You've never seen Emma Thompson so ugly. The svelte and proper actress dons warts and a mountain of a dress for this role. But if you're looking for an entertaining show with a series of excellent messages, rent Nanny McPhee. I was surprised to see that Thompson even wrote the screenplay.

My kids (ages 7 and 9) watched it and loved it. The special effects are outstanding, but the story is especially well-done. And what impressed me the most, was that there were examples of youth empowerment throughout.

Nanny McPhee takes the seven naughty children under her wing and teaches them all sorts of things that their father just couldn't. But during each lesson, she throws the responsibility back on the children. I consistently heard empowerment phrasing, like (these are paraphrased according to my memory):

"What will you do?" (When a child comes to Nanny with a problem.)

"This is something you must do." (When the children are faced with a problem, she sent them all off to solve it.)

"No, I couldn't interfere. But perhaps Simon (oldest boy) could talk to your father." (They wanted Nanny McPhee to work her magic so the potential stepmother would go away.)

And when the children asked Nanny if she would allow them to do whatever they needed to in order to scare off the woman their father would marry, she said, "Only if you are willing to accept whatever consequences come your way."

The technical effects were marvelous, the story adventurous and even the predictable ending entertained. This movie gets high marks from me. I'd give it four stars.