Nanny McPhee
Nanny McPhee is a 2005 family fantasy film based on the 'Nurse Matilda' books by Christianna Brand, starring Emma Thompson as the titular magical nanny. The movie is set in Victorian England and follows Mr. Brown, a recently widowed undertaker struggling to manage his seven incredibly mischievous children who have driven away numerous nannies. Nanny McPhee arrives mysteriously and uses her unique, often magical, methods to teach the unruly children important life lessons, leading to their transformation and ultimately helping to stabilize the fractured family. The film explores themes of obedience, discipline, respect, family unity, and the deceptive nature of appearances. While offering valuable moral lessons, the content includes mild thematic elements, some rude humor, and slapstick violence typical of its PG rating, making it generally suitable for older children and families.
Concerns
Witchcraft & Occult
HighNanny McPhee is explicitly portrayed as a magical figure who uses supernatural powers, including a magic walking stick, to discipline the children and influence events. This forms a central part of the film's fantasy premise.
Nanny McPhee uses her magic to enforce rules and teach lessons, such as making the children's chaotic kitchen cleanup occur by itself or compelling them to stay in bed when they feign illness. As the children learn lessons, Nanny McPhee's initially 'haggish' appearance, including warts and a bulbous nose, magically diminishes and transforms into beauty. One Christian review explicitly describes this as a 'very strong occult worldview with title character using magical powers to discipline children,' likening it to a 'kind of witchcraft.'
Disrespect & Rebellion
HighDisrespect and rebellion are central themes, as the Brown children are notoriously unruly and disobedient, actively plotting against and driving away numerous authority figures before Nanny McPhee's intervention. Their behavior is initially extreme and persistent.
The children are introduced as 'very clever, but very, very, very naughty,' having successfully scared away seventeen previous nannies. Their rebellious acts include tying up and gagging the cook, Mrs. Blatherwick, and destroying the kitchen by swinging from pot racks and breaking dishes. They also show extreme disrespect by introducing themselves to Nanny McPhee using vulgar names like 'Bum' and 'Oglington Fartworthy.'
Violence
MediumThe film contains mild, comical violence, primarily slapstick and mischievous pranks by the children that result in cartoonish harm or chaos. While generally within PG boundaries, some scenes depict children's extreme naughtiness causing distress or minor injury to adults.
The Brown children engage in several acts of violence and mischief, such as hitting the cook, Mrs. Blatherwick, over the head with a frying pan and then gagging and binding her to the table while ransacking the kitchen. Additionally, in an early scene, the children pretend to have eaten their infant sibling, Aggie, placing her in a large roasting pan with a lid, which can be unsettling. Later, a food fight erupts during the wedding preparations, involving both adults and children, where Mr. Brown knocks Mrs. Quickly's hat off, sending her to the ground.
Romance and Sexual Content
MediumRomantic elements are present, revolving around Mr. Brown's need to remarry. Sexual content is limited to mild innuendo, suggestive behavior from a character, and mistaken interpretations of physical actions rather than explicit depictions.
Mrs. Quickly, Mr. Brown's intended bride, is depicted wearing very low-cut dresses and frequently draws attention to her breasts, often talking about her 'passions' in relation to men. In several scenes, Mr. Brown, attempting to thwart his children's pranks, inadvertently falls on top of Mrs. Quickly or has his face in her bosom, which she misinterprets as him seeking 'sexual favors' or being overcome with lust. Furthermore, there is a moment of mistaken identity where Aunt Adelaide believes Mr. Brown intends to marry his scullery maid, Evangeline, who she mistakenly thinks is his daughter, leading to her exclaiming 'Incest!'
Scary & Intense Content
MediumThe film contains several scenes that could be frightening or intense for younger viewers, particularly concerning Nanny McPhee's initial appearance and some of the children's more extreme pranks and the consequences.
Nanny McPhee's initial arrival is often described as 'alarming,' with her 'haggish appearance,' including a bulbous nose and a snaggletooth. One scene depicts a child, Sebastian, needing to walk down a 'creepy, long corridor full of spooky shadows and eerie noises' to reach Nanny McPhee's room, which could disturb young children. Additionally, the children's cruel pranks, such as pretending to eat baby Aggie, create an intense and potentially disturbing atmosphere.
Anti-Christian Themes
MediumWhile the film's core narrative promotes universal moral lessons, the pervasive use of unexplained magical powers by Nanny McPhee, whom some religious outlets describe as a 'witch' or her actions as 'witchcraft,' presents a worldview that could be concerning from a Christian perspective. However, the film also includes positive moral content and features a Christian wedding.
Nanny McPhee employs supernatural magic to enforce discipline and teach lessons, which is characterized by some Christian reviews as a 'very strong occult worldview' and 'a kind of witchcraft' due to the undisclosed origin of her powers. Despite this, the film includes positive Christian elements, such as a 'positive Christian wedding officiated by a church official' for Mr. Brown and Evangeline, symbolizing values of love and family.
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
LowNo explicit LGBTQ+ or gender identity themes or characters are present in the 'Nanny McPhee' (2005) film. Extensive searches across various platforms yielded no relevant content for this media, indicating an absence of such representation in the narrative or character development.
Searches for 'Nanny McPhee' combined with terms like lgbtq, gay, lesbian, transgender, queer representation, and LGBTQ characters, as well as for the author/director, did not yield any results pertaining to the movie's content or its creators' statements regarding LGBTQ+ themes within this specific film.
Profanity
LowProfanity in the film is minimal and mild, aligning with its PG rating. It includes some crude language used by the children and light exclamatory profanities, primarily for comedic or childish effect.
The MPAA rating notes 'brief language.' Specific examples include the children introducing themselves to Nanny McPhee using rude names such as 'Bum,' 'Bosoms,' 'Poop,' and 'Oglington Fartworthy.' There is also a single use of the word 'hell' and a light exclamatory profanity, 'Dear Lord!'
Substance Use
LowSubstance use is infrequent and limited to adult characters consuming alcohol in a social context, without depictions of intoxication or abuse.
Mrs. Quickly and her friend are shown to 'often drink wine,' particularly during social interactions related to Mr. Brown's impending marriage.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
The movie is rated PG, and generally recommended for ages 8 and up. Younger children (under 8) may find some scenes, particularly Nanny McPhee's initial appearance and the children's extreme misbehavior, to be unsettling or too intense. Parental guidance is suggested for children under 13 due to mild thematic elements, rude humor, brief language, and the pervasive use of magic.
Additional Notes
The sequel, 'Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang' (also known as 'Nanny McPhee Returns'), introduces more pronounced physical and verbal violence among the children compared to the first film, where children are depicted hitting, slapping, choking, and slamming each other's heads. The underlying lessons in the sequel shift from basic obedience to themes of sharing, courage, and faith.
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