Saving Mr. Banks

Director: John Lee Hancock
Year Released: 2013
Rating: 1.5

Mary Poppins author P. L. Travers (Emma Thompson) is informed that she's running out of money, so she caves in to Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) when he wants to make a film version of her work, except Walt and his staff quickly discover what a supreme control freak the woman is (no animation! no singing! no mustache on Mr. Banks!). Uncomfortable as a dismissal of elitism (and artistic control), with prim-and-proper Travers turned into an antisocial loon and difficult personality while "populist" Walt and crew are viewed as fun-loving and incredibly patient as they wear down Travers' resilience and include all the things she initially detested (animation! lots of singing! a mustache on Mr. Banks!). The flashbacks to Travers' childhood - and alcoholic father (Colin Farrell) - are incessant and actually distracting, as they try to consistently force parallels between the 'modern day' and 'her childhood.' Trauma be damned, you don't throw out good pears.