Surprisingly enjoyable.

Rating: Null/10 (27 February 2005)

"Finding Neverland" is an interesting drama-fantasy about James Matthew Barrie's inspiring and unusual relationship with the Davies family. It was this relationship that Barrie (Johnny Depp) based his play Peter Pan on.
Director Marc Forester shows us in a unique yet comprehensible way in which Barrie would find his own world of imagination that he dubbed "Neverland". Barrie would escape to Neverland and use his imagined adventures as inspiration for his plays. Through his regular walks in the park we meet the troubled Davies family, consisting of the widowed mother Sylvia Llewellyn Davies (Kate Winslet) and her five children. Despite the disapproval of the surrounding London community, Barrie goes on to nurture his valuable relationship with the boys and their mother. Through him the boys learn to overcome their father's death and explore the beauties of life. For much of the film's duration we follow Barrie and the Davies family in their frequent "adventures" in Neverland, each one bearing a distinguishable similarity with the classic play. Forester doesn't offend his audience by corrupting these fantasy sequences with clichéd explanations or occurrences such as dreams or "a sudden, blinding white light". Instead we travel fluently between fantasy and reality, each being easily recognizable. Despite the wonderful direction during these fantasy sequences, I must say that those in "Belle de jour" are ultimately superior considering they come from the master of surrealism, Luis Bunuel, who always leaves you guessing on what was real and what was hallucination, flashback, or dream.
Johnny Depp gives a performance void of life; although this can be considered appropriate being that it is supposedly so similar to the withdrawn and shy J.M. Barrie. Kate Winslet is perfect for the role of a caring yet seriously ill mother trying to make the most out of life. The young actors playing the children surprised me that their performances weren't cheesy or corny.
Excellent and subtle acting (no scene chewing) from the entire cast. Surprisingly enjoyable and original for a fantasy-drama film. The film does, however, take a few liberties. Sylvia is already a widow when Barrie meets her and it was also rumored that Barrie was a womanizer, although he is represented in a totally different light in this interpretation.
8/10