Film Review- "Saving Mr Banks"

Saving Mr. Banks
Directed By John Lee Hancock
Starring Emma Thompson as PL Travers, Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, and Colin Farrell as Travers Goff

As intrigued as I was when I heard this movie was being made, I had my doubts. It was a film made by Disney, about Disney. Not to mention, a story of Disney history that didn't have the happiest of endings. Disney historians and aficionados already know how this "Making of Mary Poppins" story ends. Despite knowing all that going on, I left the theater finding Saving Mr Banks to be a truly wonderful film.

The film follows author PL Travers (Thompson) during her stay in Los Angeles, as she sits in during the pre-production stages of Mary Poppins at the Walt Disney studios. Constantly unhappy with what is pitched to her, Walt (Hanks) and his crew do their best to please her, and earn the rights to make the film from her. Meanwhile, we see flashbacks to her childhood in Australia that illustrate her relationship with her father (Farrell).

As a self-proclaimed Disney nerd, all the little details about the production had me smiling at every turn. Every little tidbit about the history of Disney, the man himself and the studio, got me grinning. The story itself is a very entertaining one. You know how it's going to end, obviously the film gets made. It's the ride, what it took to get Mary Poppins made, is what draws you in. The story will play jumprope with your heartstrings too, as we see just how much the original Mary Poppins books and characters meant to PL Travers, and how much of it was influenced by her relationship with her father. I guarantee you won't look at the Mary Poppins film the same way again after watching Saving Mr Banks.

As great as the script is though, what brings this film to life is the performances. Emma Thompson is perfect as PL Travers. You get annoyed by her, you fall in love with her, and you cry with her. Colin Farrell is truly remarkable as her father, Travers Goff. His performance really catches your attention, and it's one of the highlights of the film. It's amazing we haven't seen him get nominated for any awards yet. Bradley Whitford plays the screenwriter Don DaGardi, and BJ Novak and Jason Schwartzman play Robert and Richard Sherman, the film's composers and lyrcicists. Paul Giammati plays Travers' chauffeur Ralph. They all hit their marks, and bring the right balance of comedy and heart.

Now you're probably wondering why I haven't talked about the second-biggest cast member yet, Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. First off, I've never been a huge Tom Hanks fan. He's good though, I won't deny that. Second, I always thought then when Walt Disney was to be played on screen, he should have been played by a lesser or relatively unknown actor. He was such a multi-layered man, and practically an icon. A big name actor sort of takes away from that, as we don't necessarily lose ourself to the character, but the performance.

At first it was hard for me to see past Tom Hanks. All I could see was Tom Hanks in a Walt Disney costume. But gradually, he won me over as the film went on, and once again Tom Hanks does some top-notch work. In terms of A-List actors, he probably is the best choice to play Disney. Everyone in this cast is firing on all cylinders, he just took me some getting used to.

Now, I feel like I should touch on the historical side of this film. I do admire the filmmakers for not going far off on the unbeaten path. I applaud them showing Disney have a scotch, or putting a cigarette out before someone seems him smoking. I admire them for not portraying him in a positive light 100% of the film, and even showing that he didn't want to invite Travers to the Hollywood premiere of Mary Poppins. The ending itself…well, they're not hiding the truth I suppose, just sugar coating it.

SPOILER WARNING: (I mean it's not like Disney was going to tell us "Our studio made a film the author of the source material didn't like)

Anyway, Saving Mr Banks is a remarkable film. Highly entertaining and truly moving, it's earned a spot on my list of the best films of 2013. Another winner for the House of Mouse.