I never read the Winnie the Pooh stories as a boy or afterwards though was aware of the characters. (There was, of course, last year's release of 'Goodbye, Christopher Robin' which I saw and rated with a '5')
The augurs of an unfortunate experience were quickly evident in the large audience containing a high proportion of children aged 10 or under, mostly with their parents - including at least two babies-in-arms I saw. Annoyances grew when immediately in front of my designated seat sat a family of four, consisting of two boys with a mother who was, one might say, on the large side, holding in one hand a giant tub of popcorn to chomp on, phone in the other, she squeeeeeeeezed herself into the seat, while the boys shared a large vessel of coke (one assumes) - two straws, one vessel. Despite the request on screen to turn off phones, this 'lady' didn't - and every few minutes the blue light was being switched on and off - and she was far from alone in doing it. Then the younger of the boys, about 6 or 7, kept standing up for no apparent reason, making the seat go back with a clatter. And how many times in a one and three-quarter hour film does one need to have a wee? Three times? I kid you not. There may well have been a fourth, far as I know, as I left with maybe ten minutes to go, wanting to avoid the crush. (If I can manage to survive six hours or more with no discomfort, why can't others?)
All through the film, significant sections of which were hardly attention-holding for an audience of children, there was talking (not even whispered mutterings!) and, naturally, babies crying. And then there was the film itself..........
It's an odd story (this one not by A.A.Milne), set in London and Sussex and centring on Ewan McGregor as the adult C. Robin having (so the blurb goes) a 'mid-life crisis' relating to his employment and his marriage (to Hayley Atwell - underused) and his young, but (oh, so wise) brat of a young daughter - one of those kids who, you feel, would feel the benefit of a hearty slap.
The appearances of Pooh (with a most annoying, unvarying, 'poor me' voice) and his other creature friends (some exhibiting, very oddly, American accents) seemed to entertain most of the audience, but left me coldly unmoved. Plenty of rushing hither and thither didn't up the low excitement factor. I kept looking at my watch more times than probably for any other film this year.
Director Marc Forster ('Monster's Ball', 'The Kite Runner', 'Finding Neverland', 'Quantum of Solace') does what he has to do as though it's all rollicking good-natured fun. If that's what it was meant to be it missed me.
Animations are pretty good, I must say, Didn't notice anything visually that looked 'false'.
If I hadn't had the irritations and distractions around me would I have appreciated the film more? I honestly think not. Shan't be wanting to see it again and I'm not in the slightest bit curious as to how it ended in those final missed minutes......................3.
(IMDb...........7.8 / Rott. Toms..............6.1)
Ouch! So disappointing (more for you I'm sure than for me).
ReplyDeleteOther than having to endure the annoying and uncaring audience, the film itself wasn't much worse than I'd been fearing, Mitch. Still, the positive is that it's over now.
DeleteThank you for the review. It has helped me with my film planning this week. With regard to the seat, if I find I am troubled by someone near to me, I move once I think everybody has taken their seat.
ReplyDeleteI would have done that, Rachel, but as the large auditorium was 95% full it would have been hard or impossible to find another seat without similar annoyances in the near vicinity.
DeleteI am used to daytime showings with only a handful of people. Even Mamma Mia only had about 20 people in on the afternoon I went. I dislike having to choose a seat when I buy my ticket. At least at the Odeon multiplex I don't have to. I find that silver screenings are the worst with groups of pensioners who seem unable to come alone but have to move in pairs or small groups making the most noise and continuing to talk in normal voice when the film has started.
DeleteI also try to avoid screenings where you have to choose your seat before you go in. Much better to buy ticket, enter and look for the most sparse area (hoping that no one else will subsequently join it too) and plonk yourself down, wanting the lights to go down quickly and have people struggling to find somewhere near the middle - I always prefer a seat a bit off to the side anyway. In each cinema I have 'my own seat' - I suspect you do too - located where there's only a slim chance of anyone else having taken it, though that can still happen.)
DeleteYesterday was a cheaper Monday matinee (by around £2) so wasn't very surprised to find it so full. What I wasn't expecting was the high proportion of young or very young children - clearly their parents don't read reviews, many pf which stated that this wasn't really a children's film, and they were right.
I know what you mean about some pensioners, but I do find others in my age group (early 70s) as remarkably attentive as I ever try to be.
I will alwYs,take your reviews, since most times you are correct and we enjoy the same films. A shame....this looked like an adorable film....and I grew up on Winnie Piglet and the gang.
ReplyDeleteI'd suggest you give it a go, M.M. Although I've never read the Pooh stories I've been aware of Pooh himself and, more vaguely other characters, for over 50 years, but have never taken to him (unlike, say, Rupert Bear whom I loved). I'm pretty certain you'll get quite a lot out of this, largely because you are favourably disposed towards it. And there's a fair bit of on-screen Piglet and others too. So I'd urge you to go - and somehow let us know what you think.
DeleteThe trailer for this looked interesting, but not interesting enough for me to go see it. I would have liked to have seen it just to see Hayley Atwell, but if as you say she was "underused" then it's just as well I didn't see it. I only know Pooh from his Disneyization, and not from the books. It's too bad you had a negative film going experience, but it sounds like you were prepared for the worst.
ReplyDeleteIt's McGregor's film by far, RTG. Although Atwell gets star billing she can't have had much more than 15 mins at the very most of screen time in all.
DeleteRe Disney, yes me too - if it hadn't been for the films Pooh would have been an even more remote figure for me than he already is - and I reckon that would be the same for most people.
I get these dire cinema experiences from time to time and luckily it happened yesterday in this film I wasn't keen on seeing anyway. It becomes totally unbearable only when it's something to which I've madly looked forward.
never read the pooh books; the capital letters on words that did not need capitalization pissed me off.
ReplyDeleteand those brats! I would have changed seats. parents don't bother parenting any more. I H8 KIDS!
I never knew what you say re the printing of capitals in the Pooh books, W.Q. Sounds rather like my King James Bible which I read every day (do NOT worry!) - along with the Koran, Shakespeare, poems and other daily reading routines. In this Bible I'm totally flummoxed as to why certain words are italicised when there seems no rhyme nor reason for it. I'm always looking for an underlying motive but it still evades me.
DeleteAs I say to Rachel, above, if changing seats had been a viable option I would have done so. Not easy in a crowded cinema, though.
After seeing "Goodbye Christopher Robin" and knowing that CR wanted nothing to do with the Pooh-nomena, I'm disappointed Disney decided to exploit him again.
ReplyDeleteYet people WILL go to see them, Bob - and there's the answer. Shouldn't be at all surprised to read that there'll be yet another on the way as they've now dropped any pretence of it being an A.A.Milne story and are now just making a story up using the characters. Bah!
DeleteI agree with Bob's comment. I could have said it myself. Your response is of course spot on.
DeleteAs we all know, Rachel, it's money which has the loudest voice, and blow offering us such a thing as 'quality'!
DeleteI've never been drawn to the stories even as a child , so I won't bother with this now
ReplyDeleteI think it'll only be of value to those who were already familiar with the animal characters, JayGee, especially now that they've invented a tale which, apart from featuring these beings, has nothing to do with what A.A.Milne wrote. It'll please those for whom the stories as written weren't enough.
DeleteI grew up with "Edward Bear" first by the poems of AA Milne (many I can still recite). I guess I will skip the movie
ReplyDeleteI've never read anything at all of Milne's works. Just one of those several quite well-known names that never crossed me, and I'm not eager to fill in the gap now.
Delete