basically all the is bad in a non-kid film is good in a kid film. Take caricatures for instance. Usually when I call a role a caricature, that's a bad thing. It means that the writer, director and actor have combined to create something safe. Something a bit hollow. They are supplying a minimal stereotypical version of the character and relying on the audience to fill in the rest. This is bad.
In a kid's film, a caricature is, again, a stereotype that we recognize. But here, the caricature is the starting place, and it's filled in with specific, detailed aspects of the stereotype, the more the better. The caricature is actually brought to life. All the characters move to their extremes, polarizing into well defined factions.
A similar thing happens to the action. Changes are large and dramatic. They may happen over time, but their progression is marked and obvious. There's no sneakery. This is particularly true of changes in people. They are not subtle.
While all this obviousness may seem tedious, it actually frees the film makers to create and have fun. Once the frameworks are established, the only thing left to do is invent outrageous embellishments to accentuate them. The only way to fail is by not having enough fun. Gaffes aren't covered up, they're pointed out and laughed at. Every failure becomes the launching point for a joke of some sort.
Which brings us finally back to Nanny McPhee.
Emma Thompson is a long time favorite. Here, she adapts a series of children's stories for the film. I have no idea how well the film portrays the books, and I don't really care. The result succeeds monstrously. The film is outlandish in all regards. I though to exclude the nanny here, but her outward appearance qualifies her as well.
Running jokes are a staple of juvenile humor and they're in abundance here. They're not particularly funny in themselves, but the continual and varied employment is a nice touch, and draws us into the picture.
For the most part, the acting is spot on. There's a joie de vivre that's undeniable in the performances, which are, with the possible exception of Colin Firth, uniformly over the top. Thompson in particular is stunning because she plays the nanny so straight. There is humor here, but it's slightly twisted, wry and very ephemeral. The very straightness of the character makes this so much more effective when it rarely rears its head.
Firth is the odd man out here. He can't seem to step away from his Britishness enough to really nail this role. He can't quite lose his dignity completely, even when flinging pie.
The costuming is brilliant. The set design and decoration beautiful in it's rampant impracticality and impact. Each set fits it use and conveys so much about people who play the scenes there.
Nothing really surprising happens. We know how it'll all turn out. But the trip is an entertaining one if we can just relax and watch with the eyes of a child.
The Good: Over the top at every turn
The Bad: Bimbo Stepmothers
The Ugly: Is only skin deep
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