Mary Poppins Returns is a pretty solid sequel to the 1960 classic that starred Julie Andrews as the titular nanny. The original film is considered one of the most delightful family films of all-time and also an uncanny page to screen effort that brought a beloved literary figure, created by PL Travers, to life.
In the 2018 follow-up, Emily Blunt grabs the legendary umbrella from Andrews and does a beautiful job tackling the part. It never feels like an imitation as Blunt truly makes her Mary Poppins her own. The actress is having one incredible year, what with the early 2018 stunning, riveting and revolutionary turn in her husband John Krasinski’s horror flick, A Quiet Place. At the entirely other end of the spectrum is her maternal in a very different way take on a character that has gone down in history it is so popular. It’s actually quite fascinating to look at Blunt’s approach to the role. It could, potentially, be a thankless move. How exactly does one tackle a part that Andrews made iconic without alienating purists who adore Andrews or having it appear as if she is doing a celebrity impersonation?
Somehow, Blunt manages to make it her own and within milliseconds the viewer forgets about Andrews’ turn (if you can believe that) and one dives headlong into this film that takes place a few decades after the events of the first one. That speaks volumes to Blunt’s talent. Then again, nobody who has seen anything she has done—from Sicario to Edge of Tomorrow—should be surprised at her prolific range and titanic talent.
The Banks children have all grown up, but they desperately need help—even if they don’t know it. Michael (Ben Whishaw) has recently lost his wife and his sister, Jane (Emily Mortimer) has moved in to help him with his three small children. It’s not going well. Michael is still in mourning and money is tight—they’re on the verge of losing the family home (the same one from the original movie). Mary Poppins could not arrive soon enough.
Meanwhile, mirroring the kind of part that Dick Van Dyke played in the original (a chimney sweep), Lin Manuel Miranda portrays Jack, a London street lighter—i.e. a blue-collar worker—who serves as our eyes and ears into the family dynamic of the Banks. He knows Mary, although how is not exactly explained… nor does it truly matter. So, when she comes falling down to Earth via a kite string launched by the youngest Banks boy, Jack greets her like an old acquaintance. A great scene is when Jack brings the boy (and his kite) back to the Banks abode, witnessing Michael and Jane’s reaction to Mary sauntering into their home is priceless.
She is back in the Banks’ world for the same reasons Poppins landed at their home in the first film.
Mary Poppins Returns commences with Miranda’s Jack singing and audiences are immediately put on notice that this sequel will be every bit the movie musical, just like the original. He sets the tone with (Underneath the) Lovely London Sky, a beautiful and catchy track that is a solid start-off point. It is a brilliant way to bridge the two films that arrived decades apart. The music is all penned by Marc Shaiman, with lyrics crafted by Scott Wittman and Shaiman.
Talk about a thankless job. The Sherman brothers (Richard and Robert, who wrote the music for Mary Poppins) are iconic movie songwriters and their legacy is about as legendary as film composers can achieve. Got to give Shaiman and Wittman a whole lot of credit because they have given us a bevy of beautiful songs for Blunt, Miranda, Mortimer and Whishaw to sing their little hearts out. There’s also a fantastic track sung by Meryl Streep, who portrays a never-before-mentioned cousin of Mary Poppins. Streep is only in that one scene, but it recalls the great song-and-dance numbers that movies of the original Mary Poppins’ era were known for knocking out of the park.
As teased earlier, Blunt is outstanding… but when is she not? Miranda is his usually awesome self and for those who have not experienced his masterpiece that is Hamilton, hearing him belt out these new Mary Poppins classics is a chance to witness and experience what it is that makes him so special. Whishaw and Mortimer are brilliantly believable as siblings and they also had a tough task as well. They’re playing these kids, that we know so well from watching the first film over and over and over, as adults. Streep, of course, is stellar and so too is the bit parts played by Colin Firth (does his best as our antagonist). Julie Walters is another UK actress who has been underused for decades and yet again, she slays it, but we could have used more of her. Want more of her? Check out Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again.
Director Rob Marshall knows movie musicals and Disney was astute in hiring him for the epic challenge that was crafting a sequel to one of the most beloved movie musicals of all-time. The guy gave us Chicago (which won Best Picture) and Disney’s Into the Woods and as such, his command of this genre is about as on point as one helmer can get. He effortlessly brings the songs to life, has an amazing ensemble that makes him look good. You know that old saying that a director’s most difficult task is casting and from there, the right ensemble makes you look brilliant? That is certainly the case with Mary Poppins Returns. But, a movie musical sequel to a beloved original needed a talent as enormous as Marshall’s. He delivers.
The issue with Mary Poppins Returns is that there is too many songs and too little dramatic development. It’s almost as if screenwriter David Magee took a lot for granted, believing that Mary Poppins is such a cultural icon that the groundwork for his story did not need to be laid. That was a mistake. For many, it’s been years since witnessing the majesty of Mary Poppins and it doesn’t even matter. When penning any sequel, the writer should assume that every single person entering the theater has not even heard of the subject matter. One can understand the urge to get these song and dance masters to do their thing, as opposed to a slew of scenes establishing exposition and narrative progression. But if you look at that first film, the reason why the characters of Mary Poppins and Bert (Van Dyke—who is in Mary Poppins Returns!) are so resonate all these years later is because they are richly developed characters. That is not as much the case with Jack and Mary, or anyone else in Mary Poppins Returns.
After experiencing the eye-popping visuals, the toe-tapping musical numbers and the ensemble that is sensational, there remains a question: Did we need a sequel to Mary Poppins? Normally this writer is all for revisiting something that we adore. In this case, sadly, the answer is no. This is one property that Disney probably should have left alone. It’s not terrible, in fact, it is decidedly decent. It’s just Mary Poppins 2 is not something that anyone was demanding. That being said, now that we have it… let’s enjoy it.
Grade: B
