Saving Mr. Banks

John Lee Hancock is a very choosy person.  How did I deduce that? Well, in 54 years, Hancock has made 7 movies and written 9 screenplays.  Of these 16 pieces of work, 4 overlap leaving us with a total of 12 assignments.  In a career spanning over 20 years, that’s being choosy.  But that’s also being a stickler for perfection – The Rookie, Alamo and The Blind Side are 3 of Hancock’s recent works.

So, when Hancock picks a movie to direct, you can be rest assured that he will deliver a fabulous end product.  With Saving Mr. Banks, Hancock delivers, probably his best work to date.  Ironically, it is his least appreciated work to date – if Academy glory is any benchmark.  One nomination.  One. To Thomas Newman for original score.  Nothing for all the great work done by Hancock, Hanks and of course Emma Thompson!!!

Saving Mr. Banks is one of the finest Biopics ever made.  And if anyone were to say that it is not serious enough or not impactful enough, I would strongly recommend that you watch it again to put your statement into the right context.  It is after all the story of the famed P L Travers (Emma Thompson) of Mary Poppins fame.  It traces how one Walter Elias Disney (Tom Hanks) convinces her to make the musical that most of us have seen.

The story is helped immensely by the fact that the conversations between the team at Disney and Travers were recorded – in fact, you should wait for the closing credits that have the original recordings.  It oscillates between Travers’ current position as a broke 55 year old author who final agrees to consider Disney’s offer and Travers’ childhood with an alcoholic father – Travers Goff (Colin Farrell) who has always been her hero.

Hancock paints a beautiful picture from 1906 in Australia where Ginty (Annie Rose Buckley) – the young Travers – is heavily influenced by Goff to look at life as if it were a fantasy.  The characters from her life as a child including her Aunt Ellie (Rachel Griffiths) go a long way in establishing the final version of Mary Poppins and of course the reason for Travers’ bitterness and reluctance to move away from the original story.

Saving Mr. Banks is an absolute treat for young and old alike.  Although, the young may not be able to understand the entire essence of the backstory and the importance in the overall story.  Therefore, parental guidance may be required.  What would also be required are a few tissue papers – there are moments that will definitely get you moist eyed if not outright bawling.

Emma Thompson is outstanding as P L Travers and of course the highlight of the movie. She is effortless and connects with you immediately.  Tom Hanks could choose to retire because he really has nothing more to prove and of course he has now become the first person to portray Walt Disney in a full length feature.

My review would be incomplete if I do not call out the small but stunning performance from one Paul Giamatti who plays Ralph – Travers’s chauffer during her stay in LA.  For my money’s worth, Saving Mr. Banks should have been nominated at least for – Best Actress (Thompson), Best Support Actor (Giamatti) and Best Movie (there is always place for 1 more).  8 on 10 and a must watch from 2013!!!

Watch the trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2341120281/?ref_=tt_ov_vi