Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.