SAVING MR. BANKS

SAVING MR. BANKS Review

By Darin Skaggs

     The Disney classic Mary Poppins is about a maid that can fly with her umbrella, she has a bag with no end and has many other magic like powers.  Kids all across the world have fallen in love with her.  In John Lee Hancock’s Saving Mr. Banks it shows how the book Mary Poppins was conceived by a childhood experience and how Disney got her to give permission to make the film.

      P.L. Travers, the author of Mary Poppins, in the film has spent 20 years denying the rights to her book to be adapted into a movie by Disney.  She is out of luck and hasn’t published anything in a long while.  Her money is running out.  So she accepts to go to LA to help write the film adaptation of Mary Poppins.  When she gets there it is apparent that she is going to be stubborn about any choices made for the film.  The story does not make her out to be a crusty old stubborn lady on account to the flashbacks of her childhood that we end up learning was the inspiration for her book.

     Emma Thompson plays Travers and is very funny and touching throughout the film.  The film as a whole is surprisingly funny as well.  From the look of the trailer and the very tone of the film it seemed that there would be many cheesy and “roll your eye” type moments.  Fortunately there is not that many, of course there has to be a few but not enough to ruin the humor or even the emotional impact of the film.  Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney and is great at it.  He is not stereotyped as what you would think Disney would act like.  It makes him human.  At points it is apparent he has a big head.  And he should, he’s bloody Walt Disney.  Also he wants to just make this movie, because he claims he promised his daughters.  Disney is a good salesman.  The portrait they paint of him is more realistic then what you probably think of him.

     The flashback aspect is a real highlight.  It has yet another chance to be over the top, but everything works out.  Colin Ferrell does great as Travers alcoholic father.  It doesn’t overdo showing how Travers became so picky and stubborn.  It is believable why Travers is the way that she is from all the flashbacks.  There is a nice touch in that not everything that is hinted at in the present is immediately revealed in the past.  Saving Mr. Banks is not only really funny it is also a touching film.