Mary Poppins
By Amy ParsonsAverage User Rating:
MPAA Rating: G (General Audience)
A magical nanny comes to care for the children of a cold banker and his suffragette wife, bringing the whole family closer together.
Things at 17 Cherry Tree Lane are not going so well. Jane and Michael Banks, two very incorrigible children, have driven away yet another nanny. Mrs. Banks, who would rather be getting the vote for women than tending to her children, is flustered and Mr. Banks, who would rather be working in his bank than tending to his children, is angry. Prospective nannies soon line up around the block but only one flies in with the aid of an umbrella-Mary Poppins.
Before Mr. Banks is aware of what has happened, Mary is in the family and tending to his progeny. She begins by making them clean their room, which they find is much easier done with Mary singing. It turns out a spoonful of sugar really does help the medicine go down.
Mary introduces the Banks brood to her friend Bert, a chimney sweep who whisks them away for a variety of adventures. Meanwhile at home, Mr. and Mrs. Banks slowly realize that the reason their family is becoming more harmonious is because of Mary Poppins. Mary was right when she claimed to be "practically perfect in every way."
Based on books by P.L. Travers, "Mary Poppins" is a delight for the eye and ear. Julie Andrews is excellent as Mary. When she is finished with the Banks family, you find yourself hoping she'll come to yours. As Bert, Dick Van Dyke sports a comical cockney accent, but his energy and passion for the role are contagious.
