Saving Mr. Banks tells the extraordinary untold story of how the 1964 children's classic nearly didn't make it on to the big screen and millions of kids all over the world would have missed out on such nonsense linguistical phrases as 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'. Ok, it's not Oscar Wilde and admittedly it wasn't penned by P.L. Travers but by the talented Sherman brothers who wrote the award winning music.

The film concentrates on the clash between Walt Disney (Tom Hanks), his team of writers and the curmudgeonly no nonsense Mrs Travers (Emma Thompson) who in 1961 reluctantly caved in and agreed to spent two weeks in La La Land but only because of the dwindling sales of her books and a much needed financial shot in the arm.

Surrey Comet:

Disney puts Mrs Travers up in the Beverly Hills Hotel and offers her a personal limousine driver Ralph (Paul Giamatti). But it's when Travers is introduced to the chief scriptwriter Don DaGradi (Bradley Whitford) and the films composers Richard and Robert Sherman (Jason Schwartzman and B.J. Novak) that sparks begin to fly. On the one hand you have a straight laced complex and uncompromising author who has absolutely no intention of allowing Disney to give her "Mary Poppins" a Hollywood make-over. And she certainly won't stand for whimsy musical numbers or any 'silly cartoons' as Mrs Travers referred to them, knowing it would upset  Walt personally. Then you have the three creative brains who are all about cheery catchy songs, big dance routines and high comedy moments interspersed with animated interludes. All of which Mrs Travers hates and unfortunately she has yet to sign over the book rights.

Disney manages to dig deeper into Travers troubled childhood and discovers who the real Mr Banks was and begins to understand the authors ghosts and Walt also opens up and shares a few of his own demons.

Through a series of flashbacks we are taken on a journey through Pamela.L.Travers childhood growing up in Australia. Her father (Colin Farrell) is an alcoholic bank manager who totally dotes on the young Pamela his eldest child. But her Mother (Ruth Wilson) is stuck in an unhappy marriage and there’s some jealousy over the father, daughter relationship.

There is also a nice relationship that builds between Mrs Travers and her driver played by Paul Giamatti (Sideways, The Illusionist) quite a small role for an actor of Giamatti’s statue but his character is the one that Travers really drops her guard with. She pays him a backhanded compliment by commenting that  “You're the only American I have ever liked.”

Tom Hanks pulls off another outstanding and reliable performance as Uncle Walt and he told the media that he prepared for the role by researching news reels and old home movies courtesy of the Disney museum. He mastered Disney’s mannerisms in the way he spoke and walked and he even grew a moustache for the part. How’s that for method acting.

Some of most entertaining scenes are the ones when the very British prim and proper mysterious author goes head to head with the scriptwriter wonderfully played by Bradley Whitford (‘Cabin in the Woods’, ‘The West Wing’ ) and musical geniuses the Sherman brothers played by B.J. Novak (‘Inglourious Basterds’) and Jason Schwartzman (‘Moonrise Kingdom’ and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’.) Movie trivia...Schwartzman actually played the piano in the film.

But the film really belongs to Emma Thompson who gives an outstanding performance as P.L.Travers. At the time I remember writing that I was sure that Thompson would be a hot contender for best actress Oscar but she was completely snubbed by the academy. Let’s not forget that the movie “Mary Poppins” won 5 Oscars one of which went to Julie Andrews as Best Actress in her first starring role. The real Sherman brothers won 2 Oscars, original score and best original song for Chim Chim Cher-ee. I bet you’ll all be singing this after you watch the DVD. Spit spot!

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It’s what I would call a Sunday afternoon ‘curl up on the sofa’ movie. It makes me want to have a “Jolly holiday with Mary” all over again (that didn’t sound quite so camp in my head).

Four out of five stars.

Certificate PG

FOKER ON FILM