This takes place in 1910 England. Two kids named Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber) are lonely. Their parents love them but don't pay attention to them. Their mom (Glynis Johns) is always rushing off to campaigns and their father (David Tomlinson) is too depressed from work. They can't keep a governess that can handle the kids. Then one day Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) shows up. She is firm yet kind and opens up a whole new world to the kids. In turn this affects their parents who end up loving the kids AND paying attention to them.
I want to make this clear--I DO love Disney movies. "Bambi", "Fantasia", "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast" are all classics. This one, however leaves me cold. For starters it's far too long--140 minutes. Just try to get a kid to sit that long through a movie. Also Andrews doesn't work. She sings beautifully (of course) but she plays Poppins as firm (VERY firm) and always telling the kids what to do. She almost never even smiles! The kids themselves are annoying, Johns plays her part WAY too broadly and Tomlinson doesn't even try to act. The story meanders all over the place and has a LONG dance number involving the chimney sweeps. While I don't deny that the dancing is incredible it adds nothing to the story and brings the movie to a screeching halt. On the plus side the special effects are incredible (even by today's standards) and there's a beautiful elaborate sequence where Andrews, the kids and Dick Van Dyke spend time in a world where everything is animated. Van Dyke overacts to an incredible degree but his singing and dancing make up for it. Also there are the songs that have become classics--"A Spoonful of Sugar", "Supercalifragilisticeexpialidocious" and "Chim Chim Cher-ee". Still, as a whole, I find this too long, boring and full of unlikable characters (that includes Andrews). I can only give it a 5.
I want to make this clear--I DO love Disney movies. "Bambi", "Fantasia", "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast" are all classics. This one, however leaves me cold. For starters it's far too long--140 minutes. Just try to get a kid to sit that long through a movie. Also Andrews doesn't work. She sings beautifully (of course) but she plays Poppins as firm (VERY firm) and always telling the kids what to do. She almost never even smiles! The kids themselves are annoying, Johns plays her part WAY too broadly and Tomlinson doesn't even try to act. The story meanders all over the place and has a LONG dance number involving the chimney sweeps. While I don't deny that the dancing is incredible it adds nothing to the story and brings the movie to a screeching halt. On the plus side the special effects are incredible (even by today's standards) and there's a beautiful elaborate sequence where Andrews, the kids and Dick Van Dyke spend time in a world where everything is animated. Van Dyke overacts to an incredible degree but his singing and dancing make up for it. Also there are the songs that have become classics--"A Spoonful of Sugar", "Supercalifragilisticeexpialidocious" and "Chim Chim Cher-ee". Still, as a whole, I find this too long, boring and full of unlikable characters (that includes Andrews). I can only give it a 5.