Impractically Perfect
I make it no secret to my readers that Mary Poppins is one my favorite all-time movies, if not for the wonderful writing and music, for nostalgia's sake. So once again I need to preface this review with the fact that my review might be unfairly weighted. I am listening to the original soundtrack as we speak. I am not joking. But I will say that this film missed the mark just a bit. The cast and writing were fine, but it was missing that tinge of Disney magic that made the original Poppins film so, well, magical.
Then again, I certainly do not believe anyone could fully expect a movie of this sort to completely satisfy the Disney nuts out there. Still, the movie had some great moments. Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks were great, as could be expected, even though Hanks did not have as prominent of a role in the film that I was hoping for. Special gold stars go to Paul Giamatti, Colin Farrell, and Jason Schwartzman for their supporting roles. The whole cast worked very well together. So much so that I would have loved to have been present on the set while filming just to see what it would be like. I also felt that the film paid appropriate homage to the original film throughout the story development, which is always nice to see as a fan.
There certainly could have been some improvements to the film. I'm not entirely sure that B.J. Novak was the natural choice for the eldest Sherman brother; he just seemed to be lacking something that I can't quite put my finger on. There also seemed some difficulty with transitions throughout the film. It is no secret that P.L. Travers takes us through several flashbacks during the film, and while some of the overlay was fun to watch, it felt quite staggered. I don't believe this is any fault of director John Lee Hancock. I think he did the best he could with what he had to work with (story-wise). Of course, it didn't help the movie that most of the amusing moments were given away in the preview.
Still, I loved watching Hanks and Thompson retelling such a wonderful story, as staggered as it may have been. It just felt as if some parts of the movie were impractical, even redundant. However, most of you know how forgiving of a critique I am. Definitely worth watching if you a big Disney fan.
Written December 26, 2013
Then again, I certainly do not believe anyone could fully expect a movie of this sort to completely satisfy the Disney nuts out there. Still, the movie had some great moments. Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks were great, as could be expected, even though Hanks did not have as prominent of a role in the film that I was hoping for. Special gold stars go to Paul Giamatti, Colin Farrell, and Jason Schwartzman for their supporting roles. The whole cast worked very well together. So much so that I would have loved to have been present on the set while filming just to see what it would be like. I also felt that the film paid appropriate homage to the original film throughout the story development, which is always nice to see as a fan.
There certainly could have been some improvements to the film. I'm not entirely sure that B.J. Novak was the natural choice for the eldest Sherman brother; he just seemed to be lacking something that I can't quite put my finger on. There also seemed some difficulty with transitions throughout the film. It is no secret that P.L. Travers takes us through several flashbacks during the film, and while some of the overlay was fun to watch, it felt quite staggered. I don't believe this is any fault of director John Lee Hancock. I think he did the best he could with what he had to work with (story-wise). Of course, it didn't help the movie that most of the amusing moments were given away in the preview.
Still, I loved watching Hanks and Thompson retelling such a wonderful story, as staggered as it may have been. It just felt as if some parts of the movie were impractical, even redundant. However, most of you know how forgiving of a critique I am. Definitely worth watching if you a big Disney fan.
Written December 26, 2013