Finding Neverland

I am not a film critic by any means, and don't aim to pose as one. That being said, I felt that this movie was by far one of the most touching and entertaining movies I have seen in my short 22 years. The cast is fabulous, every actor plays his/her part so to speak.

The story centers around J. M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan, and his journey to writing the well-known play. It highlights his genius, while also showing the painful isolation that comes with being a mind ahead of your time. There are some liberties taken when put against the actual events that led up to the birth of Peter Pan, but don't let this dissuade you from watching--"Finding Neverland" was never slated as being a documentary!

Being a huge Johnny Depp fan, one would think that my judgment would be tainted by his involvement in the film. However, even I can admit to a failed Depp movie (i.e. The Secret Window). At first, I thought that putting Depp outside of his usual character type, a mildly strange pirate/writer/doctor/investigator/man with scissors for hands, might signify a substandard film. Boy was I wrong! He nailed J.M. Barrie and was absolutely captivating throughout the entire film. I hate to sound like a starry-eyed fan but I thought his performance in this movie was downright Oscar-worthy!

Depp is magnificent, but he does not carry the weight of this film on his own. A slue of other fine actors and actresses, Kate Winslet and Freddy Highmore just to name a few, give absolutely divine performances. Do yourself a favor, shell out the eight bucks and go see this movie!

Johnny Depp takes us by the hand and in the gentlest most reassuring way leads into the heart, soul and mind of an artist. How easy is for the world to judge. How frightened we still are of all we don't understand. The very nature of innocence is suspect because innocence belongs exclusively to the innocent. Every time the world claims to protect it, tends to destroy it. "Finding Nerverland" is filled with moments of enlightenment. Moving and powerful moments but none more so than Julie Christie's face as she applauds, converted to the fantasy transported into her daughter's house. The moment and the enlightenment are short lived, but, somehow, remains in my mind as a glimmer of hope. If for a moment she accepts the mystery of it all, maybe we all could. Johnny Depp is the best American actor of his generation, period. Kate Winslet is a stunning rarity among her contemporaries. She doesn't look like anybody else and the camera catches every tiny little thought that crosses her marvelous face. Congratulations Mr. Forster you can count on me from this moment on as a devoted fan.

The real J.M. Barrie was influenced and inspired as a child in Scotland by the adventurous stories of Robert Louis Stevenson of pirates, Indians and kidnapped boys. As a young journalist in London in the peak years of the Gilded Age his vivid imagination took him from novels to stage-plays.

Barrie loved games and founded a cricket club with fellow writers Arthur Conan Doyle and P.G. Wodehouse. An old nugget describing his personality tells of his comments upon himself and others that often appeared in the newspapers. He once remarked to H.G. Wells, "It is all very well to be able to write books, but can you wiggle your ears?" It was in the very early years of the 20th Century, now 101 years ago and the same year that in the windy Outer Banks of North Carolina that the Wright Brothers took flight that Jamie Barrie's Peter Pan soared into the air on wires in the London stage.

Marc Forester's fascinating film biography adapted by David Magee from Allan Knee's play, "The Man Who Was Peter Pan," now comes to us in this delightful, moving account, 'Finding Neverland.' It presents historical reality between lushly imagined expeditions to a fictitious Neverland. It's performed impeccably by Johnny Depp as Sir James Mathew Barrie and an extraordinary cast under the able direction of Marc Forster.

This is the loveliest film of the year, highly recommended. Bring Kleenex for the final scenes and see how difficult it is to leave the theater and return to today.

I had heard that this was merely a "chick flick." Hey, my wife is the one who wanted to go see it. As it turned out, I went with three other guys, and we all loved it.

Some movies entertain; some teach; some open up new worlds. This movie opened up new worlds. With each passing scene, carefully woven from the previous ones, it was like crossing yet another threshold into another world. The story unfolded deeper and deeper with each new scene, each layer adding not to complexity (the story is rather simple), but to the depth. Depp and the others (esp. the young actor who played Peter) easily lead the audience deeper and deeper into the paths of authenticity, healing, love, friendship and the triumph of inner strength. The other characters, likewise, garnish the central story excellently.

The only flaw I saw is, I'm sure, a matter of taste and perspective; I felt the grandmother was simply too two-dimensional and not as believable as she should have been, though she, too, had some beautiful moments that truly added to the film.

Having much experience with divorce (being a divorce attorney) I found the unfortunate relationship between Depp's character and his wife believable to a tee: two people deeply in love with each other yet more committed to personal pursuits than tending the difficult relationship we call marriage. Ironically, though Depp's character ultimately became the main caretaker of the four boys, by following the tender feelings of his heart, he allowed his marriage to evaporate by not following the other tender feelings of his heart.

Nearly perfect. I give it a 9 out of 10.

Of course it takes liberties with the truth, not the first biographical drama to do that, but I cannot deny that Finding Neverland was very magical and affecting and was beautifully crafted not only in visuals but in acting too. Plus it made me believe in Peter Pan again, and that is a wonderful feeling as Peter Pan is one of my all-time favourite stories. The cinematography, costumes, locations and scenery are absolutely stunning, and the score gives the film its magical feeling. The script had its deft touches, the story had a perfect balance of the humorous and the tragic, and director Marc Forster deserves credit for making even those mundane events into something somewhat enchanting. The acting is wonderful too- Johnny Depp is nothing short of magnificent as JM Barrie as he alternates between being playful and sensitive, it was his sensitive side especially that made his performance so good. Kate Winslet is very tender as Sylvia and Dustin Hoffmann impresses in a smaller role. Even the kids were good, especially Freddie Highmore who offers a wonderful portrayal as the serious-minded Peter. In conclusion, beautiful film, very affecting when it needed to be and quite magical to say the least. 10/10 Bethany Cox