Okay, I'll admit it  I got sucked in

Rating: 7/10 (23 February 2005)

Never having been a fan of "Peter Pan" and therefore ambivalent to J.M. Barrie himself, I wasn't in a big hurry to see "Finding Neverland" despite the many accolades it received. However, since it showed up on the IMDb Top 250 list and as a Best Picture nominee I figured I'd better check it out.
To my surprise, I found the film to be extremely beautiful and charming. "Finding Neverland" chronicles the creation of Barrie's play "Peter Pan" and its profound effect on the lives of the people in Barrie's life as well as theatergoers in England. Barrie, (Depp) a mediocre playwright who is not able to reach his audience and is therefore beginning to bankrupt his faithful producer Charles Frohman (Hoffman), is writing one day in the park when he happens upon the Llewelyn Davies family. Sylvia (Winslet), the mother (and a young widow) is trying to corral her four young boys and when they run into Barrie they immediately become friends. Barrie begins to spend increasingly more time with the family, much to the chagrin of his wife Mary and Sylvia's mother Emma (Christie). It becomes clear that the Barries' marriage has been slowly falling apart for some time now, but because of their time apart and his obvious adoration of the Llewelyn Davies family, the deterioration becomes more rapid. Emma, on the other hand, is the typical overbearing mother who disapproves of Barrie, mainly because he is ruining Sylvia's chances of "landing" another man. When a crisis strikes the Llewelyn Davies family, Barrie grows closer to Peter, the second youngest son, who is still grieving the loss of his own father, and the loss of his imagination; something that Barrie tries to help him through.
The only other Marc Forster film I had seen prior to "Finding Neverland" was "Monsters Ball", a film that I really didn't like, but more for its actors and story than for the production of the film. I was therefore intrigued by what his treatment of this film, a completely different subject matter, would be. I found this film completely and utterly aesthetically beautiful. Even before the "Peter Pan" and Neverland scenes, I was struck by the gorgeous Victorian sets and costumes, and the interesting way that Barrie's imagination was expressed. (Opening up his bedroom door and seemingly walking into a green meadow is just one of the many examples) The Neverland scenes were simply stunning, so much so that they were profoundly emotional. I particularly loved a scene when "Peter Pan" was premiering, and orphans that had been invited by Barrie to watch the performance experienced it for the first time  I can't stand children, but the looks on their faces and the reactions of the aristocratic members of the audience to the children was so very touching. There were things about the film that I did not care for regarding the film of course; without giving a lot away, I thought that there were a few moments of easy resolution (particularly involving Barrie and his wife) and I think that the relationship that Barrie had with Sylvia was a bit TOO subtle, because when he discloses his feelings for her I remember thinking, "Oh. Really?" Obviously there was great affection, but not to the extent that was realized. I also noticed that the alleged pedophilia was obviously not addressed; something that I expected but was hoping wouldn't be glossed over.
I've come to expect top-notch performances by Johnny Depp at this point, and he absolutely did not disappoint in his portrayal of Barrie. He was utterly charming, and without the use of makeup or Tim Burton, really became somebody else that was not recognizable as "Johnny Depp playing (fill in the blank)". I'm not a huge fan of Winslet, though I do recognize her acting ability, and I thought she was very good in this film. Certain actresses do period pieces well, and she is definitely one of them. She was entirely believable as the mother of the boys and exuded warmth and protectiveness, yet showed that she is still young and can horse around with her sons and Barrie because she enjoys it.
I was kind of expecting that I would feel this film took the place of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" as a Best Picture nominee, but after experiencing the film I feel it is very deserving of its nomination. Those who know me will probably be shocked that I enjoyed this film so much because I normally have no interest in cute sentimentality (and furthermore, children) in film, but because Forster created such a beautiful film, I have to give it a solid 7/10.
--Shelly