Has there ever
been a Disney film that has become as iconic and beloved as “Mary Poppins”?
That question is certainly up for debate, but there’s no denying the impact the
film has had on American pop culture even 50 years after its initial release. Just
in time for Oscar season, Disney has decided to honor the 50th
anniversary of “Mary Poppins” by telling the story of how the film came to be
through the eyes of the author of “Mary Poppins”, P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson),
and the producer of the film, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) in “Saving Mr. Banks”.
The year is 1961, and after nearly 20
years of Disney requesting the rights to adapt the “Mary Poppins” books to
film, Travers finally agrees to meet with Disney and collaborate on a
screenplay. However, Disney and his colleagues quickly learn that Travers is
extremely protective of the material, rejecting many of Disney’s ideas that she
deems uncharacteristic of her stories. The reason for Travers’ apparent
stubbornness, according to the film, is that many of the characters in her
stories were based on people she knew, particularly her father Travers Goff
(Colin Farrell), and events she experienced in her childhood, told through a
series of flashbacks throughout the film.
The rest of the movie consists of
Disney trying to get through to Travers and get her to see things from his
point of view, while Travers is questioning to herself whether or not she
should sign away the rights to her beloved creation. Through the flashbacks, we
are given details about Travers’ relationship with her father, and how his
alcoholism affects her and her family.
One of the more fascinating aspects
of “Saving Mr. Banks” is that the scenes that take place in 1961 almost
exclusively focus on the developmental side of the production of “Mary
Poppins”. We see the now legendary songwriting duo Richard and Robert Sherman
(Jason Schwartzman and B.J. Novak respectively) as they preview songs to
Travers and Disney, we see Travers overlooking storyboards with the
screenwriters, and there are even some scenes that are just them sitting at a
table tossing around ideas. It’s a side of the film-making process that is often
taken for granted and is very interesting to watch unfold.
The greatest asset “Saving Mr.
Banks” offers, however, is in its performances, especially from Emma Thompson
and Tom Hanks. Both of them slip into their roles as if they were made for each
other, and it gets to the point where I don’t see actors playing P.L. Travers
and Walt Disney, I see the real P.L. Travers and Walt Disney. Their
performances make this film seem so real and genuine, and they really suck the
viewer into the movie.
Also
worth noting is how balanced Hanks’ portrayal of Walt Disney is. Instead of
playing up Walt as a perfect figure as he would in public, Disney made a risky
move in showing a side to its founder that they probably wouldn’t dare show if
this movie was made a few years ago. You see Walt do things like drink, smoke
and even be a little backstabbing to Travers. It’s now common knowledge that he
did these things in real life, but it’s still a risky move for Disney that
ultimately works in the movie’s favor.
That’s not to say Thompson and Hanks
overshadow the supporting cast, they also give great performances. Paul
Giamatti gives a memorable performance as Travers’ chauffeur, often being
present for many of the important moments in Travers’ story arc. Jason
Schwartzman and B.J. Novak also do a wonderful job portraying the Sherman
Brothers who, just as Giamatti shares important story moments with Thompson,
share important story moments with Disney.
However, there’s one element of
“Saving Mr. Banks” that kind of takes the viewer out of the movie, and that
would be the flashback sequences. They’re not bad, in fact they’re actually
pretty well done, it’s just that whenever they come up it feels like you’ve
entered a completely different movie. Compared to the scenes set in 1961, the
flashbacks seem a little more over the top, even in the performances. However,
since it’s clear that these scenes are from Travers’ point of view, the
argument can be made that it’s her romanticizing her own memories, and again,
the scenes are still done well. It just feels like the movie is trying a little
too hard to illicit an emotional response sometimes.
So “Saving Mr. Banks” may not be
“practically perfect in every way.” No matter. It’s still cleverly written and
masterfully performed, and that’s more than worth the price of admission. Even
in the more “Disney-fied” moments, there’s still a never ending charm to the
whole thing. It’s a great way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of
one the most beloved movies of all time.
4/5 Stars
