Emma Thompson as Travers is brilliant and entertaing from beginning to end. Her deliveries are flawless as well as witty. Everything down to just her facial expressions are very convincing. Thompson proves to be very fun to watch as well, worthy of getting an Oscar nom. Other characters include The Sherman Brothers themselves, Robert and Richard, the songwriters of Mary Poppins, played by B.J Novak and Jason Schwartzman, Paul Giammati playing Travers' limosuine driver Ralph, and Bradley Whitford as Don DaGradi, the screenwriter for Mary Poppins. All these characters are fun to watch, three-dimensional, and all around just give some entertaing performances. Even Disney's secretary in the film is fun to watch! Colin Farell as Travers Goff, P.L.'s father, does solidly play genuine and kind-hearted man. Though I'll get to the couple problems I have with the flashback scenes later, the scenes Farell shares with young P.Ll. Travers still seem very genuine and heartfelt. It feels real and not phoned in. It is just the right amount of heart warmth you ask and receive. Now we come to the big elephant in the room, the one performance everybody anticipated, wheter they thought they were going to love it or hate it, Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. Hanks is the first actor to ever play Walt Disney. When I first heard this, I'll admit I groaned, thought at the same time it was cool to finally see Walt in a movie. But I thought Hanks was going to blow. Whenever I saw the trailers for this film I didn't see Walt Disney, I saw an actor, or rather Tom Hanks trying to be Walt Disney, and that was not a good sign! But like most people, when I finally sat down to watch the film, I was impressed to how much I was enjoying Hanks performance. He still may not exactly be Walt Disney, but damn it, Hanks surely did his best by giving enjoyable deliveries and expressions that probably only Walt Disney could give. It is said that Hanks did some major research to play te guy, and I believe it! He totally understands Walt Disney's mannerisms, and I was convicned of that throught his performance. I was also impressed to how the film sometimes portrayed Walt Disney as a person in general. You would think that a film produced and distributed by Disney would be safe in representing their founding father in the first film he is ever portrayed in with a lot of dignity and respect. But this film was never afraid to admit to some of the flaws the guy had, such as his habits of smoking, drinking, dropping a swear word every once in a while, going behind P.L. Traver's back and the agreement they made by adding and chaning things to the story of Mary Poppins for his own vision of seeing it, and even not inviting P.L. Travers herself to the grand premiere of the film in Hollywood to get good PR! Wow, just goes to show you that even the people you think are the most wholesome are charmimg are not as perfect as they seem. But the fact is that the majority of actors, and the characters they play are entertaing to watch!
The film's pacing of story is decent enough. I guess at times it does get interrupted by the flashback scenes of P.L. Traver's childhood, but at the same time I guess it is important to show. The stories of her childhood and the loving relationship she had with her father is what inspired the story of Mary Poppins anyhow, and they do make some connections to where elements of the story came from, even some of the dialogue. Though at times it does feel like watching an entirely different film. But what makes these scenes still hold up a bit and make worth wathcing is the relation between young Travers and her father. Again, there is just this genuineity to it, this feeling that makes all the emotions and the words the two share together seem so real and believable. These scenes are still done well! But of course, the scenes I do enjoy the most is the story taking place in Los Angeles, more specifically The Walt Disney Studios, during the development of Mary Poppins, as Travers gives almost everybody at the studios, including Disney, headaches while trying to make this picture, as nothing the writers and songwriters are doing to bring this story to the big screen pleases Travers one bit. Seeing Travers and Disney butt heads, comepting their egos together, and trying to win over their arguments is very enjoyable. Like the flashbacks, these scenes seem very real because how well the writing and performances are. You feel like you are part of these story pitches and that you do know these people. I guess the ending of the film is kind of controversial as I heard a lot of audiences say they were not pleased to how the film portrayed Travers' real reaction to the finished film. And if you do not know what the real P.L. Travers thought of Disney's film, well...it's not pretty. But what do you expect? But I don't know, I don't think the film was really hinting thtat Travers enjoyed the film as a whole, they were just showing genuine human emotions. It probably should have addressed it, but again I guess it is better leave well enough alone. As a whole Saving Mr. Banks is a decent, solid, and entertaing little period film that delivers clever writing and enjoyable performances throughout. Fans of Disney, the Mary Poppins film and book alike are guaranteed to really enjoy this one. That's all I'll say because let me make one thing perfectly clear...I don't explain ANYTHING! I'm lying, yes I do.
GRADE: P+
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