Film Review: Goodbye Christopher Robin

Published on: 10 Oct, 2017
Updated on: 10 Oct, 2017

By Dennis Harvey-Hepherd

This is the dramatized biography of Christopher Robin Milne, son of the author Alan Milne and inspiration for the Winnie The Pooh books.

A total of five actors are employed to portray Christopher, from baby to adult and the casting director did a good job in selecting these actors with sufficient resemblance to convince the audience of the continuity.

These boys, in turn, produce incredible performances, giving a vivid insight into a dysfunctional family from the child’s viewpoint.

The film also provides a terrifying insight into middle-class family life during the inter-war period.

But the heart of the story is how fame and fortune, being forced on a young person, when all they want is the love of their parents, can produce very unhappy adults.

I was struck by the thought as I watched that this film was an allegory for the many young stars of today who “go bad” as adolescents.

This film carries a PG certificate but I would say it is certainly not a film for young children. It may even leave adults reading Winnie the Pooh in a different light.

The full 5 out of five for this emotional rollercoaster.