Nanny McPhee turns up like magic when you need her.

Anyone who's had a close look at what passes for family films lately knows that Nanny McPhee is needed now more than ever.

For the uninitiated, Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) is a special sort of helper, a nanny who provides both discipline and magic. No, alas, they are not the same thing. Nanny McPhee can make pigs fly and inspire statues to come to life in her pursuit of civilized behaviour, good manners and kindness.

Those needing the guidance of her in this sequel, Nanny McPhee Returns, are the Green family. The Greens live out in the British countryside at Sweet Valley Farm.

Mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is on her own as father is off at war; her three children are wild and quarrelsome, and the arrival of their snooty cousins from the big city just adds to the din. The rich cousins from London are shocked by the amount of dung on a farm, allowing into the story all the poo jokes so dear to the younger set.

Mother must also contend with her villainous brother-in-law (Rhys Ifans) who is trying to get her to sell the farm for all the wrong reasons. Into this scene of absolute domestic chaos comes Nanny McPhee, unexpected and uncalled-for. Quite frightening to look at -- she bristles with moles and terrible warts and her teeth go every which way -- Nanny McPhee reflects the atmosphere around her. And as the household becomes calmer and more pleasant under her influence, her appearance changes accordingly. She gets less scary and more beautiful.

As in the first Nanny McPhee movie, this sequel has five lessons for the children. They learn to stop fighting, to share nicely, to help each other, to be brave, and to have faith. The lessons are taught through adventure and magic.

Emma Thompson is the anchor of the story as titular character, but she once again wrote the screenplay for the movie based on the Nurse Matilda stories by Christianna Brand; all the wish fulfillment/fairly tale/good-vs.-evil material translates well from page to screen.

Visually, Nanny McPhee is bright, chipper and exaggerated -- the world as children see it. There are also some dark elements in the story, particularly a sad subplot about the rich cousins and their parents' marriage. It's a bit that allows a menacing cameo from Ralph Fiennes, here in good company with an impressive support cast that includes Ewan McGregor and Dame Maggie Smith.

Those who have been anticipating more fantastic events (and politeness) from the no-nonsense Nanny McPhee will be pleased with this second installment.

And you needn't have the seen the first film to enjoy this one.
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