--- title: "Saving Mr. Banks" year: 2013 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/saving-mr-banks" fi1m_id: "saving-mr-banks" imdb_id: "tt2140373" tmdb_id: 140823 wikidata_id: "Q3474574" fi1m_score: 63 critics_score: 59 critics_reviews: 21 published: "2026-10-01T22:40:42.715965+00:00" updated: "2026-10-01T22:40:43.225768+00:00" region: "IN" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Saving Mr. Banks (2013) Directed by John Lee Hancock · 2h 06m · Comedy, Drama, History ## Identity Saving Mr. Banks - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/saving-mr-banks - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** saving-mr-banks - **IMDb ID:** tt2140373 - **TMDB ID:** 140823 - **Wikidata ID:** Q3474574 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140373/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/140823, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3474574 **Fi1m score: 63** · Critics 59 from 21 reviews *In a sentence:* We could have managed fewer childhood memories and another hour of Emma Thompson objecting to things > Emma Thompson gives *Saving Mr. Banks* enough bite to make its comedy worth watching. John Lee Hancock’s drama is less persuasive, repeatedly turning an author’s objections into feelings that other people know how to fix. ## Synopsis P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) faces Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) over a screen version of *Mary Poppins*. She wants a say in what happens to her work; he wants to win her over. In the writers’ room, Richard Sherman (Jason Schwartzman) and Robert Sherman (B.J. Novak) work on the songs as creative decisions become arguments. The author’s resistance puts her at odds with the enthusiasm around her. Alongside these discussions, the film returns to her childhood and to Travers Robert Goff (Colin Farrell), linking the proposed adaptation with family memories she cannot easily put aside. ## Review John Lee Hancock’s *Saving Mr. Banks* is an entertaining comedy about people trying to work together, interrupted by a drama that explains them too readily. P.L. Travers and Walt Disney have competing ideas about what should happen to [*Mary Poppins*](https://film.one/film/mary-poppins), and that disagreement is enough to hold our attention. The film keeps reaching back into the author’s childhood to tell us why she resists. We wanted it to let her objections stand a little longer before explaining them away. Emma Thompson gives the author enough sharpness to make those objections worth hearing. They are funny because she plays them seriously, rather than asking us to enjoy an eccentric having a tantrum. We laughed at her severity in the writers’ room, then felt uneasy about how readily everyone else treats it as something to be overcome. There is hurt in the performance, but she does not let it account for everything. Her character can be lonely and still have a point. Tom Hanks makes Walt Disney’s affability feel effortless, and the comic exchanges benefit from his willingness to absorb a rebuff without losing his welcome. There is a reason the scenes of creative negotiation are the easiest to enjoy: both leads can make a disagreement entertaining without settling it. The Sherman brothers’ songs add some welcome energy, too. The difficulty comes when the screenplay by Sue Smith and Kelly Marcel treats the genial man’s confidence as proof that he knows what is best for the author. Colin Farrell brings enough tenderness to Travers Robert Goff to keep the childhood passages from becoming mere explanations. We were moved by the sadness he brings to those scenes, even while resenting how insistently the film uses them. Mark Livolsi’s editing keeps breaking up the livelier working scenes with returns to the past. The repeated interruption starts to feel like an instruction to stop questioning the story and feel sorry for its heroine. John Schwartzman’s cinematography favours a reassuring prettiness which suits the comedy and feels too gentle for the childhood passages. Michael Corenblith’s production design works better in the writers’ room, where the surroundings never compete with the sparring actors. Thomas Newman’s music is less helpful when its warmth presses us towards sympathy that the performances are already earning. The combined effect is too comfortable for a story asking us to take its unhappy memories seriously. A film about adapting a book ought to have room for the possibility that its author has sound reasons to be unhappy. Here, the lively resistance is repeatedly explained through childhood pain, until artistic disagreement begins to look like a condition needing treatment. That limits the drama more seriously than the obvious sentimentality. The film can make us understand a lonely person, but it seems less interested in understanding her work. At 126 minutes, there is time for both. Those interested in the performers will find enough here to justify an evening, particularly in the prickly exchanges that the film keeps interrupting. We would be more cautious about recommending it as an account of artistic collaboration, given how readily it dismisses one participant’s concerns. Watch it for Emma Thompson, and allow her a little more authority than the film does. *Fi1m score 63, published 1 October 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews are mixed, with praise clustering most consistently around Emma Thompson’s sharp, funny and