The Mind, Heart, and Muses that Created Peter Pan

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2005)

Finding Neverland tells the remarkable story behind J.M. Barrie's creation of Peter Pan for the London stage in the early 1900s. The movie focuses on the beautiful friendship that develops between J.M. Barrie, a widow Sylvia, and her four young sons, and how that friendship opens the heart and inspires the writing of Mr. Barrie. What I really loved about this movie was the artful way scenes from J.M. Barrie's friendship with the Davies family and scenes depicting the imagination of Mr. Barrie were woven together with details of the Peter Pan story itself. The movie works such magic on the screen. Johnny Depp gives a superb performance as the imaginative and charming Mr. Barrie, and he brings out the best qualities of the child actors as well. This movie touched me as both a parent and a writer, and I highly recommend it.