Spare me the pleasantries

Rating: 8/10 (3 January 2014)

This was, no question about it, a beautifully made film. Two hours and ten minutes of great acting from all involved. Emma Thompson was brilliant in the role of the obnoxious stuck up old Brit who is really a very sad old Aussie. But then again, it was to be expected; maybe they should make a prize above the Oscars for people that we know are Oscar material and need to go further still. Tom Hanks, an old version of him, is perfect for the role of the gallant Walt Disney, while Colin Farrell plays the role of the drunken dad. Perhaps the Irish actor he should steer away from drunken roles; we all know how Hollywood casting holes are.
There is a however, however. The story felt too much like Driving Miss Daisy - you know, old grumpy woman that has a good heart and a story, resilient driver, people that make the effort to "get her", etc - and I don't know Mr. Disney, but could he have been so nice? It is a story about the weird interaction of interesting and famous people, one that explains, it's true, the creation of a real movie: the Mary Poppins musical movie starring Julie Andrews. But it felt quite a bit fake, I have to tell you.
It is noteworthy to say that the film was based on a biography of Travers that also prompted two documentaries that I have not seen. Perhaps more of the truth would lie there, but even from the Wikipedia page for the film I can see that things were not quite like in Saving Mr. Banks.
Bottom line: well played, well created, but ultimately a good actor extravaganza on a "making of" story of an acclaimed American movie. Beautiful, but a bit... surreal?