Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Genre

Biography | Comedy | Drama

Director

John Lee Hancock

Country

UK | Australia | USA

Cast

Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, B. J. Novak, Jason Schwartzman, Kathy Baker, Melanie Paxson, Rachel Griffiths, Ronan Vibert, Kristopher Kyer, Victoria Summer

Storyline

After 20 years, when she's financially strapped, author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) finally considers Walt Disney's (Tom Hanks) offer to make a film of her book, Mary Poppins, but won't approve unless Disney does it as she wants. So she goes to California, and while working on bringing the character of Mary Poppins to life, she starts reflecting on her childhood, upon which the book is based.

Opinion

Although this film has been on my watch-list for a while, I was reluctant because of some negative reviews I've heard and read. People complaining about Walt Disney being nothing like the man portrayed by Tom Hanks, others complaining about this being not a biopic worthy of such a man. Well, I'm not sure those people have quite understood what the film is really about.

Saving Mr. Banks actually tells the story of the making of the Mary Poppins film, and if it has to be considered a biography, it is surely not Walt Disney's but P.L. Travers's. Now, the fact that the story is more or less accurate, and that maybe there is a spoonful of sugar too much to make the film suitable for families is another thing.

Having said that, Saving Mr. Banks is a feel-good dramatic comedy, both witty and sentimental, that draws you in.

The film praises imagination and its power to help some grow, by lighting up childhood and its natural path towards adulthood. It also praises those people that, even though they have grown, are still capable of dreaming, like P.L. Travers or Walt Disney.

There are some outstanding performances too. Emma Thompson play P.L. Travers beautifully. Cold and definitely not likable in the first part (as required), she brings out all the emotions, and the serious aspects of her character. Tom Hanks does a nice job as Walt Disney and seems to be enjoying himself but this is not one of his best achievements. The supporting cast offers strong performances, especially Colin Farrell, who brings vitality and interest in the parallel story about Travers's childhood. 

Don’t you ever stop dreaming. You can be anyone you want to be. - Travers Goff

Unexpected (2015)

Genre

Comedy | Drama

Director

Kris Swanberg

Country

USA

Cast

Cobie Smulders, Gail Bean, Anders Holm, Elizabeth McGovern

Storyline

An inner-city high school teacher (Cobie Smulders) discovers she is pregnant at the same time as one of her most promising students (Gail Bean) and the two develop an unlikely friendship while struggling to navigate their unexpected pregnancies.

Opinion

Unexpected is a simple, yet authentic and unexpectedly beautiful film about pregnancy and friendship, and deals with some serious social issues.

With Megan Mercier and Kris Swanberg's intelligent script, and the simple, yet feeling real story, the film manages to engage the audience with the reality of pregnancy, that can be a very complicated and confusing process, and it shows this with intense emotions through the eyes of two different women in two different moments in life, a 30-year-old teacher and and 17-year-old girl. 

The film also raises some serious social issues by taking a look at socioeconomic and cultural differences, and race privilege, and also mentions the public education system of the state of Chicago, but unfortunately it doesn't explore or deepen none of the topics above mentioned.

Still the film is a good portrait of female friendship even though the relationship that develops between Samantha, the teacher, and Jasmine, the high school girl, takes some predictable turns.

Cobie Smulders probably gives the best and most genuine performance of her career as Samantha. Being pregnant herself while making this probably helped, but she is sweet and vulnerable, and she well delivers the insecurities about being a mother and the consequences it may have on one's identity. Gail Bean also delivers a solid performance as Jasmine, and she plays the role with surprisingly wisdom for her age - Hollywood should keep an eye on her. Elizabeth McGovern also gives a good performance as Samantha's mother.