Why Did Mary Poppins Bother Return? or, the things we do for Love

[This is the third in a series this week covering movies seen in the last month during the holiday. Enjoy!]

 As even the most incidental Reader of this blog will know,  it would not be my preference to go see Mary Poppins Returns. However, as the subtitle indicates, we do things for love that we wouldn’t do otherwise. My wife was a fan, okay a big fan, of the 1964 Julie Andrews Mary Poppins and when the previews started leaking out– It seems 18 months ago–for this version she was all about it.:-(

So we went. Me under duress.

I dozed through some of it.:-)

Remember the context here: I’m coming off a TBI. One of the things to be careful about in my situation is ”too much input”. Mary Poppins Returns was just too much input.:-(

It’s very colorful. It has lots of music. It is either a wonderful eyeful, or, if you have a brain injury, a pain.

I’m not a fan of the form –my father asked of it ”where in the world people stop in the middle of their day and start singing?”–so it is hard for me to evaluate its elements.

But let me start with this: none of the actors in this version can saying like Julie Andrews. This may not be a real damning statement, but it lets you know that the singing isn’t really the thing here. Probably the worst of the lot is Ben Whishaw, who talks through his songs more than sings. Maybe thankfully.

Lin Manuel Miranda comes up short too; although he’s known for his work in Hamilton. My daughter says he is the weakest voice on the original cast record and he doesn’t change that reputation here.

Next, I did not think any of the songs were memorable. No “Let’s go fly a kite ,” no “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” no “Let’s have a wonderful time with Mary” – just a bunch of innocuous tunes moving us from scene to scene.

If you didn’t get this the movie is visually rather stunning. It uses a lot of primary colors, including with the balloons in the final silly scene, and the costumes are well done in an over-the-top kind of way for the 1930s in London and quite colorful.

Should you go see it? If the original meant a lot to you, or you just like musicals, sure. If you’re a curmudgeon like me, shoot yourself first.

One final note, and I know this is overdoing it, but in the last two decades+ I have spent a lot of time in London– sometimes a month at a time. So I think I know my way around the city. I don’t think anybody involved with the movie does: Time and again I think I know approximately where they are in the city and they jump on a bike or trot by foot and end up in the part of the city they couldn’t have done to that way from there. I know this is pedantic, but WTF?! They can’t get THAT right?!

On that curmudgeonly note, I sign off until there’s another movie, or another game or postseason to comment upon.