A Bit Dull, But Picks Up As It Goes

Rating: 7/10 (19 September 2012)

The story of Sir James M. Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.
I have a few quibbles with this film. First being it is not strictly accurate. I feel like the film tried to balance history with fun, but history got the short end of the stick too often. Barrie deserves a good biopic, and this just is not it. I am particularly referring to the absence of Arthur Davies -- his being gone makes Barrie seem even more scandalous than he probably was.
I also thought it was rather dull at first, though the second half was much improved. History does not have to be dull -- both "King's Speech" and "Iron Lady" are excellent films that present history. This film seemed almost devoid of history... when was it set? How did that impact the characters? It is not clear.
But I do not mean to be so harsh, as it actually was a rather good story. Seeing Julie Christie is a plus, and Dustin Hoffman never fails (his role is much too small). Kate Winslet did a more than adequate job, and Johnny Depp was... well, decent. (I find it hard to judge Depp because he has reached that level of stardom where it is easily to see him than it is to see the character he portrays).