Finding Neverland (2004) movie review
Finding Neverland, directed by Marc Forster, is a heartwarming and enchanting film that tells the story of J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan. The movie explores the power of imagination and the importance of embracing your inner child. With stellar performances from Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, the film takes the audience on a magical journey that reminds us all of the beauty and wonder of childhood. Overall, Finding Neverland is a must-watch for anyone who believes in the power of dreams and the limitless possibilities of the imagination.
Watchable, fascinating, but sticky, and ultimately diffuse film that reminds me of Topsy-Turvy and Gods and Monsters, but not in the same league; both of those films made the artistic process coherent, whereas this one enshrines it in the same old Neverland laws. The incentive to watch is, almost unavoidably, Johnny Depp, who is terrific, as he usually is; the only thing he had to do here that he hadn’t done before in some way was maintain a gentrified Scots accent. But, of course, his work is here securely wrapped in a film of fine-wrought middlebrow literary-historical legitimacy, so it’s excellent Oscar fodder.
Almost all of the film’s humor was his invention; for heart-string tugging, he was well-matched by a talented cast. It’s an effective 5-hankie piece; when the film ended, I could hear a lot of snuffling and sniffling. There were a few points, however, when the very standard-issue direction and storyline, far too neatly ironed out from real history for the sake of 3-act smoothness, combined to bring the film to a halt, and only Depp appearing in some ludicrous costume could jolt it back to life
