Ian (Flash Review)Mary Poppins a movie I still have yet to see (!!!!) and this movie is about the creator of the Mary Poppins character, Mrs. Travers, as Walt Disney attempts to persuade her to give up animation rights so they can make the historic classic. As there is no surprise spoiler at the end, this film is about how they get the movie produced. Travers is portrayed as a stereotypical uptight and overly proper British lady, in contrast to Hanks, who plays Mr. Disney. There were some amusing moments and tidbits of musical numbers with Travers and Disney and his creative team on how they don't see eye to eye. But a big side story was Travers's backstory, told through many flashbacks, about her alcoholic father and him never being proud of her. This tale brought to focus Travers's buried emotional issues and how it interfered with the movie's production. Overall it was more drab emotions versus humor and not much was told about why Mary Poppins is so universally loved yet it was professionally scripted and produced without enough creativity or charm.

zkonedog As a child, one of my favorite movies was always "Mary Poppins". Being young, I obviously couldn't articulate exactly WHY I liked it so much (I'm sure the catchy music had a lot to do with it), but I wore a tract in the VCR with it, that is for sure. After seeing "Saving Mr. Banks", however, I was astounding to realize perhaps part of the reason why "Mary Poppins" stands the test of time: because the message behind it is one born out of real-life issues.For a basic plot summary, "Saving Mr. Banks" focuses on P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), writer of the "Mary Poppins" children's novel. For 20 years, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) has been pursuing the rights to make the book into a movie, finally culminating in him flying Travers to Los Angeles to begin work on the project. When Travers wants full creative control and clashes monumentally with Disney's version of the film, it is revealed (via flashbacks) how personal the Poppins story truly is to Travers.The reason why this movie is so touching and genuine is because it works on two different levels:On one hand, it brings back incredible nostalgia for fans of Disney's "Mary Poppins". Just hearing the iconic music again and seeing how key plot/character points came together is exciting.On the other hand, those (though probably few and far between) who haven't seen the movie will still be intrigued by the fascinating backstory of P.L. Travers. More specifically, the role her father (played by Colin Farrell) played in her life and how that relationship shaped her persona even into adulthood. Some fascinating human dynamics that prove out the old "truth is stranger than fiction" maxim.The hallmark of "Saving Mr. Banks", though, is its ability to have audiences laughing, crying, singing, and feeling all in the span of two hours. The complex characters, catchy tunes, and use of flashbacks prove a potent mixture of drama and fun. This is truly a film for the entire family.Until recently, "Prisoners" had been cemented atop my "Best Movie of 2013" list. "Saving Mr. Banks", however, is just as good, if only in a completely different way. I'm sure I'll enjoy some more genre Hollywood fare this holiday season ("Hobbit 2", "Anchorman 2", "Grudge Match", etc.), but I have a feeling that when all is said and done, this one will still be at the top of the heap.

WholeNote68 The end of the movie shows Travers watching Mary Poppins with what appears to be acceptance and even enjoyment.That's not at all what happened. The truth is, she watched Mary Poppins and hated it. She never forgave herself for trusting Disney with her creation, and despite Disney's repeated efforts to gain her permission to film a sequel, she denied him at every turn and never forgave him. She went to her grave regretting having ever met the man.That's the real ending, but of course Disney Studios would never release a movie like that. One star and nothing more, for trying to change history.

alindsay-al I have heard allot of great things about this film and it is truly a fantastic film. The premise of the film sees the author of mary poppins in a dispute with walt Disney about what vision they see for the character. Emma thompson plays pl travers the author of mary poppins and she does a really good job. At first she seems a bit unlikeable but as the film progresses she gets captured in the magic and you see her become more likable but you understand her feelings because of how she feels about these characters. Tom hanks plays walt Disney and he does a great job in this film. He is just a really likable guy who wants to give people what they want and whether this film is truly accurate but I don't really care because he does a great job and the leads chemistry is great. Paul giamatti plays travers driver and even though it's not the biggest role he is crucial because he adds humanity to travers character and he brings great brightness to this film. Colin Farrell in this film is absolutely fantastic in this film, he delivers a performance of Oscar calibre because of the layers he has and the great performance he gives. Everybody else does a great job with there being no bad performance in the whole film. The story has great intrigue to it, even though from the description you would think its a bit dull it just really isn't. It has depth to it's narrative and fleshes out the characters so you care about them. The script has great dialogue with some well placed humour in it but so much great drama that really put this film above good. The style has perfect tone for the subject matter. However, my main negative for this film is the pacing is a bit slow and drags at times plus the ending is pretty abrupt. Overall this is a fantastic movie that is definitely worth a watch especially if your a fan of mary poppins.