Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

3/5

Disney's Saving Mr. Banks is an expectedly heartwarming story about the creation of the Mary Poppins movie. Walt Disney (Hanks) has been trying for decades to woo P.L. Travers (Thompson) into giving them the rights to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the silver screen. Due to recent financial difficulties, she finally agrees to meet with the Disney songwriters (Novak, Schwartzman, Whitford) as long as she gets the final say in what ends up in the film. Upon first blush, she appears to be a crotchety old fart with a bug up her butt; she is senselessly rigid and unreasonable in her demands. But as the movie progresses she opens up, first to her chauffeur (Giamatti) and then to Disney himself. We discover what her childhood was like, why she wrote the Mary Poppins stories, and why she clings so closely to the words she put on the page.

Immediately after exiting the theater, I remember thinking how life-affirming and rewarding the movie felt. But looking back, it seems extraordinarily Hollywood-ized. Disney is basically advertising itself, which heavily limits how much we might believe that this was "based on a true story." If you've seen the trailer, there really is nothing particularly surprising about Saving Mr. Banks, from the saccharine atmosphere to the predictable storyline. After all, the ending "reveal" is so obvious they made it the title of the movie.

But the movie is not about twists and mysteries; it's about characters and their motivations. And there again the movie stumbles. Travers feels like an obstacle the entire time, who is eventually overcome by American bravado and intelligence, instead of a complex character with nuance and subtlety. Instead of framing the movie as a character study, Hancock directs it so conservatively that it loses the depth that Thompson worked so hard to infuse in her character. There is so much more to P.L. Travers than her childhood, but that is all we get to see. The movie rides on her ability to generate empathy within the audience members, and Hancock shoots himself in the foot by making her the enemy at the outset.

Now, that's not to say that this isn't an entertaining or enjoyable film. It very much is. It's delightful and funny too. And it will have you reaching for your tissue every once in a while. But it doesn't feel honest to me. It feels deceptive and inauthentic. And it's such a shame because so many fine actors deliver impeccable performances here. It's a good movie, but not as good as it could have been.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140373/

The Blind Side (2009)

4/5

The Blind Side is a wonderfully uplifting true story of a young boy from the projects who is taken in by affluent Southerners and eventually succeeds as a professional football player. Sandra Bullock plays the rich Southern belle who sees a boy in need and takes him under her wing and Quinton Aaron plays the youth extracted from a bad situation by good people. This movie has an incredible power to touch your spirit; it pits kindness and generosity against hate and selfishness for the soul of a vulnerable young man. We are witness to people at a crossroads who can take the easy way out of someone's life or the tough way into someone's heart. It is satisfying on just about all the levels you would expect from this kind of sentimental movie.

The technical aspects are about average, better in some areas and worse in others. There is the seemingly obligatory montage at the end that's just oozing and dripping sap without adding any value. And there is the occasional dialogue that hammers in subtleties that would otherwise have remained in the background for the vigilant observer. Still, The Blind Side is an affecting tale, made more powerful by the fact that it actually happened. This is the movie to see if you need to reaffirm you faith in mankind.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/