Definitely not Oscar material.

Rating: 6/10 (6 October 2004)

I can't quite put my finger on it why, but this movie feels moderately executed. One of the few things that feel genuine is the representation of the era (costumes, production design). What also draws one's attention is the crafted performance of Johnny Depp and the surprisingly natural performance of Freddie Highmore. Along with the powerful last scene of the film, these are what "Finding Neverland" has to offer in my opinion.
I found the direction somewhat poorly paced, without a sense of rhythm, not at all helped by the not-so-skilled editing. Photography also gave me a bad impression, when the actors' faces were shadowed and obscure in closed sets. As for the rest of the performances, Dustin Hoffman was totally in the background, Julie Christie and Radha Mitchell were (again, in my opinion) bad, and even Kate Winslet didn't seem to have seethed her teeth into her role (especially in comparison with her wonderful work in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind").
Apparently, the film has a message to deliver, about the Neverland in each and every one of us, about growing up and mature but still remaining a kid etc. It's clearly up to the viewer, how much he will yield to that message and subsequently to the magic of the movie. I admit I wasn't all that carried away. The message of "Finding Neverland" is unfortunately contained in a poor package.