FOUR STARS SHINING BRIGHTLY

Rating: Null/10 (26 November 2004)

A very enjoyable film - I know that it strays from the facts quite a bit but it doesn't present itself as a biographical drama - rather, it suggests how one of our most enduring works of literature was inspired and created. It's a film the whole family can enjoy.
There are 3 Oscars and a total of 14 Oscar nominations among its four stars - I thought it was great to see Julie Christie and Kate Winslet playing mother and daughter, sparking beautifully together, because Winslet may well be the Julie Christie of her generation - I couldn't take my eyes off of either of them. Both have a luminous and commanding screen presence. Like Christie with DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, Winslet was lucky enough to appear in a blockbuster film which made possible all the interesting roles that have followed, and there's an Oscar with her name on it in her future - perhaps this will be her year. Of course, Johnny Depp and Dustin Hoffman are no slouches either in the screen presence department - Hoffman doesn't really have a lot to do, but I think he may be going the way of Spencer Tracy - he can do a lot by doing very little. And Johnny Depp? Well, perhaps he's the Hoffman of his generation. He's certainly displayed great versatility in the roles he's selected. Oh, and a very special nod to "Peter Pan" - Kelly MacDonald.