Mary Poppins Returns
(USA, 130 min.)
Dir. Rob Marshall, Writ. David Magee
Starring: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw,
Emily Mortimer, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, Joel Dawson, Julie Walters,
Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Dick Van Dyke
If there’s one silver lining to be found in Donald Trump’s
administration, or the likes of Doug Ford and whatever other terrible people
happen to be in power now, it’s that they make a film critic’s job too easy.
One could have easily made a drinking game out of the number of films deemed
balm for divisive times in 2018. Many films received praise for their
relevance, while others got a passing grade for showing up at the right time.
However, the holidays are here and everyone needs some Christmas cheer. If
there’s a film to warm the heart and make the yuletide gay, it’s Mary Poppins Returns. The film is a
welcome homecoming for the magical nanny who touched generations of children. Mary Poppins Returns is the grand finale
to the “movie we need right now” festival of 2018!
Destined to join the original Mary Poppins as a beloved family staple, Mary Poppins Returns makes the rare feat of revisiting a classic film and doing it justice. It’s an enchanting time machine that reminds audiences that the world isn’t as bleak and dark as it seems. Director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods) adds more singing and more dancing to the magical world of Mary Poppins, and veteran moviegoers are bound to enjoy it as much as young audiences will as they discover the nanny for the first time.
The story features Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) and his
sister Jane Banks (Emily Mortimer) all grown up in the years since Mary Poppins
first graced their house on Cherry Tree Lane. They once again need Mary to work
her mojo, since Michael, a widower with three rug rats and a cantankerous
housekeeper (Julie Walters), has his hands full and is about to lose the house.
(Jane, a socialist, didn’t seem to find much favour in the family will.) Before
Michael and Jane can say “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” three times fast,
Mary Poppins descends from the heavens to make everything shipshape.
A song here and a lesson there fuels the plot as Mary
teaches the next generation of Banksies about the world as their dad gets the
affairs in order. The script by David Magee (Finding Neverland) admirably revives the basic outline of the
original film, offering something between a continuation and a reimagining of
the 1964 classic. It provides something both familiar and new like a passing of
the torch between generations.
The shoes left my Julie Andrews’ Oscar-winning performance are
awfully big for any actor to fill, but Blunt couldn’t be a better choice to
bring the spirit of Mary Poppins back to life. Her Mary is a little more posh
and a little more playful than Andrews’ squeaky-clean Miss Poppins, who
sometimes resembled a nun on the lam from a convent. Blunt looks as if she is
having the time of her life playing Mary Poppins and the gaiety of her
performance is simply infectious. Her singing, her dancing, and her perfectly
composed poise combine for a newly spirited take on the nanny that is close
enough to Andrews’ interpretation, but is an original and worthy feat in its
own right.
Blunt finds a fine sidekick in Lin-Manuel Miranda as Jack,
the prodigy of Bert the chimneysweep, who aids her lessons with some sprightly
song and dance routines. The music of Mary
Poppins Returns increases the scale of the original film, opening the story
up for larger numbers with fancier moves and slicker choreography tailor-made
for an inevitable Broadway adaptation. While none of the songs by Marc Shaiman
and Scott Whitman provide magic as memorable as the Sherman brothers’ ditties
of the original Poppins, Returns features some truly grand
numbers, like Miranda’s triumphant “Trip a Little Light Fantastic” or Blunt’s
saucy cabaret number worthy of Chicago.
A few numbers are utterly overwhelmed by the grand visual effects, but those
that find a balance between the razzle-dazzle and the music are a delight. The
centrepiece of the film, naturally, comes when Meryl Streep steals the show in
a triumphant cameo as Mary’s cousin Topsy, who leads the kids on a dazzling
number of topsy-turvydom that feels like the wildest amusement park ride in
Disneyland. Streep relishes the grand size of the role, playing up her ability
to master accents of all kinds by giving Topsy a hilariously over-the-top twang
of indiscernible origin.
Marshall and his casting directors pepper the film with
memorable performers, including Colin Firth as a bitterly Scroogey banker (who,
thankfully, doesn’t sing) and 92-year-old Dick Van Dyke in a tap dance worthy
of a standing ovation. One of the most obvious improvements upon this Mary Poppins is the step towards a more
inclusive cast—an effort made somewhat more successfully by this season’s other
big release, Mary Queen of Scots,
since most of the actors of colour in Mary
Poppins Returns have one-note roles like “The nice banker,” which is
awkward despite its very best intentions. The effort is nevertheless a step in
the right direction.
Mary Poppins Returns also
bests its predecessor with a smorgasbord of special effects that have been
introduced to the movies since Mary Poppins first conjured flights of the
imagination. Marshall uses an impressive range of dazzling animation as Mary
Poppins transports the Banks children through hand drawn carriage rides and CGI
bubble flights. These set pieces in particular show how ready the world is for
a return to Mary Poppins, and the marvelous visual design extends to the
costumes and production efforts, all of which ring with inspired imagination.
The film is bound to bring out the kid in everyone as Blunt
guides the crowd through a magical and enchanting adventure. Mary Poppins Returns is escapism in its
best and purest form. A spoonful of sugar helps 2018 go down…in the most delightful
way!
Mary Poppins Returns opens in theatres Dec. 19