Movie: Saving Mr Banks

It’s always a thrill to anticipate a Tom Hanks film and I’ve had the pleasure of having that feeling twice this quarter, the last time for Captain Philips.This PG Disney tale is about the making of the Mary Poppins film. The story tells of Walt Disney’s (Hanks) 20 year wait to obtain the film rights to produce the childhood classic. It starts with the author P L Travers finally agreeing to fly from London to LA in 1961 to work with the script writers, only as book sales and therefore money stop coming in, mind. But she vetoes the music, the cartoons and the moustache – all of which, of course make it into the film we all know.

No, no, no, no, no! "Responstible" is not a word!

My feeling is they could have cut up to an hour of this film as there is much repeating of the same scene, with a just a different objection from the author each time and off the writers go to try and bend to her wishes (or at least lie). In addition, the reflections on her childhood throughout as we discover who the different characters in Mary Poppins are based on, most startling the arrival of her aunt. But I wasn’t sure if the upbringing was in Australia or Ireland as Colin Farrell, who played the alcoholic father, didn’t bother with the Ozzie accent. The childhood sequences, concentrating on the young author being besotted with her father, despite his flaws are sweet to see, if a little repetitive.Emma Thompson’s performance as P L Travers epitomises why the Americans think we are (still) stuck up, humourless and living in grand houses in central London but works well with Tom Hanks. I did love seeing Bradley Whitford as the screen writer and Paul Giamatti as the author's patient driver. Plus the scenes of the young actress who played the child version of the writer dreamily stole the show. I'm still glad I saw it on the big screen.7/10Smile factor 7/10Coffee rating: Filter