Saving Mr. Banks (2013) - Thompson and Hanks breathe inestimable life into one of the year's real treats

♥♥♥♥♥

 

+ Best Dramedy of the Year + Best Period Movie of the Year

 

An elegant, light poster for John Lee Hancock's Saving Mr. Banks, which, through the use of shades, appeals to our imagination

P. L. Travers, the English female writier behind Mary Poppins, is pressed for money and therefore gets lured reluctantly from her London residence to Hollywood in 1961, where Walt Disney, after 20 years of courting the woman, is anxious to adapt her classic work.

The dynamic between the contrary, English curmudgeon and jovial, stubborn American Walt is loaded with comic opportunities, which are exploited skillfully in this sweepingly sentimental treat of a film. Tom Hanks (Sully (2016)) and especially Emma Thompson (In the Name of the Father (1993)) deliver outstanding veterans' performances, - among the best of the year, - and they are exceptionally backed up: Wonderful Bradley Whitford (The Mentalist (2011, TV-series), B. J. Novak (The Office (2005-13)) and Jason Schwartzman (Moonrise Kingdom (2012)) are Disney writers who try to work with the exceedingly difficult Englishwoman; and Paul Giamatti (Love & Mercy (2014)) is terrific in a warm role as Travers' LA driver. In the Australian-set flashback-section, which doesn't completely match the sky-high quality of the present plane (of 1961), Rachel Griffiths (Burning Man (2011)) and Ruth Wilson (The Lone Ranger (2013)) are good as the heroic nanny and the troubled mother, respectively. Colin Farrell (The Lobster (2015)) is also good as Travers' father, who is disintegrating in alcoholism.
Saving Mr. Banks is written by Kelly Marcel (Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)) and Sue Smith (Peaches (2004)) and directed by great Texan filmmaker John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side (2009)). It has an excellent, Oscar-nominated score by Thomas Newman (The Help (2011)). It is an extremely lovable, handsomely produced period dramedy with more to it than some may think. Although its structure is far from innovative, it hits all the right chords of the heart as sure as amen in church before the credits start rolling. It is a huge joy.

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The Blind Side (2009) or, Good Knows No Boundaries

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 35 mil. $

Box office: 117.8 mil. $

= Box office success

[Saving Mr. Banks premiered October 20 (BFI London Film Festival) and runs 125 minutes. The script was developed mostly outside Disney, who took an interest in it and decided to produce it. Filming lasted 9 weeks from September - November 2012, entirely in Southern California, including Disneyland, the Chinese Theatre and Hollywood Boulevard. Several aspects of Travers' and Disney's relationship, her response to the finished film and the character of the driver are changed for the film or entirely made up. The film opened #18 in 15 theaters to a 413k $ first weekend, widening to 9.3 mil. $ and #5 (behind The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Frozen and American Hustle) in 2,110 theaters in North America, where it grossed 83.3 mil. $ (70.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Australia with 8.9 mil. $ (7.6 %) and the UK with 7.1 mil. $ (6 %). The film was, surprisingly, only nominated for one Oscar, for Newman's score, which it lost to Steven Price for Gravity. Thompson was nominated for a Golden Globe, and the film was also nominated for 5 BAFTAs and several other awards. It was included in the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute's top 10 lists of the year. Saving Mr. Banks is certified fresh at 78 % with a 7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Saving Mr. Banks?