Christopher Robin - Movie Review

*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD*

After yet another long hiatus from posting movie reviews, I am here to present my thoughts on Disney's new adaption of A.A. Milne's iconic Winnie the Pooh children's stories.

I suppose that is only partially accurate, in truth; as its title indicates, the film is not a proper Winnie the Pooh adaption, spurning the specifics of Milne's legendary book in favor of an update to the stories of his beloved creations. Ewan McGregor's titular character is the main focus of director Marc Forster's latest project. And no, McGregor is not portraying the young Christopher Robin that many people, myself included, grew up with. McGregor's is a grown up Robin, one who has left behind the Hundred Acre Wood because of real-life circumstances and the responsibilities that come along with age, and thus must say goodbye to his talking animal friends in the film's truly heartrending opening moments. Forster, McGregor and company struggle to maintain the emotional profundity with which the film commences, and there are moments in which the movie becomes disappointingly Disney-fied, if you will. Nonetheless, largely thanks to a handful of really delightful vocal performances, and a solid turn from McGregor, Christopher Robin is a serviceable family film that has something for both kids and adults to latch onto. Throughout my viewing of the film, however, I couldn't shake the feeling that it could have been something more.

The movie follows its wonderfully executed introduction by showing us the pivotal moments in Christopher Robin's transition to adulthood and the all-too-familiar loss of innocence that comes along with it; we see him deal with the death of his father, and the increased responsibility he is subsequently given as the newly appointed 'man of the house'. Next, we watch as Robin meets the women who will eventually become his wife, Evelyn, played by Hayley Atwell; he then goes off to fight in World War II, leaving behind an Evelyn who is pregnant with the couple's first child, a daughter named Madeline. After returning home from the war to a daughter who has spent her first few years without her father, Christopher Robin takes a job at a luggage manufacturer to pay the bills and provide for his family.

The pressures and anxieties that McGregor's Christopher Robin faces will be relatable for an unfortunate percentage of the audience; he's stuck in the 9-to-5 rat race at a job he's less than inspired by, working for a company that is about to go under unless significant sacrifices are made. As the person in charge of efficiency (or as Winnie-the-Pooh goes on to charmingly call it, a-fish-in-the-sea), Robin is tasked with finding a way to cut down on costs, which will inevitably lead to firings of people he works alongside. On top of that, his wife and daughter rightfully feel shortchanged by Robin, who regularly comes home late from the office and misses out on quality time with his family.

At this point, you're probably thinking, 'The Christopher Robin I know and love from when I was a kid having a mid-life crisis for 2 hours? What kind of a kids movie is that?!' I, too, was rather taken aback by how maturely the film handles its characters for much of the first act. There were definitely some children at my showing of the film who were squirming in their seats for the first half hour or so. However, once Pooh shows up in London and starts tracking honey-soaked paw prints through Christopher Robin's apartment, the film turned into what I was expecting it to be from the start; a story about an adult who is trying to get back in touch with the innocence and joy of his childhood.

And, for the most part, Christopher Robin is just that. Jim Cummings is wonderful as the voices of both Pooh and Tigger, Brad Garret is suitably somber as the ever-gloomy Eeyore, and the scenes in which they are on screen with McGregor are probably the best parts of the film. The movie gets side-tracked in a third act that is bizarrely over-the-top and awkwardly bombastic for a movie that was previously rather meditative and methodical in its approach. For kids, these sequences towards the end will probably provide them the most enjoyment and laughter, however I was hoping Forster was going to maintain his effective restraint for the entire flick. My own disappointments aside, this is a movie that is largely targeted towards families with children, after all, so I suppose it's my own fault for expecting more out of the film than was warranted.

Still, after an admirable yet somewhat clunkily executed message about economic equality ties up all of the third act's action, the movie concludes by going back to a place that is thoughtful, wise, even wistful, and the uneven Christopher Robin ends on a quality note.

"What day is it?" Pooh knowingly asks his best pal. "Today," is the reply he gets back from Christopher Robin. Pooh answers, "My favorite day."

This message about being present in your day-to-day life, enjoying life's small moments, and cherishing the time you spend with loved ones is sage advice for all. The messenger was just a little bit clunky.

C+