No matter how old we get, there's still a kid trapped inside of us. Growing old is never easy but finding your way back to the good old days of childhood is a train ride worth taking. For Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor), a middle-aged grump who cares more about his job than his family, rediscovering his youth may in fact save his life as well as his marriage.
Marc Forster is a versatile director who has handled serious fare like Monsters Ball and The Kite Runner, action-adventure flicks like World War Z, and family-oriented pleasure such as Johnny Depp's Finding Neverland. Christopher Robin falls into the latter category, a family film that aims to please and tell a simplistic tale about the power of friendship that endures and heals.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a stack of cinematic buttermilk pancakes with an extra pouring of syrup that manages to blow the dust off adult themes without getting too dark to abandon the adolescent audience that represents its target audience.
When Robin gets a chance encounter from his childhood pal Winnie The Pooh (voiced once again by Jim Cummings), he is reluctant. No longer the little boy who hung out with Pooh and other characters such as the energetic Teeger (also voiced by Cummings) and the cynical Eeyore (the gifted Brad Garrett), Robin is stuck in between a rock and a hard place. He loves his wife (Hayley Atwell) and wants to be close to his daughter (Bronte Carmichael)-but always finds work pulling him away.
Pooh shows up to remind him about what's important. Before long, the two are off looking for the rest of the bear's friends, helping each other wrestle out of their doldrums. It must have been a while since I experienced Pooh in animated or live action form, because I don't recall the cuddly creature sounding like a dry humor aided life coach-but perhaps that was what original creators A.A. Maline and Ernest Shepard intended. He's not exactly Yoda or Dr. Phil. More like a less active Paddington.
It doesn't take a movie road map to guess what the rest of the film has in store. If you recognize the whimsical nature of the writing (the script was tackled by three writers, including Tom McCarthy) and taste the sweet as honey intentions of the acting, the ship is pointed in an obvious direction. And that's perfectly fine.
This is a classic kids' film where the parents will enjoy aspects of the film while looking down at their kids and smiling. While predictable and straight-forward in its approach, Christopher Robin's message is powerful enough for any kid to find some hope and worth in the tale. Sometimes, you have to follow your heart, or hand it over for a couple hours to some mushy storytelling that states the obvious yet does it in a way that is just touching enough to win you over.
Is Christopher Robin amazing and bound for Oscars? No. Will it make you stop traffic and redirect them to your nearest theater? No. Does it tug just enough at the heartstrings to provide an easy-going experience that won't hurt or sting the movie senses? Yes.
Forster knows that this material will catch us off guard, so he doesn't do anything special. This is for the kids. A break in the action before he returns to his comfort zone of dark dramas and action flicks.
Of the cast, McGregor lends charm and grace to the lead role, pulling some of his Big Fish tricks out of the book to give just enough of a performance, while Brad Garrett collects the most laughs and the weary donkey who has seen it all and isn't impressed.
In the end, Christopher Robin will fill you up and will not let you down without reinventing the wheel of sappy filmmaking. It's a wholesome family oriented take on the classic tale. Open your heart, escape the heat, and take the kids to this one. It'll go down just fine.
