Saving Mr Banks

Thursday 12 December 2013

Director: John Lee Hancock
Year: 2013
Stars: Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Annie Rose Buckley, Paul Giamatti, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, Bradley Whitford, B.J. Novak, Jason Schwartzman

For me, this was a rare, rare treat. I had the day off work, I had been Christmas shopping in the morning, and had the afternoon all to myself. I haven't been to the cinema since the summer. So where do you think I was headed? It almost didn't matter whether the movie was any good or not.

I had been quite keen to see a Christmas-themed movie, but the only thing like that that seemed to be showing was Frozen. Having watched the trailers for both that and Saving Mr Banks, Frozen wasn't my first choice. Added to all this, upon entering the cinema I discovered that Saving Mr Banks was on in the fancy Director's Hall. I was excited, bemused and scared by this in equal measure. I'd never been in the fancy bit of this cinema before, but I figured this was a one-off treat, so why not? Besides, it was the middle of the afternoon so it still wasn't any more expensive than a standard evening cinema ticket.

'But what about the movie?' I hear you cry. 'Was it any good?'. Turns out, luckily, yes. Saving Mr Banks is all about how Mary Poppins made it to the big screen. Emma Thompson plays P.L.Travers, the author of the book, who took a long time to agree to the movie being made, and even then had a lot of stipulations. Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney, the man who eventually made it happen.

Hanks is perfect casting as Disney, playing the role with aplomb. Emma Thompson also does well, and I can't think of a weak link in the supporting cast either. This could easily have been overly sentimental, and, whilst it has its sentimental moments, it doesn't over-indulge.

It might just be my euphoria at actually having a spare afternoon to go to the cinema in, but I really enjoyed Saving Mr Banks and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. If you want a feel-good movie at Christmas without the fake snow and Christmas lights, this isn't a bad choice.

Rating: 4 out of 5