‘Mary’ pops!
‘Poppins Returns’ – so does the magic
HERE’S a spoonful of reality to make “Mary Poppins Returns” go down: Nobody is going to write another “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” or “Chim Chim Cher-ee” again. Those glorious Sherman brothers tunes from the 1964 original are jammed into our brains as powerfully as “Happy Birthday.”
This “Poppins” sequel has an entirely new score, with exactly none of the cherished songs from the classic Julie Andrews movie. Once you accept that, you can move on and enjoy the countless other joys this follow-up has to offer. It will be a jollier holiday with “Mary Poppins Returns.”
The more teary sequel is set, aptly, in Depression-era London. Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) are harried adults now, and Michael has three little ones of his own: Georgie, John and Anabel.
Here’s where things get sad. The kids’ mum died a year ago and their dad is in a precarious financial state: They’re at risk of losing their lifelong home on Cherry Tree Lane to the mean Mr. Wilkins at the bank. The villain is played by Colin Firth because every British actor is in this.
Wait! Are those rustling leaves we hear? A breeze from the east? A woman-andumbrella-shaped silhouette on the horizon? Yes, Mary Poppins is back to teach some lessons, play some games and, ultimately, save the Bankses.
This time, the flying nanny is played by Emily Blunt. Rather than try to replace Andrews, who won an Oscar in the role, Blunt shrewdly reconceives it. She ditches Andrews’ chipper energy and makes her Mary strict and snappy, like a librarian who occasionally lets her hair down. Thanks to her edgy one-liners, “Returns” is much funnier than the original.
Magic bag in tow, Mary whisks the Banks children (Joel Dawson, Nathanael Saleh and Pixie Davies) off to cartoon dance halls with animal can-can kickers and joins a jaunty “Step in Time”-like number called “Trip the Light Fantastic.”
Director Rob Marshall adeptly creates eye-popping and gigantic scenes, but not at the expense of innocence.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is a bit too earnest as Jack, Mary’s lamplighter friend — a stand-in for Bert, the chimney sweep of yore. In his first major movie role, the “Hamilton” creator tackles the tricky cockney accent more successfully than Dick Van Dyke did, but he’s also overly peppy. It’s weird to see a grown man more excited by cartoon hippos than young children are.
That said, this grown man was grinning ear to ear while Angela Lansbury sang in a film for the first time since 1997’s “Anastasia,” and when Van Dyke popped up for a moment of nostalgic camp.
Meryl Streep is bliss as Mary’s directionally challenged cousin Topsy and sings the movie’s best song, “Turning Turtle.”
Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman’s new songs pale in comparison to the original’s plucky exuberance and ageless melodies. But this heartfelt film is practically perfect in every other way.