Review of Saving Mr. Banks (2013) by Foxgrove — 20 Dec 2013

It will take more than a spoonful of sugar to help this rather unpalatable medicine go down. Marketed as being about the making of the musical 'Mary Poppins', this is only partially true. The film spends 50% of its running time exploring P L Travers child hood in Australia with her down trodden mother and drunken father (Colin Farrell giving the film's best performance). From this dysfunctional background sprung forth her flying nanny. The other half of the film is indeed about the making of the famous 1964 movie starring Oscar winning Julie Andrews, which is in itself over rated.

The main problem is that the film is boringly repetitive and the juxtaposing of Travers' child hood with her time in L A is totally un-interesting. Things aren't helped by Emma Thompson's irritatingly mannered and tiresome performance (An Oscar nomination I have heard mentioned. REALLY!!!!!!). Also Tom Hanks' brilliance as Captain Phillips has certainly been hijacked here in his playing of Walt Disney. In fact the best parts of the film involve the Sherman brothers composing or performing the now famous music. I also have to admit to loving the line Poor A A Milne' which Ms Thompson utters in disgust on finding a stuffed Pooh bear in her hotel room. However, aside from the occasional line of inspired dialogue, most of the script has Thompson constantly enunciating in the negative which becomes wearisome indeed. Predictable sentimentality has its moments towards the end, but an excessive running time cannot save Mr Banks from being dull, dull, dull.