Those who know me well might be very surprised to see that I saw Saving Mr. Banks, especially if you know what the movie is about. You see I have a hatred for Mary Poppins, and other musicals of that ilk are the reason I have labelled myself as a hater of all things musical for so long.
Of course, I am not immune to the power of a good musical and have since found myself to be quite the fan of musicals when they are done well, or of a subject matter that I can appreciate. But Mary Poppins will always be on my (s)hit list.
So why did I see a movie about the making of Mary Poppins I hear you cry? Well, after Captain Phillips I was intrigued to see if Tom Hanks could endear me again, but mostly, I just liked the idea of there being a story behind the film and I wanted to see what that was.
The story centers on the negotiations for the film rights for Mary Poppins, between the book's writer P.L. Travers (Thompson) and Walt Disney (Hanks). The film also shows us Travers' young life in flashbacks, living in Queensland, Australia in 1906, as she watches her father sink deeper into alcoholism. The arrival of her Aunt Ellie is what inspired her to write about a nanny that saved the Banks family in her book. As the characters of Mary Poppins and the Banks are so close to Travers (she goes so far as to call them family), she is reluctant to let the rights go, especially to a man like Disney, who's films are bright and gaudy and rarely show things as they are. Can Walt convince Mrs Travers to let go of her book and allow him to create an unforgettable movie?
Well of course he can or I would not have been forced to endure Mary Poppins on every bank holiday as a child! Despite my loathing of Poppins, I did enjoy Saving Mr. Banks. I thought Thompson and Hanks were both excellent, although I wish the character of Mrs Travers had been a little more accessible. She's the central character and for most of the film she's quite unlikable. You know she must have pain in her past, but I don't think it makes her behavior forgivable. And I would have liked for her to be someone the audience could connect with, which I didn't feel she was. It's still an exceptional performance from Thompson that she makes you feel this way, but I like Emma, and so I would have liked to have liked Mrs Travers too, and I didn't until the last couple of scenes.
It did give me a better understanding of Mary Poppins, and although it's not made me want to see that movie again, I did enjoy the scenes with the Sherman brothers creating all of the songs for the movie. I may have even tapped my feet at that point (and if you see Saving Mr. Banks you will understand that a foot tap is quite significant).
A good effort by all involved, it just needed Mrs Travers to be a bit less cold in order for me to love it. 7 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 7th December 2013
UK Release Date - 29th November 2013
Cast Overview:
P.L. Travers ~ Emma Thompson
Walt Disney ~ Tom Hanks
Ginty ~ Annie Rose Buckley
Travers Goff ~ Colin Farrell
Margaret Goff ~ Ruth Wilson
Ralph ~ Paul Giamatti
Don DaGradi ~ Bradley Whitford
Robert Sherman ~ B.J. Novak
Richard Sherman ~ Jason Schwartzman
Tommie ~ Kathy Baker
Aunt Ellie ~ Rachel Griffiths
Director ~ John Lee Hancock
Writer(s) ~ Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith
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