Review of Saving Mr. Banks (2013) by Amber B — 16 Sep 2014

People say sentiment is the indispensible quality of our lives and how it snuggles up to our hearts with its furry indulgence determines the way we face our daily routines. This is a lethal medicine, the surfeit of which causes nausea and eyes rolling skywards. Film has to perform an acute art of tailoring sentiment to its motion pictures with a harmless dosage. The pertinence of this art rises with the kind of story being told, especially when two of the greatest artists such as Walt Disney and P.L. Travers are concerned. John Lee Hancock performs a perilous walk on the line with his 'Saving Mr Banks', striving for balance between reaching the border or crossing it.

The film starts with a short poem recited whimsically by Pamela's father with the camera swirling gently towards a girl frolicking around in the garden. The story meanders in two directions, bisecting the narrative into young Travers and the adult one who is pestered by the intrepid Walt Disney to adapt Mary Poppins to screen. Two stories and two revealing culminations delve into the world of the two creators as they jostle to implement in their work their own visions of imagination and its role in the world. Agitated voices aplenty are to be expected, as delivered by Travers herself.

The conjecture might be that the nature of the two people's creations, the perennial favourite Mickey Mouse, Disney fairytales and Mary Poppins should reflect the whole picture accordingly. Indeed, the ambience is sparingly opulent in dazzling shots of jolly childhood, delightfully charming dialogues and twinkly, exultant score by Thomas Newman. Up to a certain point this may be an advantage in wrapping the film in a truly sugar-sweet package of fancy. The problem surfaces when it verges on the surplus territory, where mawkishness comes in. The childhood scenes are most susceptible in this respect. Cutting on this section of the narrative for the sake of more edgy and audacious roaming into the conflict between Travers and Disney would sway the emphasis more into the deeper aspects of their viewpoints of their jobs. That said, the charming veneer does foment a golden warmth felt for the characters. Unabashed candidness of its desire to please and cast a spell does not go unnoticed, for the emotions invested in the story are already profoundly powerful and hold no ill will whatsoever. The script, although twiching at times with the aforementioned surplus of sugar-contained shots, remains highly entertaining, intelligent, daft and elegant.

The characters carry aplomb and the script draws them with clear pleasure. Emma Thompson towers over the cast with her slightly neurotic and eerie, but honest and indomitable Travers. Her steely looks shooting around like thunderbolts and blood red lips were a veritable marvel to behold. Hanks lags behind with Disney who perhaps strikes as less distinctive in terms of character portrayal. The story's ruminations, even as they become infused with a murkier tinge of reality, still ooze a happy ending that brings reconciliation and a satisfied smile. Costumes and the Disney-ish zeitgeist of the time drip from the screen with optimistic outlook as well as the promise of a happy vibe reverberating throughout the narrative.

'Saving Mr Banks' might not cater to all tastes and palates, however, the strength and charm of its presence suffices to achieve a felicitous response. The flaws may stick out like a sore thumb or be smoothed out by the generous intentions of its story and two arresting characters, depending on the dosage of sentiment you prefer in your life treatment.