Saving Mr. Banks: Movie Review
It is no secret that author P.L. Travers was not a fan of Walt Disney’s cinematic take on her beloved book “Mary Poppins”. In the new film “Saving Mr. Banks”, we finally get to discover the journey taken to bring “Mary Poppins” from the pages to the silver screen. Unfortunately it winds up being a mixed bag. I understand what director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) was trying to do, but the constant shift in tone caused a constant shift in my enjoyment of “Saving Mr. Banks.”
In 1961, P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) finally agreed to travel from London to California in order to meet with Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) about signing over the movie rights to her book “Mary Poppins”. After turning Disney down for nearly two decades, financial strains have caused her to at least try and open her mind to the idea. When Travers arrives in Los Angeles and checks into her hotel room, she goes ballistic over the fact that her room as been turned into Disney central with stuffed animals, candy, toys, and anything you could think of that would be sold in Disneyland gift shops. This is not a good start considering that one of the things Travers fears most is that her book will be turned into a cartoon.
After being taken to Disney Studios by her limo driver Ralph (Paul Giamatti), she is greeted by the men she will be working with for the next two weeks on ideas for the film, Don DaGradi (Bradley Whiford), Robert Sherman (B.J. Novak), and Richard Sherman (Jason Schwartzman). Travers is then welcomed by Walt Disney himself, who is beyond excited to have her there.
“Saving Mr. Banks” is a whole lot of fun when Disney and his team are working with Travers, trying to make the film a reality. For each step forward, there is a step backwards and the cast sells every single moment of it. Thompson shines here in what I think is one of her best performances to date. Tom Hanks makes a fantastic Walt Disney and Bradley Whitford steals nearly every scene he is in. Even though Giamatti is only the limo driver, he makes the best out of each moment on screen.
If “Saving Mr. Banks” focused solely on the events that took place trying to get “Mary Poppins” made into a film, I would have most likely loved the film, but just as things begin to get good, we cut to Traver’s childhood as we learn what inspired the book and why Poppins is so important to her. Even though Colin Farrell is quite good as her alcoholic father in the flashbacks, the tone is much darker and at times depressing, which is a complete contrast to the scenes in Travers adult life. For me it just didn’t work.
Regardless of my issues, there is still plenty to enjoy with “Saving Mr. Banks”. It is far from perfect, but fans of the cast should give it a look.
By: Marc Ferman