Touching, mellow, and worth the while

Rating: 9/10 (4 February 2005)

Almost definitely certain to quite surreptitiously lead to the formation of at least a lump in the throats of even the most stoic, 'Finding Neverland' does an excellent job of tugging at the heartstrings, and pleasurably so, with no perceptible trace of melodrama.
The famous Peter Pan himself takes backstage, as the events leading to his conception comes alive in this well-crafted story about the struggling playwright J.M. Barrie's creative process, and his muse, the Davies Family. The relationship between them, and in particular the young Peter Davies, develops in bursts through the movie, as J.M. Barrie scripts his play drawing from his experiences, which culminate in the joyous and climactic zenith of Peter Pan's opening night. Inexplicably, the audience, and we, are drawn in to the fertile imagination of the playwright. As it comes to an end not on bed of roses, but rather on a bittersweet note, the best notion one could probably take away from this movie, is that perhaps dreams, however surreal, are worth having, if only for their ability, at times, to alleviate reality.
Johnny Depp delivers a commendable and understated performance, and is done justice by the whole cast, recreating Victorian turn of the century London for the viewer, in all its grandeur and social mores.