It’s New Years Day morning, Emily and I are walking into the Trafford Centre with a skip in our step. We decided to go out for New Year’s Eve but not get drunk (a crazy idea I know) and so we seem to not only be the only people awake, the only people without hangover but also the only people watching Mary Poppins Returns at the IMAX. So with a whole IMAX cinema to ourselves we put our feet up and prepare for our New Year’s Day tradition of seeing a wholesome movie at the cinema, and if you want wholesome then Mary Poppins Returns is just the movie for you.
Emily Blunt steps into the magically out-turned shoes of Mary Poppins, a casting choice that had me smiling from the moment I first read of the upcoming sequel. Lin-Manuel Miranda, plays Jack, the charming and loveable lamplighter. Continuing the tradition of an American pretending to be a cockney, though not quite at the same level of perfectly preposterous as Dick Van Dyke’s Bert. Emily Mortimer and Ben Whishaw are Jane and Michael, the now grown Banks children. I adopted the role of ab excited child, after losing my mom earlier this year I already feel emotional as the opening credits begin to roll.
An opening number by Jack as he rides his bicycle through the dreary streets of 1930’s London leads us to 17 Cherry Tree Lane where we are introduced to Annabel, John and Georgie, the three children of Michael Banks. Michael has recently lost his wife and within five minutes of the film starting we learn he is now in danger of losing the Banks family home. Michael has abandoned his artistic dreams to follow in his father’s footsteps to the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank and now must find a certificate that proves his father’s ownership of shares to afford to stop the home’s repossession.
Enter Mary Poppins, caught on the Michael Banks’ childhood kite flown by Georgie in a ferocious wind. Suddenly everything feels like home again. The perfect mix of whimsical and emotional, you almost feel as if this film has always been here. In the same way The Force Awakens retells A New Hope to a new generation, whilst creating that same feeling of excitement and childhood wonder to those who remember it from the first time round. Mary Poppins Returns feels like someone has taken the original, thrown the whole thing in a blender with a few extra ingredients and given it to the world as a delightfully wholesome slice of nostalgic cake.
The film is full of adventures that will delight every age. Mary introduces herself to the children through a bathtub scene that echoes the Beautiful Briny Sea number from Bedknobs and Broomsticks (which I also watched countless times as a child). The Royal Doulton bowl sequence is our jolly holiday number. Meryl Streep as Mary’s cousin Topsy is a delightful callback to Uncle Albert. My favourite song was Trip A Little Light Fantastic, where instead of chimneysweeps we have London’s lamplighters tapping, dancing, BMX’ing and singing their way into our hearts.
May Poppins’ rendition of The Place Where Lost Things Go, a heartbreaking lullaby somewhat reminiscent of Feed the Birds where she helps the children deal with the grief of losing their mother, moved me to tears. Those tears didn’t stop until long after the end credits had finished.
Mary Poppins Returns is the movie we need right now, a large spoonful of medicine and sugar to swallow down with a smile on your face and tears in your eyes. Practically perfect in every way.
Mary Poppins Returns – 5/5
