(spoiler free)
“The wonderful thing about tiggers is tiggers are wonderful things!”; a line from a song that instantly inspires memories of the much loved children’s novels ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’. Whilst most will be familiar with these stories it’s the inspiration behind them that they might not be so well versed in. In a similar fashion to ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ with P. L. Travers, Simon Curtis’s latest directorial effort, ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’ tells the story of how author A. A. Milne came to create the wonderful and now famous characters who inhabit the Hundred Acre Wood.
The story focuses on Milne, his wife Daphne and their son Christopher Robin and their relationships with one and other, spanning both World Wars. The film is very insightful in telling it’s story, one that I didn’t even know needed to be told. It will enlighten audiences who are unaware of the history of these characters and of how they came to be in a most entertaining fashion. Furthermore the screenplay is brave through it’s, at times, brutal honesty touching on very dark moments in the lives of this family. It’s not just the fluffy British drama that some might expect it to be. As a result of this much of the narrative is also rather emotionally charged. The performances, which I’ll explore soon, definitely help this but it was the bold inclusion of the more difficult moments of family life within this narrative which also made this possible. The film has effective pacing which should keep viewers from becoming disinterested. The beginning of the third act sparked a little unease from me though, as I felt it was going to be rushed. Thankfully the film deals with this section of the story efficiently but also effectively.
Domhnall Gleeson is the actor portraying author Milne here. Gleeson has continuously impressed with his choice and delivery of performances in recent years and ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’ is no different. It’s one of his biggest roles to date and he deals with the requirements of this very well. I’m sure it helps when he has such a wonderful cast around him too. Margot Robbie plays his on screen wife, a very entertaining role as Mrs. Milne was both incredibly proper but also devilishly mischievous. Robbie really delivers here and helps to keep her character likeable to a certain degree despite some choice actions. It’s Kelly MacDonald who really shines though, playing the family’s nanny Olive. She’s tremendous in the role offering humour, drama and real emotion throughout her performance. I’d love to see her get some attention come awards season in the Supporting Actress categories, it would be well deserved. Young actor Will Tilston has quite a substantial role as the young Christopher Robin too. While he struggles slightly with the extended scenes of drama he shows great promise and has a wonderful charm which should take him far.
Ultimately ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’ is a surprisingly insightful look into the family behind some of the most loved fictional characters of all time. It’s full of fantastic performances from a very talented cast. With such good material to work with though praise definitely needs steered towards the writing and direction too. The narrative is blissfully engaging thanks to a variety of elements making ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’ a very accomplished piece of film-making.
Written by Hamish Calvert
Rating – 8/10
Question: What performances from 2017 do you want to see nominated for awards?
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