Sav(or) Life....(re)affirm the joy of living

Rating: Null/10 (8 February 2014)

Never thought I'd like this, but I do - I absolutely adore this one. Tom Hanks IS Disney. But the fun part? This one ain't about him. it's all about Mrs., Sorry, the curmudgeonly Mrs. P. J. Travers, and her journey/s. In spite of John Lee Hancock's ham-fisted handling of 'The Blind side', one of the reasons for which I was not primed for this one, he knocks this one out of the park. Pitch-perfect in tone, execution and characterization, never mind the so-called liberties that may/not have been taken, this is a work of a supremely confident team (its always a team, no matter who helms it), and evoked, in me, some of the best movie-watching memories I've had, esp. watching something similarly layered a few years previously, also on the big screen with a like-minded audience, 'Finding Neverland'. Everyone's in top form here (In addn to Hanks/Thompson/Farrell, we have Giamatti/Baker/Schwartzman/Novak/Whitford), and this is a welcome return to the mainstream limelight for Colin Farrell as well, and Emma Thompson, the eponymous Nanny McPhee, IS Mrs., sorry, Mrs. Travers. I've never enjoyed her performance more (except perhaps in 'Last chance Harvey', another under-seen jewel). The soundtrack is some of the best composed for film, as is the lush cinematography. All in all, perfect, and it helps that the distributors for this one have their heads out of their glory holes, and have released this absolutely wide. Its playing in approximately 12 shows/day across multiplexes, and the audience I watched it with, was respectful, and enjoyed everything unfold with absolute reverence and delight, the way this is meant to be savored. Once more, the middle finger moves around those impatient ^&%$$$s who do not savor the large-screen experience, and 'tis a pity they'll never know what they missed. Better for the rest of us though. Watch it before it leaves cinemas - this one's one of those magical, life-affirming works of art. Take your family, take your better/worse half - savor it. Maybe twice/more. I know I will.