I am no longer legally allowed to go to US Cellular field.  How this came to be is all because of Tom Hanks, but I am getting ahead of myself.  Being a die-hard Cubs fan, I was not crazy about the idea of going to the home of the White Sox, but my buddy and I got VIP tickets so we thought we would see how the 1% got their baseball on.  We got to the stadium about halfway through the second inning and got through the four levels of security we had to traverse to find our seats.  I was trying to get comfortable and get more beer even though I was already drunk, a detail that will become important in a moment.  My buddy is an actor who idolizes Tom Hanks.  Not just a fan, he worships the guy.  As I try to hand my buddy the beer and cheese fries I have procured, I notice he is frozen, mouth agape.  I follow his stare.  Sitting three rows in front of us is none other than Forrest Gump himself.  I try to convince him to go down and talk to him, but Mr. Hanks is with his family so my buddy refuses.  So I convince him to write a note and give it to the usher.  He writes this simple message.  “Mr. Hanks, my name is (he told me not to mention his name), and I became an actor because of you.  I am not trying to bother you; so, if you would please sign the back of this note, it would instantly become my most prized possession.”  We gave it to the mountain that was the usher with a fifty dollar bill, and he took it down to my buddy’s hero.  Tom Hanks unfolded the note, read it, and took out his pen.  My buddy almost backflipped out of his seat when he wrote a message and handed it back to the usher who returned and gave it to my friend.  He unfolded the note, read it, and made a whimper that would make a puppy cry.  The note read as follows:  “I am with my family.  Bother me again, and I will have you removed.”  I realize now that I went too far in my reaction, but all the guy had to do was just sign his name.  I do regret my actions, Mr. Hanks, and I hope that someone brings this review to your attention.

     Walt Disney’s film version of author P.L. Travers’ Mary Poppins story was released in 1964, captivating millions.   But it omitted the real story behind its creation.  Saving Mr. Banks beautifully compensates for that as it illustrates the emotional fluster, strain, and victory of both Walt Disney and P.L. Travers throughout the formulating process of creating the screenplay for that 1964 film.  In Saving Mr. Banks, Disney (Tom Hanks) and his creative cohorts attempt to please the ever-reluctant P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) as they fashion a film from her words — which pleased Disney’s own children. After struggling to contact the author for 20 long years, Disney finally drew her from her home in London to Hollywood, where both characters learn a bit about their individual shadows, masks, and demons as they collaborate on the film. Along the way, the audience absorbs the significance of the character of Mary Poppins and understands that using a little bit of her spirit in everyday life may serve as a personal means of being “saved.” Each character in the film is partnered with a story, from P.L. Traver’s chauffeur’s (Paul Giamatti) life at home to Travers’ own upbringing. The film’s wondrously crafted flashback scenes indicate much of this as we see how her father Robert Goff (Colin Farrell), her mother Margaret Goff (Ruth Wilson) and her Aunt Ellie (Rachel Griffiths) shaped Travers’ childhood. Insightful filming angles and lighting — as witnessed in the beauty of white laundry sheets, sunny days, and childhood fantasies that come with the building of a fort — capture some of the picturesque moments in Travers’ early life. A delicately fierce script adds to the often amusing, awkward, and at times heavy antics of these characters. “Forget ironic, it’s iconic!” proclaims a giddy Disney during one of the songwriter sessions for the film as he listens to the first playing of “A Spoon Full of Sugar” at his studio. This was no mistake. Much of the original Mary Poppins soundtrack is revived with fluidity and power as the joy of an imaginative youth is set free. In alignment with strategic storyboard planning of both characters and settings, the song choice and role-playing peppered throughout the film give it a heartfelt touch. Hanks is astounding in his cheerful take on Disney. Thompson may draw a smirk from audience members with her character’s cheeky stubbornness, as noted in Travers’ attempts to desperately keep the Banks spirit alive (in the Mary Poppins stories, the Banks character is the father figure). The trio of scriptwriters/songwriters (played by B.J. Novak, Jason Schwartzman and Bradley Whitford) allow viewers to take comfort in embracing the child embedded within every soul, no matter how old you are. Each character provides some sort of attachment in drawing in concern for their well-being as viewers learn that despite having a combative past, there is always a reason to live on. Mr. Hanks, you and I have a combative past, but your new movie is a Tupperware all the way.  I will admit though, nothing you ever do on film will be as hilarious as watching my cheese fries I threw at you explode all over your face.

Yours Truly,