Day 192 - Goodbye Christopher Robin

Day 192          Goodbye Christopher Robin [2017]

                          

Screenplay                    Frank Cottrell-Boyce & Simon Vaughan

Director                         Simon Curtis

Cinematography            Ben Smithard

Music                            Carter Burwell

Leads                            Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, Kelly Macdonald, Will Tilston, Alex Lawther

Production                     DJ Films, Gasworks Media

IMDb                                7.1/10

Rotten Tomatoes                63%

Confusingly two films revolving around Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin and author A. A. Milne have appeared at the same time. Disney own all the rights to the Winnie the Pooh characters, hence they have made Christopher Robin starring Ewan McGregor and featuring Winnie and the rest of the gang. This film is different and revolves instead around the real-life events behind Milne writing arguably the best children’s books of all time. Milne returns from the war and suffers PTSD, thus moves his family to the Sussex countryside. There, with the help of his son’s imagination, he creates his famous tales. However, the film covers the darker side of the family’s newfound fame and fortune, and perhaps gives us early signs of the problems that can come with celebrity. Gleeson, my favourite ginger actor, plays Milne and masters the British stiff upper lip. Robbie plays his wife and, although accomplished, is perhaps over-the-top in terms of her posh accent and manner. The relationship between Blue and Billy Moon was key to the film and I thought they did a pretty good job. I felt the highs and lows as Milne achieved stardom at the expense of his son’s childhood. He was no longer Billy Moon, but instead Christopher Robin, and the world wouldn’t let him forget it. The most outstanding performance came from Kelly Macdonald as Billy Moon’s nanny – she was relatable, and boy did I want her to dropkick Daphne every time she was patronising. It’s one of those films that will drift off into an ocean of forgotten flicks that were pleasant for one evening’s viewing and not much more.

Acting                           4 / 4

Writing                          3 / 4

Cinematography            3 / 4

Music                            3 / 4

HWF rating               3 / 4