I’m going to admit this right now, Julie Andrews fan that I am, I’ve never seen the movie Marry Poppins. Nor did I realize that Mary Poppins appeared in a series of books, not just the one (which I never read). I did, however, see the play on Broadway with a bunch of friends from my book club, so I was familiar enough to answer the question asked by Chris, “Who is Mr. Banks?” before seeing the movie (the same could not be said for the older woman sitting in front of us who asked the question at the end of the movie!).
So, let me tell you, you don’t need to be a fan of Miss Poppins to enjoy this movie, which I thoroughly did.
The movie focuses on the story of P.L. Travers’ childhood, where she derived the inspiration for Mary Poppins, juxtaposed with the story of her working with the people over at Disney, to bring her beloved character to life. And let’s just say, both areas of her life required a bit more than a spoonful of sugar to help her (more like some whiskey in the tea kind of a thing), as neither was easy for “Mrs. Travers” to endure. Yet both stories were so well told and acted in the movie that I’m shocked Emma Thompson didn’t receive a best actress nod. I get Tom Hanks not getting one (though I do think he should have received one for Captain Phillips), since his portrayal of Mr. Disney was really the aw shucks variety that seems to come naturally to Mr. Hanks.
Without any major Oscar nominations, I’m anxious to see the other movies as I imagine they must be fantastic for this well developed story to not get a mention of any sort.
