As contradictory as the characters it portrays!

Rating: 8/10 (28 March 2014)

If you've grown up with Disney - and Mary Poppins in particular - you'll find it hard to be objective about this movie. After all, it's a real trip down memory lane; and whether you like that experience or not, the adventure will surely cloud your judgment. So perhaps like me, you'll find yourself trapped in a purgatory of time and place: are you in the past, the present, or nowhere at all???
Hence the power of this movie! There's the lush back-story of Travers' tainted childhood - enriched by the stunning cinematography that depicts the Australian countryside - and enveloped by the gut wrenching drama of her slowly devolving father. Then there's the ongoing saga of Disney trying to wrestle the story of Mary Poppins from the timeworn Travers. In the end, the tussle becomes a therapeutic exercise for both as they finally wrestle their demons out towards a mutually cathartic end!
The acting by Hanks and Thompson is superb, you'll be squirming from the tension of their dynamic performance. By the time the credits role around, you'll be exhausted; but you'll finally be happy for the sappy tunes laced throughout the movie - a little chim-chim-cherooo will be the sugar that helps this movie-medicine go down!