This month we decided to review the 2017 movie “Goodbye Christopher Robin”, since last month we had reviewed “Christopher Robin” 2018. There is a lot of nostalgia surrounding Winnie the Pooh and all the characters of the A.A. Milne books and Disney movies. There is no denying that these are beloved characters and have been for generations. Its natural that our love for these characters would lead to curiosity about the author and the child on which he based his books. Which is most likely why Fox Searchlight Entertainment gave us a movie that explores the history of the Winnie the Pooh stories, while simultaneously making you laugh, cry and feel guilty about ever having adored these characters.
This is not a kid’s movie. You may be tempted since it is rated PG and relates directly with the Winnie the Pooh characters, but this movie deals with very bleak subject matter. We are shown an A.A. Milne that is shell shocked (PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was referred to as Shell Shock at the time) after WWI. He is trying to recapture his life, during a time in history when much wasn’t known about PTSD and its effects. A noted playwright, Milne is struggling with his craft and his symptoms and so decides to move his family to the countryside, away from the noise and chaos of London. It is here, while spending time with his son, that he comes up with the idea of writing the book Winnie-The-Pooh. Most notably the A.A. Milne character shows us how PTSD influences everyday life. Christopher Robin is shown to be resentful of the fame associated with his father’s books from a very young age. Though his relationship with his parents has been strained from the beginning, it comes to a head when Christopher inlists and is sent off to WWII. He decides to share his feelings with his father before leaving for war. The mother Daphne, is portrayed as an uncaring, self-centered and materialistic woman. She doesn’t really care for her son, getting a nanny to look after him almost immediately. It appears as though she is more concerned with being a socialite than being a mother, or even a wife. We actually discussed the possibility of her actions being ordinary for the time and her status in society, but still couldn't give her a pass to act the way she was. It helped to learn, through research, that this was a gross exaggeration of what Daphne was actually like as a person. Still hard to watch. Overall, this is a cautionary tale: Don't allow your children to become renowned. Actually take an interest in the day to day affairs of your children and maybe don't watch this movie(?). If you enjoy dramas, you will probably enjoy this movie, however, if you are a huge Winnie-the-Pooh fan, then this is a recipe for heartbreak.
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AuthorMother & daughters team that enjoy movies, discussions and writing! We have had many of our movie reviews published in a local Magazine. Archives
September 2019
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