Not recommended under 5, PG to 10 (Violence, scary scenes)
This topic contains:
Children under 5 | Not recommended due to violence and scary scenes |
Children aged 5-10 | Parental guidance recommended due to violence and scary scenes |
Children over 10 | OK for this age group |
This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.
Name of movie: | Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang |
Classification: | G |
Consumer advice lines: | None |
Length: | 109 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, directed by Susanna White, is a sequel to the successful 2005 “Nanny McPhee”, which was based on Christianna Brand’s “Nurse Matilda” books. This time, the story is set in the war-torn countryside of 1940s England. The film opens to scenes of domestic chaos as a mother tries to balance running a small farm, working in a store and raising three children while her husband is away at war. Just as the harried mum (Maggie Gyllenhaal) reaches the end of her tether, the incredibly ugly Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) appears at her door offering to provide child-management assistance.
Although initially suspicious of the unexpected guest, the Green children (Oscar Steer, Asa Butterfield and Lil Woods) and their visiting cousins Cyril (Eros Vlahos) and Celia (Rosie Taylor-Ritson) soon come to respect and like this unconventional woman.
Other characters in the film are Mrs. Docherty (Maggie Smith), the doddery owner of the village store where Isabel Green works; Mr. Docherty (Sam Kelly), her husband, who is the volunteer bomb-raid warden; Phil Green (Rhys Ifans), Isabel’s scheming brother; and two female hit-women, Miss Topsey (Sinead Matthews) and Miss Turvey (Katy Brand), who seek to retrieve unpaid gambling debts from Phil Green.
Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.
Separation from a parent; family breakdown; war and death.
Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.
Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.
There is a great deal of physical and verbal violence in this movie including:
Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including:
Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.
Children in this age group may also be disturbed by the above mentioned violent scenes and scary images and also the following scenes:
Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.
In addition to some of the above-mentioned violent scenes, there is one scene in this movie that could scare or disturb younger children in this age group:
Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.
Children in this age group are unlikely to be disturbed by anything in this film.
None of concern
None of concern
There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:
None of concern
There are some mild coarse language and insults in this movie, including:
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang is a fast-paced comedy that is likely to appeal to audiences of all ages. While initially depicting a great deal of violence between children, the film goes on to promote a strong message about the need to learn how to work together with others, rather than simply fight. Despite the obvious commercial motivation behind creating a Nanny McPhee sequel, the movie’s emphasis on family and community loyalty is delivered with sincerity and warmth. The young cast members provide particularly convincing performances.
However, viewed from a more critical perspective, this movie can also be seen to promote a sub-theme of enforced obedience through coercion and fear.
Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:
Tip: Leave out the first A, An or The
Selecting an age will provide a list of movies with content suitable for this age group. Children may also enjoy movies selected via a lower age.
Content is age appropriate for children this age
Some content may not be appropriate for children this age. Parental guidance recommended
Content is not age appropriate for children this age
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ABN: 16 005 214 531