Charming and creepy....a strange combination.

Rating: 7/10 (9 January 2013)

creepy--especially when seen today treated own wife horribly--very selfish Barrie was VERY successful before Peter Pan Like most bio-pics, "Finding Neverland" plays a bit fast and loose with the facts in order to build a better story. Now this film is NOT completely made up but if you study about J.M. Barrie's life, you'll see it does differ quite a bit from the film. For example, Barrie knew Mr. AND Mrs. Davies quite well and they lived much longer than they did in the movie. Additionally, you'd get the impression that Barrie was a failure as an author before he created Peter Pan, but he was highly successful and well thought of before Pan. But, to make a greater sense of tension, the film changed the facts here and there. So, as you watch, keep this in mind.
The film begins with Barrie's (Johnny Depp) most recent play flopping. At about the same time, he meets a young widow, Mrs. Davies (Kate Winslet), and her young sons at the park and befriends them--particularly the boys. They become playmates (which is pretty creepy if you think about it) and they behave almost like a family--which is really bad for Mrs. Barrie--who is left at home to fend for herself. Not surprisingly, people begin to talk--both about him spending time with a woman other than his wife as well as his preference to spending his time with young boys. Considering our present sensibilities, this isn't at all surprising that people would talk and that the Barrie marriage would crumble. Much of the rest of the film concerns his production of the play "Peter Pan" as well as the decline of Mrs. Davies and future of her sons.
If you completely divorce this film from reality and simply enjoy it for what it is, then you'll most likely enjoy the film very, very much. The acting is quite nice, as are the costumes, sets and music. The writing, though not always accurate, was also very good because it really stirs up a lot of feelings in the viewer--and as a result, it's enjoyable throughout. It's a shame they didn't trust the complete and true story, though, and that's why I give this very high quality production a score of only 7.