After watching the movie last Friday (which is always a timeless delight), I read the book last week. I have not read the sequel or seen “Saving Mr. Banks” yet. That in mind, I have some questions:
- Why do people like her at all?
- Why does she work as a nanny?
Mary Poppins is terrible.* She is not a pleasant person to be around, and she doesn’t seem to like children at all. All she does is scoff and snip at them. Is it some sort of Stockholm Syndrome? And not even the tricks she does redeem her, because they still have to be around her constant mocking and disdain even when they’re having ceiling tea parties, or Christmas shopping, or going on a racist journey around the world. She’s a nightmare lady, and this book is the stuff of future therapy sessions.
Travers was supposedly angry that Julie Andrew’s MP was nicer, but nobody would have seen the movie if she weren’t. I don’t see what the draw is to a horrible, egotistical, snotty nanny, even if she is a star-aged being and a snake’s cousin, and knows all the universe’s cool kids.
The Banks family is delightful. Mary sucks.
Review: a ladle of smiles, a soupçon of discomfort, and a stock pot full of “Why are you like that?!”.
I’ll let you know about the next one.
*More like Mary Poopins, am I right? …no? ok then.