Saving Mr. Banks is a much deeper, darker, and ultimately more powerful film than one might expect from Disney Studios.
Those expecting a feel-good fluff piece about the behind-the-scenes story of how the literary classic Mary Poppins came to be made into a Hollywood movie are likely to be pleasantly surprised, perhaps even shocked, at how much more there was to the creative process and real-life characters who struggled to bring P.L. Travers’ cherished book to the big screen. Surely, some may be disappointed, too — since this isn’t exactly a kids’ movie. Sorry, but leave little junior at home on this one.
The movie opens with Travers, who resides in London, in trouble. She’s just about to run out of money. So, the writer is forced into a heart-wrenching concession, agreeing to allow her book to be made into a movie. A big fat paycheck awaits her once she signs off on a contract which is the rights agreement. But some things are more important than money.
Emma Thompson plays the role of Travers to perfection. She gives yet another multi-layered portrayal of a real-life historical figure. Thompson essentially is the entire movie. Every scene revolves around her and what she’s suffering inside. In fact, her inner angst is the film’s entire purpose. After all, we know Mary Poppins, the movie, is eventually going to get made. The real suspense comes from the events which inspired this legendary fictional character and the deeply personal reasons why Travers is so reluctant to part with her creation.
Travers’ own story is revealed in frequent flashbacks to being a little girl, some of which run only a few seconds long. Sometimes in movies, flashbacks are often annoying and unnecessary. But here they blend in unison with present-day events. These sequences gradually reveal what Travers is constantly thinking as she gazes off into frequent spells of distraction. Through these tear-jerking moments, we come not only to appreciate but sympathize with the grown-up Travers, who despite the frosty exterior actually does have a soft spot inside.
Yet the frosty exterior takes considerable time to thaw out, creating most of the film’s funnier moments. Travers, who loathes America and hates everything about Los Angeles, has agreed to spend two weeks at Disney Studios working with a team of writers and musicians on a final script that requires her blessing. Only when she’s completely satisfied will she agree to sign the contract and allow the movie to begin production. This means Travers gets just about anything she wants along the way — from first-class airline tickets to limo rides to a suite at The Beverly Hilton.
Film icon Walt Disney takes a deep personal interest in this project. That’s because his two daughters read and adored the book. So, he made a pledge to make a movie about Mary Poppins for them, which explains such unshakable persistence. It took 16 years of negotiations for Travers to finally agree to come to Hollywood to create a film treatment, so Disney goes to extraordinary lengths. No doubt Disney wouldn’t have ever put up with so many ridiculous demands from anyone else.
The role of Disney is cast perfectly, with Tom Hanks in the pivotal role. Hanks is almost a better Disney than most of us might remember from weekly television appearances every Sunday night at 6 pm. What makes this performance special, however, is Hanks’s mastery of mannerisms and an unexpected revelation of Disney’s more human side. Much like Travers, Disney has his own inner-demons too, and we learn about them and how this pain motivated him to ultimately become the world’s greatest supplier of dreams. There’s no fairy dust sprinkled here. Just face-to-face conversation and brutal, sometimes painful, honesty between the two leads.
Strong supporting performances by Paul Giamatti, as Travers’ lovable limo driver (daily from hotel to the studio) and Colin Farrell as the author’s deeply troubled alcoholic father, provide additional dimensions to the story.
Saving Mr. Banks is a nearly flawless movie and certainly one of the best films of 2013. Perfectly cast, well-written, funny, emotionally gripping, and even suspenseful at times, this 1 hour and 20-minute movie delivers on all counts. Directed by John Lee Hancock (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Blind Side), some dialogue is based on actual conversations Travers had with the film production team. It’s a blessing in disguise that in real life Travers insisted that everything she did related to the scripting be recorded on tape. Be sure and stick around for the film’s final credits, since real photos and the actual recordings of Travers barking her demands are heard and shown.
It’s also worth noting that the film glosses over some of what really happened. If Travers’ worst fears were realized when she finally saw what became of her beloved book after Disney’s treatment, she’d be absolutely appalled at her portrait here half a century later. Indeed, in the very end, Travers was crushed by Mary Poppins, the movie. She reportedly held a deep grudge against Hollywood for the last three decades of her life. But that wouldn’t exactly have made for a feel-good holiday film here and now, so her actual behavior is completely whitewashed away so we can depart the theater whistling “Chim Chim Cher-ee.” That said, I’m willing to overlook this fictionalized account of history, so long as we understand it’s not entirely accurate.
Perhaps the ultimate irony is that Saving Mr. Banks premiered last month at the famous Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd., nearly 50 years after Mary Poppins premiered at the exact same place.
Easily one of the nominees for Best Picture at the next Academy Awards, I give this film an “A.”