Synopsis
Author P.L. Travers looks back on her childhood while reluctantly meeting with Walt Disney, who seeks to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the big screen.
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Cast
- Emma ThompsonP.L. Travers
- Tom HanksWalt Disney
- Colin FarrellTravers Robert Goff
- Paul GiamattiRalph
- Ruth WilsonMargaret Goff
- Jason SchwartzmanRichard Sherman
- Bradley WhitfordDon DaGradi
- Annie Rose BuckleyGinty
- B.J. NovakRobert Sherman
- Kathy BakerTommie
Recommendations
- 80
The Telegraph
It’s Thompson as the heroically unbiddable Travers who makes the most of it; her bravura performance effectively dominates the film. - 80
Variety
It’s a bit square, never particularly surprising, yet very rich in its sense of creative people and their spirit of self-reinvention. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
Taken strictly on its own terms, Saving Mr. Banks works exceedingly well as mainstream entertainment. - 80
Empire
This is not a simple story of an uptight English woman induced to loosen up by those freedom-lovin’ Yanks, but a delicate and brilliantly acted story of overcoming the past to embrace an uncertain future. Emma Thompson, in particular, is magic. - 80
Time Out London
The whole thing goes down with a few bucketloads of sugar. What keeps it from becoming sticky schmaltz is Thompson, who plays Travers with wit and warmth, adding a spoonful of spoilt child to help the battleaxe go down. - 79
Film.com
There’s charm and delight here, to be sure, but it is occasionally obscured by attempts to make it somehow darker, deeper, and more dramatic. - 75
The Playlist
Even if it doesn't quite stick the landing, there's a lot to like here; it's a fundamentally decent, very well-acted and cannily written film. - 75
IndieWire
Ultimately, Saving Mr Banks is witty, well-crafted and well-performed mainstream entertainment which, perhaps unavoidably, cleaves to a well-worn Disney template stating that all problems - however psychologically deep-rooted - can be overcome.
