Christopher Robin (2018) Review

"People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day."

-Winnie The Pooh

After leaving the Hundred Acre Wood to go to boarding school, Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) has grown up.  He fought in World War II and now has a wife, Evelyn (Hayley Atwell), and a daughter, Madeline (Bronte Carmichael).  Unfortunately, Christopher has become far too focused on his work, to the point where his relationship with his family is strained.  Back in the Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings) discovers all of his friends have gone missing.  He manages to find Christopher Robin and brings him back to the Wood to find the others and his inner child again.

What Works:

What astounds me about Christopher Robin is that it's really not a kids movie.  I really can't imagine kids really liking this movie, which I'll get more into later.  This film is made for people who grew up with Christopher Robin, Pooh, and the rest, but are adults now.  It's about us rediscovering our childhood alongside Christopher.  This leads to some really powerful moments that made me want to go back and be a kid again.  This movie is surprisingly dark and reminds me a lot of Toy Story 3.  It's about growing up and abandonment.  It's some really powerful stuff and I'm both shocked and delighted that this was the direction they took the film.

The performances are excellent all around.  As far as I'm concerned, Ewan McGregor can do no wrong and although his character is a bit insufferable early on, he has a great arc and I think most audiences members will see themselves in him.  The voice cast is all fantastic, particularly Jim Cummings as both Pooh and Tigger, as well as Brad Garrett as Eeyore.  

I love the designs of all the characters.  I think they nailed the look of all the characters perfectly and it was great to see Pooh in the others in live-action.  It worked great.

What Sucks:

I mentioned above that the tone was fairly dark and not really for kids, but the film is marketed for kids.  This seems far too mature for kids to get much out of, especially because most of the Hundred Acre Wood gang doesn't get much screen-time.  It's mostly just Pooh and Christopher Robin.  There are absolutely some scenes with silly antics, but the film does seem imbalanced in its tone.

The story itself could have used a few rewrites.  Some of the dialogue is repetitive and the resolution to Christopher's work storyline felt a little rushed and unsatisfying.

Finally, my biggest complaint comes from how upset Evelyn and Madeline get at Christopher for missing their weekend holiday to go to work.  Christopher is tasked with finding ways to cut down costs, otherwise they will have to start laying people off.  People's jobs and livelihood are on the line and Christopher is totally in the right to take it as seriously as he does.  Christopher does a poor job explaining why he has to miss the trip.  I think if he emphasized what he was working on, they might be more understanding.  Either way, his family can be upset all they want, but Christopher's work was important and they don't seem to realize that.  

Verdict:

Kids probably aren't going to like Christopher Robin because this really isn't a kids movie.  I know some parents may be upset at this, but I loved how dark and mature the themes were.  This movie hit home for me and although it has some story flaws, the performances and character designs are great and it hits the emotional beats one would want out of it.  Christopher Robin has got it going on.

 7/10: Good