NANNY McPHEE & THE BIG BANG (U).

Comedy. Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Asa Butterfield, Lilian Woods, Oscar Steer, Eros Vlahos, Rosie Taylor-Ritson, Dame Maggie Smith, Rhys Ifans, Sinead Matthews, Katy Brand, Ralph Fiennes, Ewan McGregor.

Released in 2005, the original Nanny McPhee was a strong successor to Mary Poppins in every way.

Adapted from the Nurse Matilda books by Christianna Brand, the film pitted seven mischievous tykes against an ugly woman with a snaggle tooth, warts and an oversized nose, who had a few tricks up her sleeve when it came to childcare.

Susanna White’s colourful sequel casts an even more bewitching spell, introducing the mysterious nanny to a family in crisis in wartime Britain.

Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang is a glorious, rumbustious romp that again demonstrates Emma Thompson’s magical touch in front of and behind the camera.

As screenwriter, she crafts believable, funny and endearing characters, whose plights move us to laughter and tears as the plot twists and turns in unexpected directions.

In her guise as the eponymous guardian angel, Thompson underlines the central message about inner beauty with another sparkling performance.

While her husband (McGregor) is away at war, Mrs Green (Gyllenhaal) valiantly takes care of the farm with her three children, Norman (Butterfield), Megsie (Woods) and Vincent (Steer).

Chaos ensues when snooty, well-to-do cousins Cyril (Vlahos) and Celia (Taylor-Ritson) come to stay and take an immediate dislike to the rest of the brood.

Thankfully, Nanny McPhee (Thompson) arrives in the nick of time to prevent serious injury. She uses her special walking stick to show the little brats that the best way to overcome any problem is to work together.

Meanwhile, Mrs Green’s brother Phil (Ifans) schemes to get his sister to sell the farm so he can pay off his spiralling debts and avoid a beating from Miss Topsey (Matthews) and hulking sidekick, Miss Turvey (Brand).

Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang is a treat for kids big and small, striking just the right balance between cuteness and heart-tugging sentiment, not least when Cyril heads to London to beg his father (Fiennes) for a favour.

Smith, Ifans and the demented double-act of Matthews and Brand provide unadulterated comic relief, aided by a litter of synchronised swimming pigs.

Young actors impress with their timing and cry convincingly in pivotal scenes.

The explosive ending, promised in the film’s title, leaves a genuine lump in the throat that keeps the barn door open for another visit from the enigmatic governess. Come back soon Nanny McPhee.

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