Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017)
8:55 AM
WINnie or POOh?
"Goodbye Christopher Robin" is directed by Simon Curtis (Woman in Gold, My Week with Marilyn) and stars Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina, About Time), Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad, The Wolf of Wall Street), Kelly MacDonald (Brave, Black Mirror) and introduces Will Tilston. "A behind-the-scenes look at the life of author A.A. Milne and the creation of the Winnie the Pooh stories inspired by his son C.R. Milne'. Despite not being in the hands of Disney, can "Goodbye Christopher Robin" still hold all of the magic and charm of the beloved books and animated series?
"Goodbye Christopher Robin" is delightfully cute and charming. It does however have lots of problems. As a whole though, I would happily watch the film again and I think Autumn is a very fitting time of year to watch a film like this. It's not too dark but also not too light, there's enough there but I wish they would have took it a little further. There's a lot of promise within this film and if some things were done slightly differently or expanded on, it could have been something special. Instead, we get a serviceable bio-drama that is elevated by beloved source material.
The acting is a mixed bag. I'll start with the positives. I wasn't too sure on Domhnall Gleeson's performance at first as he wasn't very charismatic and came across quite cold. However, I believe that matched the character he was playing- an ex-soldier who is suffering from PTSD symptoms. Alan Milne (Gleeson) finds it hard to be happy in a world full of war and anger and finds it difficult to overcome those feelings. However, as the story progresses and Milne starts writing the story of Winnie the Pooh, he becomes a little happier and has better relationships with the people around him. I think Gleeson did a good job showing this shift. Stick with Gleeson's performance as even though he may seem wooden, it's all part of the character. There's a subtle nuance to his performance that I really appreciate when looking back. Someone whose performance was anything but nuanced was Margot Robbie. Now, this isn't a bad thing at all because not all performances have to be toned down and quiet. I was yet to see Robbie act like this prior to "Goodbye Christopher Robin" and because her performance was so good, this role diversifies and elevates her portfolio. Her accent remained consistent and despite Daphne Milne (Robbie) not being the most likeable of characters, Robbie did a fantastic job selling the character's materialisms , selfishness and narcissism...all while still switching to a caring mother when she wanted to. Very impressed with Robbie in this film and cannot wait to see what path she goes down next. As a couple, I thought they had good chemistry- it wasn't amazing or anything too memorable but it was good enough for me to be convinced that they were in love (even if Daphne was more in love with the idea of success).
Now for the poorer efforts when it came to the acting. I have recently been singing praises for child actors and that the poor rep they stereotypically have should be wiped thanks to excellent performances by the youth of Hollywood in films like "Room", "It" and "Annabelle: Creation" to name a few. Unfortunately, Will Tilston is the epitome of why it's risky to have a young star helming a film. He's just not that good. I'm not going to rip into Tilston as he's only young so admittedly does have a lack of experience. His line delivery was just very forced and you could just tell he was being directed exactly what to do next. There are so many brilliant child actors out there right now who could have done a better job. Tilston's portrayal of Christopher Robin is one part of the film that could have elevated the entire picture if a different actor was cast. He had his moments so maybe there is some promise as he grows up. I really wasn't sure on Kelly MacDonald to begin with. Something about her line delivery was really off. She just didn't seem to be in the same film as everybody else. However, her performance really picked up in the second half but this is definitely one of the weaker performances I've seen from MacDonald. Another issue with the acting in general is that each actor seems to be on a different page. Robbie is quite eccentric, Gleeson is nuanced and cold, Tilston is forced and MacDonald is somewhere completely different. The blame for this would have to go to the director for not picking up on and fixing the mismatch when he had the chance. It didn't ruin the film but it just made the performances and overall chemistry not be as strong as they could be.
The film begins with one of the richest and most beautiful shots I've seen. It's of something very simple but the opening few seconds of "Goodbye Christopher Robin" really had me mesmerised. There was a magic exuberayting from the screen that took me back to my childhood and reminded me of what the Hundred Acre Woods felt like. All of the shots that look place in the woods looked just as crisp and picturesque. Praise goes to the director, cinematographer (Ben Smithard) and location scouter for this. Director, Simon Curtis has also made some nice creative choices when it came to editing. Towards the beginning of the film, there was a frequent use of match cutting in relation to Milne's PTSD. It was effectively done and I was actually excited as it seemed like the creative team were going to tell a formulaic narrative in quite an unconventional and experimental way. Unfortunately, this was lost after the first 30 minutes or so. However, the film does have a lingering downbeat feel over it due to what the 'prologue' hints at - SPOILERS - it hints at Christopher Robin's death so the whole film that comes after it seems a little sad due to the knowing feeling of Robin's future death.
Speaking of the story, I think now would be a good time to delve deeper into the script and overall narrative of "Goodbye Christopher Robin". Continuing on from the false-ending the film suggests early on, I don't think the reveal - SPOILERS - that Christopher Robin is still alive was very effective. It felt very unrealistic but I suppose if that's what happened, it really was a real life miracle. Maybe the film could have spent a little more time on life without Christopher because I don't think the audience were given enough time to stomach his death before he returned. One problem with the film in general is that it moves at a rapid pace and feels like it's rushing to tell the story. This type of film should take it's time but, especially towards the start, life unfolds so quickly. I also thought a bigger deal should have been made out of the first publishing of Milne's work. Even though I mostly liked the script and thought it had some really poignant and well written lines, it does gloss over everything rather quickly. Saying that, after watching, I do feel I have a better knowledge of the history behind Winnie the Pooh. The film running time reaches a little over an hour and 40 minutes. I think an extra 20 minutes could have been added to iron the important things out a little more. "Goodbye Christopher Robin" doesn't tell a full story, it gives an extended glimpse. Also, the film tried to make a big deal out of how Winnie the Pooh was a saviour during post-war depression filled times. However, the film did nothing with this other than a couple of lines of dialogue. I think the writers and directors should have consciously included scenes showing the post-war public before and after the publishing of Winnie the Pooh.
What I did like that the film explored was the more honest depiction of what it's like to be a child star. It was actually quite shocking (and a little saddening) to find out that the Christopher Robin hated the whole idea of Christopher Robin, Winnie and the gang once they became a phenomenon. However, I suppose that would happen as at such a young age, you just want to live, not be harassed by strangers with an extremely busy schedule. It was also sad to see how poor Robin's parents were, especially Daphne after the fame. However, this did expose her true colours as she cared for her son on the surface but didn't care that much about his welfare. Olive (MacDonald) is the only person who still wholly cares for Christopher which explains why they become so close. Despite appreciating the film for exploring this topic so honestly, it was held back by Tilston's performance.
If you are a big fan of Winnie the Pooh and want to be educated on the history of the beloved bear then I think "Goodbye Christopher Robin" is a must-see. It's a perfectly functional biopic that will inform you pretty well. However, it's not without it's flawed. The film could have took more time to iron out some finer details and emphasise how much of an important phenomenon this was even more. Life moves very quickly which leads to no big changes having a big impact. The performance from Gleeson and Robbie are good though. MacDonald is ok but unfortunately, Tilston is just too inexperienced for a film which requires a lot from him. I'm a Disney fan. A Margot Robbie fan. So "Goodbye Christopher Robin" manages to get a pass despite its flaws and I would watch it again because it has quite a cosy, cute Autumnal feel.
65
/100
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See You Soon!
2 comments
I'm more interested in seeing the Disney version next year. Not a big Winnie the Poo fan but I love Disney. Very detailed review.
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