Saving Mr. Banks

PG-13

Released Dec 20, 2013

2h 5m

Drama

Comedy

List

79%

Tomatometer

264 Reviews

84%

Audience Score

100,000+ Ratings

Spurred on by a promise he made to his daughters, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) embarks on what would become a 20-year quest to obtain the movie rights to "Mary Poppins." The author, P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), proves to be an uncompromising curmudgeon who has no intention of letting her beloved characters become mangled in the Hollywood machine. However, when the books stop selling and she finds herself in need of money, Travers reluctantly agrees to consider Disney's proposition.

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Critics Consensus

Aggressively likable and sentimental to a fault, Saving Mr. Banks pays tribute to the Disney legacy with excellent performances and sweet, high-spirited charm.

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Laura Mandanas

Autostraddle

The movie is charming and Emma Thompson, per usual, makes for an utterly endearing misanthrope. However, I have to question the decision to gloss over Travers' queer identity.

Jun 14, 2021

Full Review

Deborah Ross

The Spectator

It is not a taxing film. You always know where it's going and, with its rather melodramatic flashbacks, there is no ambiguity as to where it is coming from, but neither matters as much as they should as there is just so much joy to be had otherwise.

Sep 5, 2018

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

... it follows the Disney modus operandi of ultimately exalting even the most unlikable characters in order to satisfy their traditional family audiences.

Rated: B-

Sep 6, 2017

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

In traditional Disney fashion, something true has been transformed into a heartwarming, overly saccharine commercial.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Uniformly excellent performances to cover the movie's languid pacing.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 1, 2021

Full Review

Nicole Ackman

Next Best Picture

It's surprisingly melancholy in tone, but in an oddly pleasing way that feels reverent to the subject material as it reveals how the film Mary Poppins almost never was.

Rated: 7/10

Jan 30, 2021

Full Review

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Audience Member

Lack of character depth becomes a huge problem despite the good performances of Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks is the major problem.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/20/24

Full Review

Dale R

A Disney-fied version of the creation of the movie Mary Poppins and Walt Disney’s attempts to obtain the rights to the character from her creator P. L. Travers. Tom Hanks is truly one of the best actors to grace the screen as not once during the film did I think that he was an actor portraying Walt Disney, instead I felt that was Disney on screen. Emma Thompson also does a great job portraying P. L. Travers. I’m on the fence about the changes in the narrative from history. The story here is well told and engaging throughout, but the ending is altered to give a Disney positive spin on the true story that I rightly predicted that Disney wouldn’t have the courage to tell. Still, I think this movie is worth a watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/07/24

Full Review

Skye W

I can't imagine anyone not enjoying this movie. The production is impeccable, great writing, great characters AND Tom hanks. What more do you need?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/02/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Fun to watch Disney do its thing, always nice to watch a heart change from a tough personality to one who starts to enjoy the simple things in life.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/23/24

Full Review

John S

Beautiful. Powerful. I'm watching mary poppins tomorrow, and it's story will never be the same ♥️

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/10/24

Full Review

Sparky K

I almost didn't watch this, thinking ‘why do I want to see a film about the making of Mary Poppins' (not my kind of film at all). By the end of the film, I had forgotten Tom Hanks was playing a part, and was totally convinced I was watching Walt Disney. Completely engrossed from start to finish, and am now even tempted to see the Mary Poppins film itself!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/24

Full Review

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John Lee Hancock

Director

Emma Thompson

P.L. Travers

Tom Hanks

Walt Disney

Paul Giamatti

Ralph

Jason Schwartzman

Richard Sherman

Colin Farrell

Travers Goff

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Quartet

80%

66%

Quartet

My One and Only

69%

50%

My One and Only

The Women

13%

37%

The Women

Admission

37%

32%

Admission

Darling Companion

21%

29%

Darling Companion

TRAILER

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Parental Guidance: Divergent and Muppets Most Wanted, Plus Frozen and Saving Mr. Banks

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Synopsis

Spurred on by a promise he made to his daughters, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) embarks on what would become a 20-year quest to obtain the movie rights to "Mary Poppins." The author, P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), proves to be an uncompromising curmudgeon who has no intention of letting her beloved characters become mangled in the Hollywood machine. However, when the books stop selling and she finds herself in need of money, Travers reluctantly agrees to consider Disney's proposition.

Director: John Lee Hancock
Producer: Alison Owen, Ian Collie, Philip Steuer
Screenwriter: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
Distributor: Walt Disney
Production Co: Walt Disney Pictures, Ruby Films, Easy Tiger Productions, Essential Media and Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Some Unsettling Images)
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 20, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 3, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $83.3M
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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