Christopher Robin (Review)

Christopher Robin Reminds Us the Best Somethings Come from Nothing.

I’ll admit that I can be pretty cynical when it comes to movies. I’ve sat through so many bad ones that I’ve become jaded in recent months, maybe even curmudgeonly. I’ll sit there in the dark stewing as I crack jokes to myself at the expense of the characters on screen. However, I couldn’t bring myself to do this during Christopher Robin. No matter how simple-minded or whimsical it got, I just couldn’t bring myself to mock anything about it. That might be a strange way to start off a review, but I think that it goes a long way in speaking to the quality of film we’re dealing with here.

Anyone with any sort of childhood probably knows the tale of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh. The boy and his bear who would go off on wondrous adventures. We’ve been given plenty of movies about the duo, but those have always been Winnie the Pooh movies. Now, Christopher Robin gets his own film to tell the tale of what happened after the last time he visited the hundred acre wood as a boy.

Let me start by saying that Christopher Robin is riddled with cliches. Ewan McGregor plays a father who is more concerned with work than his family. It’s not that he doesn’t love his wife (Hayley Atwell) and daughter (Bronte Carmichael) it’s just that he’s more concerned about providing for their future. Needless to say, this is a Christopher Robin that could use a few lessons in mindfulness and who better to teach him than zen-master Pooh Bear (Jim Cummings). Spouting bits of simple-minded pearls of wisdom such as “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day” or “I always get to where I’m going by walking away from where I’ve been.” If anything Pooh proves that those who are unburdened by intelligence often have the clearest view of what is truly important.

Christopher Robin is probably the most charming film I’ve seen in recent memory. Everything about it screams the good old days, and I mean that in the most wholesome way possible. I get that there were all sorts of problems back then too, but things seemed a little bit clearer. There weren’t phones drowning us in information and the key to a wonderful childhood was a keen imagination. It sounds childish, but Christopher Robin plays it off in a perfectly natural way. There’s a genuinely good heart behind this film, something that we could all do with these days. With everything going on in the world, it’s good to bring attention to the causes that matter, but sometimes those causes can be as simple as stopping and doing nothing. In that regards, this is a movie about taking time for your own mental health and to reevaluate priorities from time to time.

I applaud director Marc Forster for his part in this wonderful film. He managed to capture the true spirit of Winnie the Pooh and remained loyal to it while keeping it interesting and engaging for modern audiences. What do I mean by that? Well, the film evokes the same feeling you might get if someone stopped on the street, smiled at you, and gave you a genuine compliment before walking away. It’s unexpected, genuine, and uplifting. In times like these, those small gestures and details can make all the difference and that’s Forster manages to deliver.

It’s been a hot minute since we’ve had a good family movie in theaters. Sure there were flicks like Incredibles 2 and Hotel Transylvania 3, but they’re a different kind of animal from Christopher Robin. This is a film that is meant for anyone who enjoys the sound of a child’s laughter because one thing I noticed is how much the little kids in the theater enjoyed those same characters I did when I was their age. More importantly, the parents seemed to enjoy it just as much. While I don’t have a child of my own, I quickly became aware of just how much I was smiling during this movie. It’s a feel-good film, not because there’s any sort of victory for an underdog, but because it will make you actually feel good just watching these lovable characters reunite.

Christopher Robin is a film that comes at a time when we need movies like this more than ever. It’s so simple in its whimsical nature that it’s hard to begrudge any of its faults. That being said, it’s not a perfect movie, but it’s one that definitely deserves to be seen. So, if you have a family or are even just tired from, well, everything, then Christopher Robin might be just the escape you need. It will put a smile on your face and a spring in your step. It’s a movie that you can safely take your kids to and not have to worry about any awkwardness popping up (see Eighth Grade for an example of what I mean). So, take a chance on something simple and pleasant, and go see Christopher Robin.