Saving Mr. Banks, Movie Review

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

"There is far more substance in Saving Mr. Banks than the first 2 Hobbit movies combined."  That's what my brother Steven said when we left the movies last Saturday, and it's true.  I heartily agree.  There is more substance in Saving Mr. Banks then the first two Hobbit installments: More substance, character growth, and emotion.  Etc, etc, etc, but I'll get to all those "et cetera's" later.

Saving Mr. Banks is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Mary Poppins back in the early 1960's.  I heard once that the making of Mary Poppins was quite tumultuous, mainly because author P.L. Travers, played wonderfully by Emma Thompson, was obstinate and stubborn over her creation.  For 20 years Walt Disney, played by Tom Hanks, wanted to get Mary Poppins turned into a movie, promising his daughters he would do so, only problem was Mrs. Travers owned the rights and wasn't too keen on releasing them to the animation King.  She's not a big fan of cartoons.  Saving Mr. Banks is a tail of the two weeks Mrs. Travers spent in L.A. working on the movie, and of her own personal story that helped shape her books.  Who is Mr. Banks?

In a very interesting and worth reading article written by Chad Jones, Richard Sherman, the last living member in the Mary Poppins creation team, and brilliant brother-brother composer, is quoted as saying, "I find myself getting angry when I relive it. My stomach tightens when I talk about it . . . Nobody ever talked about those weeks for years.  God, was Mrs. Travers difficult. She was impolite. She was, shall we say, a hard woman to figure out. Very strange. Enigmatic. Haunted by something.”

That "Haunted by something" is what this movie explores, and does so quite well.  We see, in flashbacks, Mrs. Travers growing up in Australia during her impressionable years.  The moments are sweet, enchanting, telling, and horrifying.  Colin Farrell brilliantly plays her father, a man with creativity, dreams, and a terrible addiction.  

The transitions between Australia and the 1960's are very well done.  I've seen some very rocky scene transitions this past year, but these transitions are smooth and timed.  No scene feels wasted.  Everything is perfectly balanced.

And the 1960 scenes.  I loved watching the Sherman brothers at work.  If you've heard music from The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Charlotte's Web, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Snoopy, Come Home, and, yes, even it's a small world (after all), you've heard their music.  (Actually, some of you may lament a little over that last mentioned title.)  The music they wrote for Mary Poppins is some of their most brilliant, winning an Oscar for Chim Chim Cher-ee.  The two brothers have accomplished so much, we've all been touched by their talents, and it was fun seeing their musical methods depicted on screen.

Another delightful character that I almost forgot to mention was Mrs. Travers driver, Ralph, played by Paul Giamatti.  He was so charming I really wondered if the character was real or not.  Movie magic!  It's hard to tell.

My only complaint, ONLY complaint was that of Tom Hanks.  Wikipedia states that, "To accurately convey Walt Disney's Midwestern dialect, Tom Hanks listened to archival recordings of Disney in his car and practiced the voice while reading newspapers. Hanks also grew his own mustache for the role, which underwent heavy scrutiny—with the filmmakers going so far as to matching the same dimensions as Disney's."  During both viewings of the movie I had a hard time seeing Disney in Hanks.  Just, for some reason, I couldn't see past the actor.  Walt Disney is legendary.  We all know what he looks and sounds like.  He's distinctive.

But that's my only complaint, and it's not big enough to change my rating for this movie.  This is one of the best movies I've seen all year.

Saving Mr. Banks is full of Magic, and it's a movie I can see over and over again.

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including some unsettling images.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/22/4705008/saving-mr-banks-relives-the-pain.html#storylink=c

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/22/4705008/saving-mr-banks-relives-the-pain.html#storylinNobody ever talked about those weeks for years,” Sherman says in a suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel. “God, was Mrs. Travers difficult. She was impolite. She was, shall we say, a hard woman to figure out. Very strange. Enigmatic. Haunted by something.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/22/4705008/saving-mr-banks-relives-the-pain.html#storylink=c