Saving Mr. Banks

In 1961, author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) reluctantly agrees to let Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) film her Mary Poppins books, and the script conferences prompt memories of her childhood in Australia and her loving but feckless father (Colin Farrell). Written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith and directed by John Lee Hancock, the movie is as heartwarming in its way as Mary Poppins—and one senses, almost as much of a fantasy. Marcel and Smith include so many dubious touches in their script that it's hard to take their word for anything. Travers' lifelong loathing for Disney is entirely glossed over, and Hancock can't quite mesh the grim tone of the flashbacks with the seriocomic scenes set in 1961. The movie works best as a showcase for Thompson's tart performance as Travers and Hanks' folksy turn as Disney.