2013, 12, Directed by John Lee Hancock
Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Bradley Whitford, Colin Farrell
One
of the most frustrating factors in biopics are usually the wasted opportunity
to explore the most interesting of characters. 2013 was the year of Diana,
remember. Conversely, there are those that present us with a blurred real-life
figure who is shifted sharply into focus by an enthralling piece of cinema
(George Clooney's Confessions of a Dangerous Mind springs to memory.)
It's
something of an alarm to realise that somebody whose life hasn't been placed
under microscope and in front of camera is one whose very influence still
shapes cinema today - Walt Disney; a powerhouse historical figure, who
audiences would gladly delve into a film of... But be sure, Saving Mr. Banks
is not it.
Instead,
John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) opts to show us the fortunately
screen-friendly story of the legendary Mary Poppins' journey from the English
page of P.L. Travers to the Hollywood studio of the moustachioed mouse-creating
maestro. Uppity tea-sipping author Travers is played by Emma Thompson, an
actress so adept at doing pretty much anything and achieving the desired
response - here, she frustrates at her refusal to give up her novel to a bunch
of savages who she's convinced would rip the pages to pieces and destroy the
character she so lovingly crafted. Sitting in on - and recording every word of
- the read-throughs with producer Don DeGradi (Bradley Whitford) and composing
Sherman brother duo (B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman), these scenes shine with
an air of irrationality, and will glisten with your giggle (ironic, considering
their later assurance of hatred for Travers.) Thompson takes the irrefutably
tough-to-like and difficult to encrypt author, and turns her
near-stereotypically fuddity into a comedic flourish.
Yet
this is very much a film of two halves. Providing context behind the creation
of Mary Poppins ('never ever just Mary,' she scolds at one stage) and her
longing to preserve the beloved character from becoming just another pretty
woman who sings, are childhood flashbacks. Travers grew up on a ranch in
Australia, where her father Mr. Banks (Colin Farrell) fed her fairytales and
fantasies, whilst swigging bottles of alcohol and destroying his family on the
sly. There's hints to quite a tragic upbringing, and moments in the film's
present that correlate with specifics of the past, yet whenever we flit back to
that ranch, the film loses the very magic ole' Walt would have ensured was
there. They seriously endanger the fluidity of Saving Mr. Banks, despite
some pleasant performances from Farrell and child actor Annie Rose Buckley.
Much
like a Beatles fan gets joy from hearing original recordings of classic tracks,
Mary Poppins fans can revel in seeing the creation of now-familial
tunes. With much to love on the surface - genuine laughs, and a charmingly
sweet appearance from Paul Giamatti as Travers' driver - and the closest the
film allows her to have as a friend - the structure is toppled by the tedious
reversion to backstory. Omitting these would have done the film some saving.
3.5/5
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