I saw this film in the theater and it brought me to tears both times that I saw it and watching this beautiful film on the small screen still had the same effect.
This film is about the incidents in the life of P. L. Travers that brought her character of Mary Poppins to the page and the screen. Emma Thompson plays the adult Mrs. Travers and the majority of the film covers the development of the screenplay and her interaction with Walt Disney played by Tom Hanks. The relationship between the two is electric and you can't take your eyes off of them in the scenes they are together.
Annie Rose Buckley plays 7 year old Helen (the young P. L. Travers) and Colin Farrell plays Travers Robert Goff Helen's father. The relationship between the two is magical, and the scenes between the two are both beautiful and tragic. The way she looks at her father is how our children used to look at us when they were younger, and this makes the story more touching.
Colin Farrell does a wonderful job as Helen's father whose wonderful imagination and relationship with his children masks the pathos of his life.
The other great relationship is between Mrs. Travers and her chauffeur while she is in Los Angeles played by Paul Giamatti.
The title of the film underscores the real meaning of the entire film and how Walt Disney comes to understand the true meaning over Mary Poppins and how P. L. Travers comes to grips with her life.
I highly recommend you see this beautiful film.
Cast
- Emma Thompson as Pamela "P. L." Travers, birth name Helen Goff.
- Annie Rose Buckley as seven-year-old Helen, also referred to as "Ginty"
- Tom Hanks as Walt Disney
- Colin Farrell as Travers Robert Goff, Helen's father
- Ruth Wilson as Margaret Goff, Helen's mother
- Paul Giamatti as Ralph, Travers' chauffeur
- Bradley Whitford as Don DaGradi, co-writer of the screenplay for Mary Poppins
- Jason Schwartzman as Richard M. Sherman, composer and lyricist
- B. J. Novak as Robert B. Sherman, composer and lyricist who co-wrote the film's songs with his brother Richard
- Kathy Baker as Tommie, Disney's executive assistant
- Melanie Paxson as Dolly, Disney's secretary
- Rachel Griffiths as Ellie, Helen's hard-hearted maternal aunt, who serves as the model for Mary Poppins
- Ronan Vibert as Diarmuid Russell, Travers' publisher.
- Kristopher Kyer as Dick Van Dyke
- Victoria Summer as Julie Andrews