Directed by Simon Curtis and written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Simon Vaughan, Goodbye Christopher Robin is a 2017 British biographical drama film about the lives of Winnie-the-Pooh creator A. A. Milne and his family, especially his son Christopher Robin.
"Goodbye Christopher Robin" digs into the origins and consequences of Milne's mythic Winnie-the-Pooh stories in ways that are charming and ultimately poignant.
It's a film perhaps lacking a central focus, but dimple-cheeked Will Tilston's touching contribution as young master Christopher helps make the true story behind a beloved classic both startling and affecting.
It's a true story that's an often sad one, and attempts to lighten it with flashes of poetic whimsy to convey the magic of Milne's stories end up cheapening it.
So yes, even kid-friendly art begins in a wound, and money tarnishes everything it touches. But maybe there's a silver lining to that little black rain cloud hovering over the honey tree?
Goodbye Christopher Robin resonates today amid multiple wars and a celebrity culture that skews fame, life, and values. It confronts family schisms. And it reflects on the long and sometimes tortured path to healing the human psyche.
Winnie the Pooh is timeless and unforgettable. The same qualities don't apply to this tale of the real-life people and circumstances that inspired his creation.
... the film's set-up and bookended final act are poorly constructed to mine maximum melodrama, a tone that is at odds with this film's gentler, sweet and even bittersweet passages.
This gives rise to a larger tonal issue that weakens the film's otherwise solid narrative, as Goodbye Christopher Robin tries to spin a heartwarming story out of one that is more heartbreaking and poignant.
The movie's focus on the caustic effects of celebrity make this narrative set in the first half of the 20th century particularly relevant for the media-frenzied 21st.
