Saving Mr. Banks

Saving Mr. Banks

Starring Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti

Directed by John Lee Hancock

In London in 1961, Pamela Travers (Emma Thompson) is broke and finally willing to consider selling her most treasured possession - the rights to the book series centering around Mary Poppins - to Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) to make a movie.

She flies to Los Angeles to talk to Disney, and uses her stern tone to assert her dominance in the conversation, saying she has to be a part of every aspect of the making of the film, and if something isn't to her liking, or they do something against her wishes, she will not sign over the rights to Poppins.

As the collaborative process infuriates and exasperates her cohorts, Pamela travels back to her childhood days with her loving, although highly alcoholic, father (Colin Farrell), showing how her stories concerning Mary Poppins and the family have a very close personal relationship to the author, and shows why she's very reserved and uptight.  Disney tries to break through to her by sharing his own family history, to express to her that even though we are what we were brought up to be, we can still have an imagination and enjoy life for what it is.

Led by two outstanding actors, John Lee Hancock's "Saving Mr. Banks" is a roller coaster ride of emotions for the moviegoer.  From moments of sheer joy and happiness to sadness and even anger, the film delivers punch after punch to the audience, encompassing them in this story as to how Disney acquired the rights to one of the world's most beloved nannies.

Emma Thompson, especially, delivers a knockout performance as the uptight Pamela, while Hanks makes Disney come alive.  The real star, surprisingly, is Colin Farrell as Pamela's father shown in flashbacks.  Personally Farrell is a hit-and-miss actor for me, but he definitely hit it out of the park here, and he'll be unfortunately overlooked for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination - although he most certainly deserves one.  His performance of the loving, yet highly flawed, father is the centerpiece of this film and the driving force behind Pamela's current state of being.

A must see film for any true movie lover, filled with impeccable acting, a superior story and a film that overall pulls you in from start to finish.  "Saving Mr. Banks" will re-ignite your love for movies and spark your imagination to once again dream the impossible.

My Rating: A+