Mary Poppins is one of the most beloved movies of all time, with charming characters and
catchy musical numbers that have entertained generations of viewers.
Don’t get caught up in the nostalgia, though.
If you re-watch it closely as an adult, though, you might be surprised to see that the movie
is actually a little bit darker than you remember.
Here are the things that only adults notice in Mary Poppins.
The gig economy of 1910
Bert seems to be everywhere.
We see him at the beginning of the film, performing as a one man band for spare change, but he
also has side hustles as a chimney sweep, sidewalk chalk artist, and kite salesman.
When you watch this movie as a kid, you might envy Bert's nomadic lifestyle, but as an adult,
he raises some questions.
Is he just a free spirit who can't be shackled to a traditional job?
Or is he taking on all this extra work because he's having trouble making ends meet?
To a lot of us, Bert’s an all-too relatable character.
Plenty of grown-ups know the struggle of living paycheck to paycheck and the hardship of trying
to find gainful employment in a troubled economy.
Still, whatever the reasons, you definitely have to admire his work ethic.
Suffragette city
On the one hand, Mrs. Banks is probably the most famous suffragette since Susan B. Anthony.
It’s admirable that she’s seen marching for women’s rights, especially since the
movie was released in 1964, when the Women’s Liberation movement was just getting started.
On the other hand, she doesn’t actually seem to follow through on any of her feminist
principles.
“I'd love to stay but I have to dress for my rally in Hampsted.
Winfried it is my wish that you be present.
...oh yes George, of course.”
That admirable activism played for laughs, and we often see Mrs. Banks deferring to her
husband, downplaying her own intelligence in order to appease him.
She doesn't even seem to take an active role in raising her children, leaving Mr. Banks
in charge of hiring nannies for Jane and Michael.
Fortunately, the movie delivered a role model in Mary Poppins herself, but it seems like
a missed opportunity to not have Mrs. Banks be a strong character, too.
The worst accent ever
This one is probably noticeable to children who grew up watching the movie in the United
Kingdom, but for most American kids Bert probably seems like a totally believable Englishman
with a cockney accent.
Once you're an adult, however, you realize that no one in real life talks like Bert.
“beautiful, ain’t it… a typical English countryside as painted by a true and lovin’
hand”
Bert's horrendous accent has been one of the movie’s most memorable flaws since its release,
and even the actor who played him, Dick Van Dyke, acknowledges how awful it was.
In 2017, he received BAFTA’s Brittania award, and used his acceptance speech to apologize
for what he called “the most atrocious cockney accent in the history of cinema.”
It's not all his fault, though.
While Van Dyke is American, he said that none of the British people working on the film,
including Julie Andrews, ever mentioned it, so he never realized just how terrible it
was.
The Secret Origin of Mary Poppins
As far as we know, Mary Poppins wasn’t bitten by a radioactive nanny, and we don’t think
she put a spoonful of sugar into the super soldier serum, so where did she get her super-powers?
Are magical nannies just a common thing in the world of the movie?
Is…
Is Mary Poppins a witch?
That might explain her clearly enchanted items like the bottomless carpetbag and the magical
tape measure, and also why she doesn’t seem to think that anything she’s doing is out
of the ordinary.
It's actually a little frightening when you think about it.
Mary worked her way into the Banks household by blowing away all the other applicants with
a gust of wind.
Just think of how much damage she could cause if she ever decided to use her powers for
evil.
Who is Uncle Albert?
To kids, Uncle Albert is a fun character, but we have a lot of questions.
For starters, he seems to be well-known to Mary and to Bert, but it's not clear if he
actually is anyone's uncle.
Even stranger, he suffers from a contagious affliction that causes him to float to the
ceiling when he laughs too much, of which Mary does not approve.
While his ailment is pretty comical to kids, adults can obviously see that Uncle Albert
is actually a tragic character.
He's very lonely, and when he’s told that it's time for Mary and the kids to leave,
he’s completely crushed and reduced to tears.
Also… is he actually anybody’s uncle?