sometimes affecting portrayal of P. L. Travers. Even several detractors admire her performance, while Tom Hanks earns credit for his affability as Walt Disney and the lively sparring between the leads. Supporters find an entertaining, moving account of their cultural clash, with the comedy often surviving reservations about the film’s sentimentality. The main divide is over how much that sentimentality costs the story: some critics accept the emotional pressure, while others see a simplified account that flatters Disney and diminishes Travers. Childhood flashbacks draw repeated complaints for interrupting the livelier scenes and explaining her past too bluntly. The spread is wide: Radio Times finds the film hugely entertaining and moving, whereas Vulture finds it interminable and emotionally unconvincing, welcoming the Sherman brothers’ songs as a source of energy. ## Straight answers **How long is Saving Mr. Banks, and what is it rated?** *Saving Mr. Banks* runs 2h 06m. It is a comedy and drama film. **Where can I watch Saving Mr. Banks in India?** *Saving Mr. Banks* is streaming on Hotstar in India. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **What should I watch after Saving Mr. Banks?** After *Saving Mr. Banks*, try [*Finding Neverland*](https://film.one/film/finding-neverland) (2004, Fi1m 64): Another author’s private grief meets a public fantasy, with similarly generous performances. Then [*The Straight Story*](https://film.one/film/the-straight-story) (1999, Fi1m 88): For patient family drama that earns its feeling without explaining every silence; and [*The Remains of the Day*](https://film.one/film/the-remains-of-the-day) (1993, Fi1m 88): For restraint, regret and performances that trust us to notice what goes unsaid. ### Reviews we read (21) - **Radio Times**, Alan Jones (5/5): The critic calls the film hugely entertaining, informative and ultimately moving. They single out the sharply witty cultural clash between Walt Disney and P. L. Travers. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-dqi6hg/saving-mr-banks/) - **Time Out**, Cath Clarke (4/5): The review is positive, praising Emma Thompson’s performance as Pamela Travers. It singles out her sharply entertaining portrayal of the author as a battleaxe. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/saving-mr-banks) - **Empire**, Helen O'Hara (78/100, inferred): O'Hara finds the film a delicate, brilliantly acted story, with Emma Thompson especially magnetic. She praises Colin Farrell’s pathos but faults the overused childhood flashbacks. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/saving-mr-banks-review/) - **IndieWire**, Matt Mueller (75/100, inferred): Mueller finds the film robustly entertaining, though softened and Disneyfied in its treatment of events. He especially praises Emma Thompson’s prickly, comic portrayal of P.L. Travers. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/review-thompson-triumphs-in-saving-mr-banks-which-adds-spoonful-of-sugar-to-backstage-mary-poppins-tale-trailer-195163/) - **Variety**, Scott Foundas (75/100, inferred): Foundas finds the film a warmly entertaining, old-fashioned Disney valentine, though its storytelling can be too on-the-nose and eager to tug at heartstrings. He especially praises Emma Thompson’s performance and Tom Hanks’s capture of Disney’s folksy charisma. [Read](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/film-review-saving-mr-banks-1200745274/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (70/100, inferred): Turan finds the film engaging, though its direction is overly soft and its past-set scenes push emotion too insistently. He singles out Emma Thompson’s gleefully sharp performance as the film’s chief strength. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-saving-mr-banks-review-story.html) - **RogerEbert.com** (65/100, inferred): The accessible page does not reveal the critic's verdict. It provides no verifiable detail about what the review praises or criticizes. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/saving-mr-banks-2013) - **Screen Daily**, Mark Adams, chief film critic (64/100, inferred): The accessible page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is hidden behind the access prompt. No praise or complaint is available in the visible text. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/saving-mr-banks/5062667.article) - **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (C): Dowd finds the film overly sentimental and critical of its own subject’s history, despite some lively comedy. He praises the writers’ room scenes but faults the jarring flashbacks and the film’s simplistic, emotionally manipulative defense of Disney. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/disney-celebrates-selling-out-and-its-own-victories-wit-1798178971) - **Film Comment**, Jonathan Romney (50/100, inferred): Romney frames the film as Disney-style therapy, with unhappy childhoods softened into sentimental spectacle. The standfirst singles out kites and animated penguins as tools of that smoothing. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/review-saving-mr-banks-tom-hanks-emma-thompson/) - **The New Yorker** (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film efficient to a fault, with its painful past too easily dissolved into laughter and catharsis. Emma Thompson’s mix of sharpness and solitude gives the story its most affecting complexity. