Touching story and performances..

Rating: 9/10 (19 April 2005)

The master of the perfect accent, Johnny Depp, leaped onto the big screen again this year in the immensely successful Finding Neverland. While the film's title may lead some to poke fun, with the Michael Jackson trial in full swing, this movie is nothing to laugh at. It is a touching look at the life of J.M. Barrie, the playwright behind the legendary Peter Pan.
The film follows Barrie as he struggles to complete the story and production of Peter Pan. Along the way, he meets up with a widowed mother (Kate Winslet) and her young sons. Barrie helps one of the boys, an introverted youngster played by Freddie Highmore, discover his joy for writing and life. Through the boys, Barrie finds the inspiration for his next play. Through Barrie, the boys re-discover the father figure they lost years ago.
Finding Neverland tugs at all strings. At any time it can be funny, touching, poignant or agonizing. The goal of the story is to pull at your emotions and the film succeeds in every way. While all aspects of this movie were very successful, it's the performances by the actors that put it over the top.
Depp earned - and I do mean earned - yet another best actor Academy Award nomination for his performance as J.M. Barrie. Despite the fact that he was nominated last year for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean, the committee had no choice but to give him his second straight nod. After being snubbed by the Academy for several roles in the 1990s, including Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and especially Donnie Brasco, he's finally getting his just desserts as an actor.
Winslet also turns in a heart-wrenching performance as Sylvia Davies, an ill-stricken, single mother of four. Pair this role with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Winslet managed to turn in a year of performances in 2004 that most actresses would love to have in a lifetime.
In addition to Depp and Winslet, 12-year-old Freddie Highmore burst onto the screen in Finding Neverland as perhaps the next great child actor. In fact, Highmore was so good playing one of Davies' four sons that acclaimed director Tim Burton decided to cast him alongside Depp again this summer. He is set to play Charlie Bucket in a new version of Roald Dahl's children's novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, due out in July.