Mary Poppins Returns is an infectious, giddy bauble of a movie -- with an unapologetic, syrupy spirit of joy that seems totally incongruent with the dreary world we're currently living in -- and yet it totally works in spite of that. It's chock full of what feels like legit movie magic and it cements Emily Blunt's status as perhaps the most appealing star in mainstream cinema.I recall liking the original Mary Poppins a lot -- as a child -- I haven't revisited it since, although many of its iconic songs like "Chim Chim Cheree" and "A Spoonful of Sugar" have never stopped being stuck in my head. The reboot's greatest flaw is that none of its enjoyable songs have the staying power, but it makes up for it in spades by introducing a Poppins for the ages.
Blunt is one of those actresses who just lights up a screen and elevates every project she is in. She was the MVP of Tom Cruise's Edge of Tomorrow, and this year her husband John Krasinksi's A Quiet Place. This film feels like a justly earned victory lap.
Her Poppins is haughty, a little vain and whip-smart. She comes on like gangbusters without doing much but cock an eyebrow and let a coy smile cross her lips. She plays Poppins like a bit of a diva, but one that you'd want to hang out with 24/7.
Three unbelievably adorable British kids are her perfect foils -- and Lin-Manuel Miranda effortlessly translates his own sunny Broadway persona to the silver screen.
A lot of credit should also go to director Rob Marshall, who has always been side-eyed by cinephiles ever since his similarly crowd pleasing Chicago took home Best Picture back in 2002. Whether that award was justified is beside the point now, he clearly knows how to mount these kinds of productions, and Mary Poppins Returns -- while relentless -- is endlessly charming and gorgeous to look at.
Like with all the best recent reboots (think Creed or Mad Max: Fury Road) the filmmakers here clearly adored the original Poppins film -- and that reverence is borne out in the light as air tone of the movie as well as its aesthetics --- which include classic 2-D drawn animation co-mingling with human actors.
It has some nice knowing cameos from iconic actors that acquit themselves very well despite being over the age of 90. And I'll admit to tearing up more than a time or two, especially during its insanely whimsical climax which -- spoiler alert -- includes much of the cast floating through the air holding balloons.
I imagine there is a whole swath of people out there who would find all this cloying and downright grotesque. This is after all the latest in an assembly of Disney products which are essentially packaging our nostalgia in shiny new packages.
Case in point, you or someone will you love will likely be shelling out $10 to $20 to watch the exact same movie they enjoyed 25 years earlier, only this time with even prettier animation.
And yet, there is a flip side to that coin, and I experienced it firsthand. I watched Mary Poppins Returns in perhaps the most perfect of circumstances -- in a packed house full of families and their children.
I was moved to see so many kids genuinely transported by this movie, and intrigued by its world building fantasy and its broader theme of injecting fun into life instead of giving into cynicism. Going to movies isn't treated with the same reverence it once was -- especially with the ease and breath of streaming content.
And sure, there are far more substantial films in the marketplace right now -- If Beale Street Could Talk, for instance, is more resonant with real-world concerns -- but Mary Poppins Returns is the perfect version of a very specific kind of movie, one designed to do nothing more than put a smile on your face.
I would say mission accomplished Miss. Poppins.
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