Like a Well-Made PBS Documentary with Really Good Reenactments

Rating: 5/10 (29 November 2013)

With IMDb so strict about spoilers, I'm surprised they display the title of this movie. Turns out Mary Poppins is there for Mr. Banks and not his kids. At least, the filmmakers treat this as a revelation when it is dramatically stated close to the end of the movie. If they wanted that to be a moment, they should have called the film something other than "Saving Mr. Banks."
And that's the problem. There just aren't any big, really interesting dramatic moments. There are moments treated as big and dramatic. And, because there are big-name actors, delightful Sherman brothers music, and really good lighting and makeup, at first it all seems bigger than it is.
Truth is, there's just not much to "Saving Mr. Banks." Few surprises and tepid when they arrive.
The film is pleasant enough, but the back-stories revealed to us about Poppins novelist P. L. Travers and Disney emperor Walt Disney just aren't that interesting. Or surprising. Or revealing to their characters.
Of course, Walt is portrayed just about as wonderful as one could imagine. Travers is a difficult, no-nonsense Brit who has a sudden change of heart for no particularly good reason. Even Paul Giamatti never gets angry nor snarls even once, which is rare not to see.
Hanks does a great job as Disney. Everyone else is adequate, none seeming to stray too far from whom they are anyway, or, at least, the types of people they usually play.
Unfortunately the only thing that makes anyone interesting in this movie is who they are playing and a very few mildly curious moments in those people's lives. The actors and writers bring very little to the table.
It's not boring. It's not that interesting. If you like Disney and Mary Poppins, you'll still like them after seeing this. In fact, you'll change very little before, during, and after watching this movie other than a few well-structured weepy moments. Kind of like a really good Hallmark TV movie.