The Magic Faraway Tree

"Dad's crazy plan is infecting the whole family." Proof that I will watch Rebecca Ferguson in anything. Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy are sick of their city lifestyles and worried about their kids’ technology addictions. So they move to the country where, unbeknownst to the parents, an enchanted wood awaits them. It was kids morning at the cinema on a rainy day, so we took my little nephew to see this. He seemed invested and seemed to like it, so really that is the real review. From my perspective it pretty much worked—the kids were suitably annoying that I’d hoped they might not come out of the woods—but the writing (from Paddington’s Simon Farnaby) and acting had their funny moments, and the set design was nice. Maybe it could have been 20 minutes shorter but I didn’t notice any restless legs in the room so I guess I’m in the minority there. I always enjoy seeing my dad’s anti-namesake, Oliver Chris. Otherwise it’s cameos galore: Jennifer Saunders, Lenny Henry, Judi Dench, Michael…