Rent Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Touching, Family Film - Saving Mr. Banks review by KG

Enjoyed by the family, great story, well crafted to lead us from childhood to release of Mary Poppins. Fantastic soundtrack penned by talented individuals, you could really see the development of each song during the film.

Ok but not necessary - Saving Mr. Banks review by AM

This is fine. It's enjoyable, and nice, and well-played. I can imagine siting down with the family on Christmas evening and watching it.

It didn't feel necessary though. It may shed a bit of light in the upbringing of the creator of Mary Poppins, or it may imagine scenes that do her, and her parents an injustice. I can't tell, and I don't really care. I don't need to know and I don't think anyone really does. As a general rule, I always think that if you are going to re-tell a story based on real events, then it either needs to be a story worth telling or seek to show new perspectives worth thinking about . Dunkirk is a film which falls into the former category, The Post falls into the latter. I don't see why Saving Mr Banks needs to exist.

Top Notch Performances - Saving Mr. Banks review by AP

Emma thompson is just brilliant as the buttoned-up prissy PL Travers and Tom Hanks has a lot of fun as Mr Disney. In the real story Ms Travers was not a fan of the final film and wanted nothing more to do with it so this 'insider' view is not completely on the mark but what it lacks in following the real story it more than makes up with class, laughter and a few tears.

Great stuff...highly reccomended.

Unexpected excellence - Saving Mr. Banks review by John M from Romsey

We were very surprised that this was so good, funny and very moving. Prior to this, we had no idea of the sad family history behind the story and are glad that it has eventually been told in such a sensitive manor

Disney does what Disney does - Saving Mr. Banks review by DL

If you did not know this film is based on Disney purchasing the rights to Mary Poppins in order to make the original film. While possibly not all 100% accurate it is still well worth a watch. Emma Thompson does a wonderful job of a 'prim and proper' English Author whose character frustrates to start with but then warms as the films progresses. Colin Farrell does a decent job, but holds an Australian accent like Christopher Lambert holds a Scottish one. Tom Hanks is a wonderful Walt Disney. Certain scenes and parts of this film take me back to memories of my childhood, watching the original film and visiting Disney Land for the first time. You smile when you see the dated Disney merchandise to mark the time of film. Whether you are a Disney fan or not (I am!) this film is worth watching.

Give it a miss - Saving Mr. Banks review by JP

Yes, the acting is good and the production quality high; but the film is in limbo between portraying real events believably and delivering amusing fantasy. Characters are caricatured and it's over-sentimental. Disappointing Hollywood dross.

As much as I wanted to like this, I just couldn't get into it, despite the efforts of the cast - Saving Mr. Banks review by TB

Unlike a lot of people who watch this film, I knew quite a bit of the history/backstory behind Mary Poppins and in particular how much of a nightmare PL Travers was both as a person and during the making of the film. The general consensus was that she was extremely rude to and difficult to everyone she encountered, plus after the film was made and she expressed her displeasure with it, she refused to allow any further adaptations during her lifetime.

Whilst this film does a very good job of fleshing this out and Emma Thompson in particular is wonderfully acidic and sharp tongued, plus Tom Hanks is extremely easy viewing as Walt Disney, the simple truth sadly is that this film just didn't do anything for me. It looks lovely, everyone tries their best and there are a couple of amusing moments. But there was just no point to the film. It was simply the case that I sat watching an extremely rude woman, surrounded by people who absolutely prostrated themselves to her and were treated with absolute scorn, coupled with scenes of her early life which attempted to show why she was how she was, along with the characters who influenced her novel. The early life scenes were no doubt trying to elicit sympathy for her and make her a more nuanced person, but after close to an hour of this, I just didn't want to continue and switch it off.

It does have to be said and I don't miss for a second that Travers was integral to certain elements of Mary Poppins succeeding as it did, the main one being the insistence of Julie Andrews being cast as the lead. That was a piece of genius on her part and is one of those roles which could never have been played by anyone else. It is also stunning that this was Andrew's first performance, despite the fact that she had been starring extensively in the theatre.

But despite this history, for me this film just had an extremely unlikeable protagonist who, despite the best efforts of the writers, director and stars, could not be turned around.