Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

Company type	Film
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2010
Founder	Susanna White (director), Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lindsay Doran (producers)
Products	Fantasy comedy film
Parent	StudioCanal, Relativity Media, Working Title Films, Three Strange Angels

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang—known as Nanny McPhee Returns in North America—is a 2010 fantasy comedy set in a historical period, directed by Susanna White and produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Lindsay Doran. The score was composed by James Newton Howard, with production handled jointly by StudioCanal, Relativity Media, Working Title Films, and Three Strange Angels. Serving as a follow-up to the 2005 movie Nanny McPhee, the screenplay was penned by Emma Thompson, adapting the Nurse Matilda series written by Christianna Brand. Thompson returns in the titular role, supported by a cast including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ralph Fiennes, Rhys Ifans, Ewan McGregor, Asa Butterfield, and Maggie Smith. The film debuted in European cinemas on 2 April 2010, distributed by Universal Pictures.

With a production cost of $35 million, the film earned $93.2 million globally, reflecting substantial box office success. It garnered favorable reviews from critics and received a nomination for the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film. The UK release on DVD and Blu-ray occurred on 19 June 2010.

Plot

Isabel Green manages the family farm and village shop alone while her husband Rory serves in the Second World War. She also looks after their three energetic children: Norman, Megsie, and Vincent.

Tensions rise when their affluent and pretentious urban cousins, Cyril and Celia, are evacuated to the countryside and join the household. To restore discipline, the magical Nanny McPhee arrives, employing her supernatural abilities to address the children’s unruly behavior.

Meanwhile, Isabel’s brother-in-law Phil squanders his farm share through gambling and becomes targeted by two female assassins hired by casino proprietor Mrs Biggles. Phil attempts to coerce Isabel into selling her portion of the farm using deceitful means, such as releasing piglets intended for sale—a scheme uncovered and thwarted by the children.

At a picnic, Mrs Docherty’s husband, an ARP Warden, warns of bombing threats. Subsequently, Phil delivers a telegram claiming Rory was killed in action, but Norman suspects otherwise and convinces Cyril to help investigate. They travel to the War Office in London, where Cyril’s father, Lord Gray, holds an influential role.

Although Lord Gray initially dismisses Norman’s concerns, Cyril confronts him over his neglect of family duties and impending divorce. Following an inquiry, Lord Gray confirms Rory is missing in action and that no telegram was dispatched, leading Norman to suspect Phil fabricated the message.

Back at home, Megsie, Celia, and Vincent attempt to distract Isabel from signing over the farm to Phil. Just as she is about to finalize the sale, a German bomb lands in their barley field—it fails to detonate but spills ink across Phil’s documents.

Upon returning, Nanny McPhee and the boys confront Phil, who admits to forging the telegram; Isabel restrains him. The children assist Mr Docherty in defusing the bomb after he collapses; Megsie successfully completes this task with aid from Nanny McPhee’s jackdaw companion Mr Edelweiss.

Using magic, Nanny McPhee helps with harvesting barley and shields Phil from Mrs Biggles' assassins. As festivities commence, Mrs Docherty reveals that Nanny McPhee is actually baby Agatha from the first film before she departs.

Isabel and her children pursue Nanny McPhee but are soon reunited with Rory, who returns home injured yet alive.

In a post-credits scene, Ellie—an elephant conjured by Nanny McPhee for Vincent—enjoys playing with a magically operated Scratch-o-matic invented for the piglets.

Cast

• Emma Thompson portrays Nanny McPhee, the magical caregiver who transforms the lives of the Green and Gray children.
• Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Isabel Green, mother to Norman, Megsie, and Vincent.
• Rhys Ifans appears as Phil Green, the uncle trying to sell the family farm following gambling debts.
• Asa Butterfield takes on the role of Norman Green, the eldest sibling.
• Lil Woods is cast as Megsie Green, the middle child and only daughter.
• Oscar Steer plays Vincent Green, the youngest member of the family.
• Eros Vlahos acts as Cyril Gray, a pampered cousin who befriends Norman.
• Rosie Taylor-Ritson portrays Celia Gray, another spoiled cousin who forms a friendship with Megsie.
• Maggie Smith features as Mrs Agatha Docherty, a shopkeeper and former baby Aggie from the original film.
• Ewan McGregor appears as Rory Green, Isabel’s husband and father to the Green children, currently away at war.
• Ralph Fiennes plays Lord Gray, father to Cyril and Celia and an official at the War Office.
• Sam Kelly is Mr Algernon Docherty, husband to Mrs Docherty and an ARP Warden.
• Sinead Matthews portrays Miss Topsey, assistant to Mrs Biggles, who owns a casino.
• Katy Brand acts as Miss Turvey, a colleague working alongside Miss Topsey.
• Bill Bailey appears as Farmer MacReadie, who buys piglets from the Greens.
• Nonso Anozie plays Sergeant Ralph Jeffreys, a War Office guard and former charge of Nanny McPhee.
• Daniel Mays is Blenkinsop, chauffeur to Cyril and Celia Gray.
• Ed Stoppard portrays Lieutenant Addis, a co-worker of Lord Gray at the War Office.
• Toby Sedgwick features as the pilot of an enemy aircraft.

Filming locations

Scenes set in the village were filmed in Hambleden, Buckinghamshire. The farm sequences were captured near Godalming in Surrey, specifically in Hascombe. Interiors and exteriors representing the War Office were shot at the University of London, with motorcycle sequences filmed on London streets. Additional shooting took place at Dunsfold Aerodrome, known for its association with Top Gear, as well as at Shepperton Studios.

Theatrical

The movie premiered across European cinemas on 2 April 2010.

Home media

In the United Kingdom, it became available on DVD and Blu-ray starting 19 June 2010. For North American audiences, retitled as Nanny McPhee Returns, it was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 14 December 2010.

Other media

Emma Thompson wrote a novel adaptation of the film and also provided narration for its audiobook version, which included a behind-the-scenes diary. Her performance earned her the Audie Award for Narration by the Author, along with nominations for both the Audie Award for Middle Grade Title and the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 75% approval rating based on 121 critic reviews, averaging a score of 6.5 out of 10. The site's consensus praises Emma Thompson’s enhanced screenplay and commendable ensemble cast. Meanwhile, Metacritic reflects mixed reviews with an average score of 52 out of 100 from 25 critics. Audience feedback via CinemaScore rated it an "A−". The Independent highlighted both strong acting performances and Thompson’s scriptwriting.

Box office

The film opened at number one in the UK box office with earnings of £2,586,760, surpassing The Blind Side and accumulating a total gross of £16,211,057. In North America, it debuted at seventh place with $8.4 million and eventually grossed over $27 million.

Awards

Award	Category	Nominee	Outcome
IFMCA Award	Best Original Score for a Comedy Film and Film Composer of the Year	James Newton Howard for several 2010 projects including The Last Airbender	Template:Nom
National Movie Award	Best Family Movie		Template:Nom
Silver Medal	Introductions and Lead-in titles	Paul Donnellon (Director), David Z. Obadiah (Producer), Andrew White (Designer), Noel Donnellon (Producer), VooDooDog	Template:Won
Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor	Eros Vlahos	Template:Nom

Cancelled sequel

Plans for a third film, set in contemporary England, were abandoned following the sequel's failure to meet the studio’s performance expectations.