Finally checked out the new movie Christopher Robin, the dark, brooding sequel to the Winnie the Pooh movies. Now, I have little affection or nostalgia for Winnie the Pooh, though I do believe I must have watched or read the stories when I was a kid (I have a distinct memory of getting Pooh and Tigger stuffed animals one Christmas). Yet… I have no warmth in my heart for this brand of childhood things. This may sway my opinion of this movie.
Set after Christopher Robin left the 100 Acre Wood, went to boarding school, fought in WW2 (!), and is now played by Ewan McGregor as middle management for a luggage company in London. He is a bit of an uptight guy who has lost his childhood… so when he is faced with laying off a sizable portion of his workforce, he has to bail on his family weekend and work. At which point, Pooh magically appear, freaking him out and making him think he’s cracking up. But, no, Pooh is not only real, but he needs help rescuing his friends and, of course, Christopher Robin.
First thing first… the tone and visuals of this movie are weird and off-putting. The animals – Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, etc. – have an old, tattered plush toy look to them that is ugly, ratty, muted, and soul-less. You could argue they look like the toys they are meant to be… but who asked for realism anyway? Besides, and this is a bit off-putting too, other people can see them walk and talk so they are not in the imagination of Christopher Robin, they are sentient, intelligent, living creatures. Which is a bit concerning too, if you think about how they were abandoned for thirty years.
Plus the whole movie has a kind of grim, grimy sad look to it and a lot of the acting is pretty dour too. Is this a movie for kids or for their sad, overworked parents? Because the movie looks and is scripted like a dark movie but often the dialog and jokes are aimed at children. The tone or themes or whatever they were going for are mixed up and confused, making for an awkward, cobbled-together flick.
So, yeah, I didn’t have a good time at this one. Maybe if I had fond nostalgia, I might have enjoyed it more. On the other hand, I might also take offense at the grim and ugly look of the film and think it betrays the spirit of the originals. I dunno… mainly I was just kind of bored and hoping it would end sooner than it did. I certainly wasn’t rooting for Christopher Robin to figure out a way to save the jobs of all the people at the luggage factory. That’s a far cry from whether Pooh can get unstuck from a hole in the ground.
Score: 68