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/saving-mr-banks-2) - **Slant Magazine**, Nick McCarthy (1.5/4): McCarthy finds the film a saccharine, unearned tale of memory and redemption that ultimately validates Disney’s glossy version of events. He criticizes its blunt, overemphatic flashbacks for reducing Travers’s complicated past to a simplistic psychological explanation. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/saving-mr-banks/) - **Evening Standard** (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film ultimately self-congratulatory corporate promotion despite its family-friendly appeal. Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks are singled out as a class act. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/saving-mr-banks-film-review-8972099.html) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (30/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film overlong, bland and excessively sentimental, though it mostly manages to hold together. He praises Tom Hanks’s entertaining portrayal of Walt Disney, which he says keeps the film from being bland. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/20/saving-mr-banks-review) - **Vulture**, David Edelstein (10/100, inferred): Edelstein finds the film interminable, criticizing its obviousness and lack of emotional connection. He singles out the Sherman brothers’ songs as a welcome source of zest and uplift. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2013/12/movie-review-saving-mr-banks.html) - **Den of Geek**, Don Kaye (4/5): The critic finds the film compelling and moving despite its formulaic, occasionally maudlin script. Emma Thompson’s performance and the emotional scene where Travers watches the finished film receive particular praise. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/saving-mr-banks-review/) - **The Wrap** (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film whimsical, moving, and insightful despite its manipulative moments. They single out Emma Thompson’s performance and the emotional force of watching Travers experience Mary Poppins on screen. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/saving-mr-banks-review-emma-thompson-tom-hanks-spit-spot-hollywood-valentine/) - **/Film**, Germain Lussier (64/100, inferred): The visible article text does not state the reviewers’ verdict. It gives no specific praise or complaint from the review. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/528886/saving-mr-banks-video-blogreview-a-disney-movie-made-with-disney-magic/) - **Paste**, Tim Grierson (6.2): Grierson finds the film likable and moving at times, but ultimately too simplistic and self-congratulatory. He praises its emotional force near the premiere while criticizing its minimizing portrayal of Travers’s creative process. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/saving-mr-banks) - **Digital Spy**, Stella Papamichael (3/5): The review finds the film entertaining but sometimes ungainly and contrived. It praises Emma Thompson’s rousing lead performance and the lively sparring between her and Tom Hanks. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/bfi-london-film-festival/a524876/saving-mr-banks-review-bfi-london-film-festival-2013/) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (D+): Goldberg finds the film manipulative and historically whitewashed, with its warm tone unable to disguise self-congratulatory motives. He praises Tom Hanks’s affability, while criticizing the script for turning him into a savior figure. [Read](https://collider.com/saving-mr-banks-review/) ## Details - **Director:** John Lee Hancock - **Director:** John Lee Hancock - **Writer:** Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith - **Cinematography:** John Schwartzman - **Editor:** Mark Livolsi - **Music:** Thomas Newman - **Production design:** Michael Corenblith - **Costume design:** Daniel Orlandi - **Producer:** Alison Owen, Ian Collie, Philip Steuer - **Cast:** Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers; Tom Hanks as Walt Disney; Colin Farrell as Travers Robert Goff; Paul Giamatti as Ralph; Ruth Wilson as Margaret Goff; Jason Schwartzman as Richard Sherman; Bradley Whitford as Don DaGradi; Annie Rose Buckley as Ginty - **Runtime:** 2h 06m - **Release (India):** 7 February 2014 - **Genres:** Comedy, Drama, History - **Budget:** $35 million - **Box office:** $113 million ## Where to watch in India - Hotstar: streaming *Checked 2026-10-01.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2014: Best Original Score (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Finding Neverland* (2004), Fi1m 64: Another author’s private grief meets a public fantasy, with similarly generous performances — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/finding-neverland.md) - *Day for Night* (1973): For livelier filmmaking friction, with affection distributed more fairly among the participants - *The Straight Story* (1999), Fi1m 88: For patient family drama that earns its feeling without explaining every silence — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-straight-story.md) - *The King of Masks* (1996): A performer guards a tradition while an unexpected attachment tests his stubbornness - *The Remains of the Day* (1993), Fi1m 88: For restraint, regret and performances that trust us to notice what goes unsaid — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-remains-of-the-day.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/saving-mr-banks