Saving Mr Banks (2013) 8/10

Starring : Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Colin Farrell
Director : John Lee Hancock
Running Time : 126 mins

When Walt Disney (Hanks) is begged by his daughters to make a movie of their favourite storybook character, Mary Poppins, Disney calls on author Pamela Travers (Thompson) to come to America and sign off on the script he has developed, but her love of her character leads her to dislike any changes that have been made and soon Disney finds Travers getting in the way of the film getting made.

This is a light-hearted look at not only the struggle to get Mary Poppins made into a film but also a look at the childhood of author PL Travers. Thompson (who coincidentally enough wrote the Poppins-esque Nanny McPhee) is perfect for the role of Travers, and trumps Hanks in every scene they are in together, and her blunt personality is both charming and disturbing as, like many children’s writers, she doesn’t really seem to like children very much. This is an enjoyable movie that manages to show how a simple children’s movie can soften anyone’s heart.

You’ll like this if you liked : Miss Potter

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