This is an impressive movie. Not only is the acting superb, but the story itself is charming, tragic and wonderful. Johnny Depp plays J. M. Barrie, author of the children’s classic Peter Pan. In Finding Neverland, Barrie is struggling to create a successful play. He finds his inspiration at a local park, where he encounters several boys playing. Their imagination fuels his creativity and he begins to see them quite often.
In semi-biographical films such as this, I often wonder how much is actually true. Often times certain elements seem exaggerated and take me out of the film, but Finding Neverland keeps a hold of you pretty well. While I found several historical inaccuracies when looking up information on Barrie’s life, they are mostly amenable as creative and artistic liberties.
Probably the most enjoyable aspect of this film is watching all the little pieces of Peter Pan fall into place. Elements and themes that would make their way into Barrie’s play are noticeable throughout the film, be they subtle or pronounced. This accomplishes the film’s goal of showing two stories come together during the same film: the story of Barrie’s inspiration and the creation of Peter Pan.
Kate Winslet is always enjoyable and Johnny Depp’s performance seems downright normal for a change. I think it was a very wise career decision for him, as he is enabled to portray a quirky and sometimes eccentric character that is actually believable. Barrie is not a caricature or overzealous creation- he was a real man. Perhaps this causes Depp to restrain himself from anything over the top- had he gone too far, critics would have torn him apart. Maybe that pressure helped him.
Regardless, Finding Neverland is similar to Big Fish and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind- there’s really not much out there that’s quite like it. I think it was a good choice as a Best Picture nominee, being a unique film with solid performances and a healthy range of emotions. Nicely done.
This is an impressive movie. Not only is the acting superb, but the story itself is charming, tragic and wonderful. Johnny Depp plays J. M. Barrie, author of the children’s classic Peter Pan. In Finding Neverland, Barrie is struggling to create a successful play. He finds his inspiration at a local park, where he encounters several boys playing. Their imagination fuels his creativity and he begins to see them quite often.
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