Tom Hanks is whoring whatever's left of his talent in an attempt to redeem Walt Disney.
The new film Saving Mr. Banks isn't about Mary Poppins. It's not about P.L Travers (played by Emma Thompson). It's about trying to buff up Walt Disney's poor image.
The company can -- and often does -- sue when people explore Disney's anti-semitism and racism or ties to the Nazis. But what they can't do, even with lawsuits, is hide Walt's hate for unions or his naming names to the HUAC.
Now we can understand why so many stay so silent.
If you're an actor, for example, telling the truth about Disney (as Whoopi Goldberg briefly did), means you lose the network ABC, the cable Disney channel, the cable channel A+E, the cable channel ABC Family, Walt Disney Studio, Hollywood Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Entertainment, Lucasfilm . . . In other words, speaking truth about Disney can leave an actor with a lot less work options due to the fact that the US government refuses to implement anti-trust laws.
But while silence might be understandable, there was no reason for Hanks to agree to play the role.
Not only does it spit-shine the creepy Walt Disney, it demeans P.L. Travers who never forgave Disney.
It invents scenes -- like Disney traveling to London and bonding with Travers -- and presents him as jovial and her as a crank.
The film's not about Travers and it's not about reality.
It's about taking a creepy asshole named Walt Disney and rewriting history to make him charming.
Tom Hanks should be ashamed of himself and any time he wants to pose as 'political' (he's a generic, middle of the road Democrat), everyone should remember that he made a union-breaker 'charming.'
