Goodbye Christopher Robin

This movie would have you believe a number of propositions. One, that children's literature often springs from places of deep darkness. (That one's true. Trust me.) Two, that Winnie-the-Pooh was, in at least a roundabout way, the product of World War I vet A.A. Milne's untreated PTSD. Plausible. And third, that Mr. and Mrs. Milne, when faced with the challenges of fame, failed their son miserably. Don't know about that one; it may be true, or it may just be a tool of dramatic tension here. That's a hard distinction to make, as is the overall worth of this movie. I can't say it's a bad film, because it has inherent appeal and the story holds the interest most of the way through. Then again, the Britishness of the characters depicted is, in places, so thick and stiff that the performances almost border on parody or satire. Besides that, the dialogue occasionally lapses into clunky exposition instead of feeling like natural discussion. So the movie is certainly flawed, but if you're a Pooh fan--who isn't?--getting even a flawed glimpse into the backstory has its appeal. If you're really a fan of the author and his works, or of very British dramas, this one probably works for you. Others...you can probably let this one go.