London by gaslighting
There are a few scenes where we see that Mary Poppins isn't exactly the good-natured nanny
she appears to be.
She makes Uncle Albert cry and then leaves him depressed and sobbing on the floor.
She also gaslights the kids when they attempt to reminisce over the wonderful day they had
with Bert in his sidewalk picture.
She acts like the adventure never took place, and gets a bit aggressive when Jane tries
to jar her memory.
“A respectable person like me in a horse race, ...how dare you suggest such a thing."
When the kids continue to insist that they did, indeed, venture into a magical world
where they participated in a horse race on carousel animals, Mary threatens to call the
police if they don't stop talking about it.
Even if she’s just doing it to prevent the kids from telling anyone about her magic powers,
but it's pretty cruel to act like they're delusional any time they try to talk about
it.
That's messed up, Mary.
“First of all I would like to make one thing quite clear.
Yes.
I never explain anything."
The world's worst bank
Mr. Banks tries to show his children the world by bringing them to work with him at the bank,
but he gets a little bit more than he bargained for.
To call the bank's practices shady would be an understatement.
Mr. Banks tries to convince Michael to open up a bank account rather than giving his money
to less fortunate people and his boss, the chairman, straight up commits a robbery.
He demands that Michael “invest” his money, and tries to grab it from his hands, not stopping
even when Michael starts screaming.
It goes without saying that this is a pretty terrible bank, and the customers who are present
when Michael's practically mugged agree.
They all demand to withdraw their money, sending the bank into a full-on riot and leading to
Mr. Banks being fired.
How many kids watching this movie grew up thinking that banks were terrifying creep-factories,
out to steal all their cash?
Good thing we don’t have to worry about that in the real world.
It’s grim in London
Mary Poppins is a film full of whimsical delights, with singing, dancing, magic, and bright,
colorful characters.
For older eyes, however, it’s easy to see that the London of the movie is actually pretty
dismal.
Everything there is dark and drab, and frankly, it looks like a terrifying place to raise
a child.
The glimpses we get of London look like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, rather than a
bustling city.
If that’s where they’re growing up, it's no surprise that Jane and Michael often seem
so unhappy.
Thankfully, Mary was there to brighten things up a little, but what's going to happen to
to the kids once she’s is gone?
How long can their happiness last without her?
Will their dreary surroundings plunge them into an existential crisis without a magical
nanny to lift their spirits?
Bert’s underrated
The star of Mary Poppins is, well Mary Poppins, but let’s be real: Bert is the true MVP.
He's the one who suggests that a reluctant Mary to take the kids on an adventure into
a sidewalk chalk picture, and he’s the one who drew it in the first place.
Bert is also there when Jane and Michael meet Uncle Albert and laugh themselves into the
air.
He also brings the kids to the rooftops of London, and even gets his fellow chimney sweeps
to put on a show for them.
Throughout the film, he’s the one encouraging Mary to use her powers to entertain the children,
and he’s even the one who talks to Mr. Banks and makes him realize that he has emotionally
neglected Jane and Michael for years.
Thanks to their conversation, Mr. Banks becomes a better father and husband.
We might even go as far as saying he’s the real star here.
Then again, the movie probably wouldn't have been as memorable if it was just called Bert.
Mr. Banks: Murderer?
By the end of the movie, Mary Poppins has left, but it turns out to not be such a tragedy
because Mr. Banks has been fired.
That might not sound like good news, but because of his termination, he decides to finally
spend time with his family.
It's a heartwarming moment.
As an adult, though, you might be a little worried about how the Banks family is going
to make ends meet.
Fortunately, we soon find out that Mr. Banks' boss is dead, and Mr. Banks is being re-hired
to take his place.
The family's future is secured, and no more concern is necessary!
Until you remember that Mr. Banks is actually responsible for his boss’s untimely fate,
since he passed on while laughing at a joke Mr. Banks told him.
“Father come back!
Daddy, daddy come down.
Daddy come back!”
At least he went happy, but think of the lesson it teaches!
Just remember, kids: don't laugh too hard… or else.