Goodbye Christopher Robin is solid movie entertainment for adults

It feels odd to say that Goodbye Christopher Robin is a movie that’s best enjoyed by adults; after all, Christopher Robin is the linchpin in Winnie the Pooh. That is true, but this film is about A.A. Milne, the author of Winnie the Pooh and how the character that generations came to love actually happened.  If you’re a fan of Winnie the Pooh, the bear-and only the bear, then this film is not your cup of tea. However, if you’re looking for an interesting story about the creator of Kanga, Roo and the rest of the crew in Hundred Acre Wood then you’ll fall into Goodbye Christopher Robin without effort.

Before watching the film my knowledge about A.A. Milne, the author and any events that led up to the creation of Winnie the Pooh was nonexistent. (mild spoilers below)

However, even in the first 10 minutes of the film audiences will realize that Milne wasn’t the joyful, carefree soul that some associate with Pooh. In reality he was a playwright who had returned from World War I, had PTSD to an extent and was looking for his next hit play. We also see that his wife wasn’t as kind or supportive as she could’ve been and that he needed to be out of the city for the sake of his composure.

Call it Green Acres by another name, but the couple move to the country with their eight year old son, Christopher Robin. The country air does do some good for Milne, but it’s Olive, the nanny who has come with the family that initially holds Christopher Robin together. His mother is a bit of a wreck and dad is having trouble finding his writing legs. It’s not until Olive has to leave the family for personal reasons and Daphne, (his mother) leaves for the city that the real purpose of Pooh comes together.

A.A. Milne becomes a stay-at-home-dad and the rest is history. Milne and Christopher take strolls through the countryside, use their imagination and make up stories about the boy’s stuffed animals. While well intended, Milne is trying to create a story that can make people realize the futility of war. Instead he created a story that still impacted millions of people about the imagination and play of a young boy and his stuffed animals, but it came at a price.

The book was incredibly successful and Christopher was put to work on the promotion circuit.  While it was presented as ‘play’, it obviously wasn’t and the frustration backed up on the young boy.

It’s that frustration that is at the emotional crux of Goodbye Christopher Robin. People familiar with Milne’s biography already know it, but those that don’t know pooh about Pooh will really enjoy the story as it presents itself on film.

As a film, it’s beautifully shot and makes you want to visit Hundred Acre Wood. It has the thousand shades of green that your mind’s eye thinks of whilst thinking of England. The only character that’s not flushed out is Daphne Milne, played by Margo Robbie. I’m sure she had a reason for being distant, greedy and selfish, but we never know why. Instead that character slows the film down and makes them look forward to when Milne or Christopher come back.

Goodbye Christopher Robin is rated PG, but it’s one that audiences under 14 won’t want to see. There are a couple instances of PTSD flashbacks, war violence and loud noises that will scare kids 8 and younger. Otherwise, it’ll be too slow for kid audiences to sit though, much less enjoy. This is a film for the adults, that doesn’t have swear words, is carefully paced and describes a chapter in the life of a person’s creation that everyone knows, but very few know its creator. If you’re in that camp then you’ll really dig Goodbye Christopher Robin, want to read its source material and never look at Pooh or his friends in the same light again.