Grade: B+
Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Annie Rose Buckley, Bradley Whitford, Paul Giamatti, B.J. Novak, Jason Schwartzman, Ruth Wilson and Rachel Griffiths
Premise: Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers flies to
Rated PG-13 for intense emotional content, depictions of alcohol abuse and brief language
I’ve often griped on this blog about movie adaptations differing from their source material (last year’s Silver Linings Playbook comes inescapably to mind), so how fitting it is that one of this year’s most full and touching movies is about a woman trying to prevent exactly that. In Saving Mr. Banks, an author meets a deep-pocketed studio exec who has a whole team ready to re-make her beloved work into a movie with mainstream appeal, and she all but has a cow over it. Set in the 1960s, when Walt Disney Studios was without question king of the mountain in Hollywood, Banks captures not only the inner turmoil of an artist loosening the reigns on her creation, but, like The Artist and Hugo, is also a valentine to those who love movies, reminding you that there’s nearly-incomparable magic in sitting in a theater and escaping into a great story for an hour or two. With great performances, crackling deadpan humor and tear-jerking pathos, Banks is a well-made, well-rounded film.
Plot
By 1964, Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers (a marvelous Emma Thompson) was close to bankrupt and under pressure from her agent to accept offers to have her books made into a movie, if only for financial reasons. It wasn’t hard to find a taker: Walt Disney himself (the reliably-good Tom Hanks) had been calling her for twenty years, hoping to get the green light for the movie he promised his young daughters he’d make for them. With limited options, Travers flies to Los Angeles and is immediately met with enthusiasm and interest from Disney and his team, including an animated scriptwriter (Bradley Whitford) and a pair of brilliant songwriting siblings (B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman). Terse, clipped, and nearly humorless, Travers shoots down almost every idea they have early on, from the idea of making Mary Poppins a musical and casting Dick Van Dyke to including the color red in the movie. They seem to be making so little progress that Disney soon despairs of ever getting a movie made.
But there’s more to the story. Travers has such a hard time reconciling her story with Disney’s pitches because she was never fully comfortable with certain aspects of her book in the first place; writing was her way of venting her feelings about her childhood, in which she grew up poor with a mother (Ruth Wilson) who was stuffy and colorless, and a father (Colin Farrell) who was imaginative and energetic, but also rather childish and irresponsible. Travers won’t admit it, but what she really wants is to re-create the ending to her family’s story, and make it a happy one. But she’s loathe to tell anyone that, let alone Walt Disney.
What Works?
The entire cast is excellent, from the Oscar-worthy Thompson (who’s hilarious, frustrating and heartbreaking all in one) to a fine Colin Farrell as her eccentric father and a wonderfully-understated Paul Giamatti as a friendly limo driver. In his second big role this year (after Captain Phillips), Tom Hanks is terrific as the legendary Disney, combining twinkly humor with quiet but undeniable emotion in an unforgettable lengthy monologue that could bring him Oscar consideration as well. Banks is a barrel of laughs, yet also builds plenty of suspense, has some surprise twists, and is almost certain to coax tears out of audiences at several different points. The end credits, which are ripe with pictures of the real-life individuals plus an appropriate tape-recording of a conversation between Travers and Disney’s creative team, are worth sitting through as well.
What Doesn’t Work?
Banks is a little long, a little slow during some of the flashbacks to Travers’ childhood (in which Travers is played by fine young actress Annie Rose Buckley), and those unfamiliar with at least the Mary Poppins film may find themselves a little lost with lengthy discussions about certain specific details. But these are small complaints, this is a fine film.
Content
Despite the Disney content, this movie is almost certainly for adults, with its constant dialogue and subtle humor. It’s a clean PG-13, with only a few quiet cuss words and no suggestive material, but Travers’ flashbacks to her troubled childhood can be disquieting, especially once her younger self becomes aware of her father’s copious drinking.
Bottom Line
A great cast, an interesting story, and more than a touch of old-fashioned Walt Disney magic make Saving Mr. Banks an engaging and worthwhile holiday-season flick.
Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
Directed by John Lee Hancock
Written for the Screen by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith
Rated PG-13
Length: 125 minutes
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