Fantasy squelched by schmaltz

Rating: 5/10 (12 January 2005)

This is a reasonably interesting and fascinating look at J M Barrie, and his relationship with the Llewellyn-Davies family, and his inspiration for one of the greatest literary pieces in English - Peter Pan.
The recreation of the original stage productions was very interesting and impressive. The actors playing the actors were very fun and sincere, and the whole backstage subplot was certainly a highlight of the film.
Johnny Depp has certainly come a long way in his career, and this role is certainly a demonstration of the nuance and emotional depth he can achieve in his performances now. Very dramatic serio-comedy with a large dose of imagination seems to be his specialty. I can remember when he was just a young teen magazine heart-throb starring in a TV drama show with ambitions of being a pop star. And I thought the oldest son George was very convincing and well-played, with another good performance that mixes light comedy and light drama.
(Spoiler Warning)
But this storyline is totally killed by the deadly slow pacing, self conscious "serious" drama delivery, maudlin story developments, and heavily clichéd "big sentimental tearful" moments. The final scene had me heading for the doors in stomach-churning nausea. In fact the whole final fifteen minutes or so just about erased the whole effect of the rest of the film, which I thought was rather tolerable. Let's face it; this script has "pretentious award-nominated" practically stamped all over it. It doesn't really say anything meaningful to a contemporary viewer. It's just a cynical exercise in emotional manipulation which is what's passing off for "serious, legitimate, proper drama" in modern cinema.
Sure, the idea that people need to keep their inner child and be accessible to the vivid imagination within is a commendable theme. But illustrating it with a sentimental character death and feel-good phrases presented by a weeping child is not the most creative or interesting way to present the idea. It's almost like we're going backwards to the sensibilities of the Victorian Age all over again. I guess Peter Allen got it right - "Everything Old Is New Again".