Goodbye Christopher Robin, a British historical drama film about the lives of Winnie-the-Pooh creator A. A. Milne and his family, especially his son "Christopher Robin", is very good. Directed by Simon Curtis and written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Simon Vaughan, it stars Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, and Kelly Macdonald, who are all quite engaging in their roles. It's charming, sometimes a little dark, and very beautifully shot.
And It's about a lot more than a famous series of books for children. It's about PTSD and war and writer's block and where creative ideas come from and about father/son relationships and about the trappings of fame, and the toll that success can take on a family.
Young Will Tilston is remarkably cast as Billy, the child that Christopher Robin was based on. He landed the role in his first ever audition, and seems to have been born to be in this film. Alex Lawther, who played the young Alan Turing in the phenomenal Imitation Game, is convincing as the older version, even though the two actors look absolutely nothing alike. He is effective in expressing how negatively mega-fame can affect a child, and his performance in this role sheds some light into why some child actors and pop stars turn out the way that they do.
It's safe to take the kids, but it's not really a kids film.
Good film, though...
Recommended.
