GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN

PG 107 MINUTES

Somme in World War I, Milne retires to a farmhouse. Struggling with writer’s block, he starts spending time with his son, Christopher Robin.

The boy is known to the family by the nickname Billy Moon, and young actor Will Tilston is a newly discovered treasure.

Domhnall Gleeson is his usual excellent self as the post-traumatic stress disorder sufferer learning to be a father. You have to pinch yourself to remember he’s acting.

He also cuts a dash in his three-piece suits and blonde Lawrence of Arabia hairstyle – and it must be a pleasant step up from his usual supporting roles.

Aussie actress Margot Robbie struggles to maintain a convincing accent as his society wife, Daphne.

However, she is otherwise excellent and game to be frequently unsympathetic.

Hundred Acre Wood is an idyllic adventure playground and the film is a hymn to the stunning rural beauty of England.

There are lovely touches of magical realism, such as we saw in the recent adaptation of Paddington, which has a similar charm.

Grand claims about how the best-selling books gave the whole nation a lift after the Great War must be taken with a measure of scepticism, as 1926 was also the year of the General Strike.

However, we can forgive the scriptwriters for their indulgence when they serve up a treat as delightful as this.

CHRIS HUNNEYSETT