Ian Waller and his youngest son enjoy a special Friday night film night
Friday night film night has become something of a tradition with my family, with us all huddled around the TV, eating pizza and sweets – well, it is Friday – and watching a film. Last Friday, however, for my seven-year-old son and me, we did something a little different.
Since I was a little un I’ve enjoyed watching films at The Little Theatre in Bath, so with Joe keen to see the new Winnie The Pooh inspired film, Christopher Robin, we decided that a trip back to my favourite cinema would be a great idea.
The wonderful thing about the Little Theatre is that unlike the loud, garish and in-your-face style multiplexes, here’s a local cinema that’s still manned by real people who love films, it shows a great variety of titles that aren’t all mega blockbusters and the whole experience is homely and relaxing.
With sweets for Joe and a glass of wine – yes, wine available at a cinema! – for me, we settled in for the presentation. And straight away I was enjoying it. The seats are comfy, the rows not too long so that you’ve got to get up every five minutes to let other viewers in and out, and the sound, while crystal clear, isn’t booming.
As for the film itself, well I do have to be honest and admit that as a child I was never keen on Winnie The Pooh. The stories were just a little uninspiring for me, although I do appreciate that for many readers, they were – and still are – very dear indeed. And indeed the film initially threatened to follow a similar strand. It was all very lovely and set in an idyllic land, and the way the various characters were brought to life was amazing, but it just wasn’t gripping me. Joe, however, was loving it, as, it appeared from the laughter, were many of our fellow viewers.
As the film progressed, I am happy to say, that things did improve and the story became far more engaging, as the now grown-up Christopher Robin is helped by his childhood friends to realise what was really important to him. OK, no, it’s little of the slapstick fun and all-out adventure of the recent excellent Paddington films, but Christopher Robin does wonderfully well in bringing a gentle old bear with very little brain up to date, without losing its character and appeal along the way.
It was a real treat to move our Friday might film night to the Little Theatre for a change. The Little is an often over-looked gem of Bath life and Joe and I can heartily recommend it to cinema lovers of all ages.
For more details of upcoming productions at The Little Theatre, click here