Goodbye Christopher Robin

Before there was a wizarding world there was a hundred acre wood. Sometimes cold and distant, at best awkward, and often lost in his work, A. A. Milne (played by Domhnall Gleeson) is one of the most prolific and popular creative writers of his time, but when he returns from the battlefield, he finds he's brought with him too many ghosts, ghosts and fears that he is having difficulty confronting. Milne is losing faith in his place in the world and is in need of a new purpose. Fatherhood doesn't fill that void, but he and his wife Daphne (Margot Robbie) have a son.

In director Simon Curtis' period film "Goodbye Christopher Robin," the story behind the author who created one of the world's most beloved storybook characters Winnie-the-Pooh is examined, as Milne must confront his own inner demons, while establishing a relationship with his young son, and strive to keep their family together, and not become a casualty of the war that is afoot in the world. Deprived of inspiration and concerned that war is again on the horizon, Milne searches for the truth - but no one wants to read about the ills and evils of the planet.

Not entirely confident in his most current works and suffering from PTSD after fighting in the "War to End All Wars," A. A. confronts the facts that perhaps he needs a change of scenery in order to combat his writer's block, and moves his family to the country. In Sussex, he hopes to write his next great work of art, and perhaps escape the haunting memories. Perhaps he'll find the answers among the green of the woods, but could he ever have imagined what he'd find spending time alone with his son.

The stark versatility of Margo Robbie (now an Academy Award Nominee) continues to prove in this most engaging performance, as the willfully modern Daphne, A. A.'s wife and mother to young Christophe Robin. When the family moves to the country away from their posh London friends and the rest of high-society, Robbie has a gloriously exciting time introducing her son to his new toys, a teddy named "Edward", a piglet and a tiger. Unimpressed by her husband's lack of enthusiasm, Daphne decides to return to London and re-engage in the nightlife leaving A. A. with his son.

As the pair become closer and explore the nearby woodland, the world of Winnie-the-Pooh begins to take shape and eventually, thanks to the intervention of his wife, the stories become an international phenomenon propelling young Christopher Robin into the spotlight. The daunting celebrity isn't lost on the Milne family, who becomes an overnight sensation - and not all it's cracked up to be. Inevitably it follows young Christopher Robins into his adolescence and shades his experience, as well as the relationship between him and his family, especially his father.

"Goodbye Christopher Robin" is a well-structured examination of celebrity and fandom and the impact of unwanted attention that comes along with the notoriety of fame. The film never exploits at heart the dimension and emotion of childhood and family, and what can become compromised when something becomes disingenuous. Well directed with a beautifully stylish look and a cast worth spending time with, "Goodbye Christopher Robin" is as charming as the storybooks that inspired it.

"Goodbye Christopher Robin"
available now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD
$19.99
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