Sensitive, Elegant, Wonderous

Rating: Null/10 (4 September 2006)

FINDING NEVERLAND ****1/2 Set in London in the early 1900s, it biographies Sir James Matthew Barrie, a struggling playwriter who is inspired by a widow and her four children, the Davies's, to create his most successful work that all of us know: "Peter Pan." The story begins with Barrie wholly concerning himself with his work, leaving an unfortunate rift between him and his down-to-earth, sensible wife. His social encounters with the Davies's after he meets them, in contrast, opens his imagination to new revelations: What makes a fantasy truly engaging? Inspiring? Therapeutic? The children, in effect, are encouraged to deal with life's difficulties through their imaginations. It's a topic rarely brought to life with so much sensitivity and elegance, with a first-rate cast, that one can't help but admiring 'Finding Neverland' both as an entertaining movie and as a legendary wonder.