The Only Best Picture Contender That Is A Yawn

Rating: 6/10 (6 February 2005)

Of the five nominated films for Best Picture this year, "Finding Neverland" is in our view the weakest of the lot. And in fact we would argue it should not have been nominated at all. "Kill Bill 2" or "Hotel Rwanda" would have been better choices. But why might "Finding Neverland" not meet our expectations?
For one, this is a fairly boring tale. There is not one adult situation that hints of stress or personal conflict, or at least not in any normal human way. And we are beset with the New Age twist to how we should behave around kids; we hear an awful lot of "quiet voices" and as is customary in tales embracing the adoration of all things child-like children are afforded the powers of observation and acumen of adults.
Prior knowledge of the Peter Pan story is requisite. And while that tale has most undoubtedly been treated well in many of our lifetimes, the background of how J. M. Barrie came to render the original story is less than compelling, really. That Barrie subsumed himself in a child-like fantasy world is amusing, but no more than that. "Finding Neverland" might be a far more interesting account of the principal's lives if it had been more true to real life and if we had been shown even a smidgen of chemistry between the real-life Sylvia Davies (Kate Winslet) and J. M. Barrie (Johnny Depp).
Johnny Depp no doubt gives a seminar in acting, as he always does; he is one of our finest actors. In an interview (http://www.the-trades.com/column.php?columnid=2898) director Marc Forster describes Depp "as a 'great creative collaborator'. 'The amazing thing is Johnny ultimately trusts the director,' Forster explains, 'and Johnny Depp trusting me is the highest compliment anyone could give me.'" Nonetheless Depp's carefully nuanced performance is no better than Kevin Kline's own in "De-Lovely", and one could say they are even similar, with Kline getting the edge for the risks he takes and the passion he brings to the screen.
Of the films nominated, these are the IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes ratings, respectively: Sideways (96%, 8.1/10), Million Dollar Baby (93%, 8.3/10), The Aviator (89%, 7.7/10), Finding Neverland (84%, 8.2/10) and Ray (82%, 7.9/10). In like manner, "Kill Bill Vol. 2" checked in at 85%, 8.2/10 and "Hotel Rwanda" garnered scores of 90% and 8.5/10. We leave it to you to make the final determination, but "Finding Neverland" is exactly the type of film that will leave art film detractors delirious with delight; it is a yawn.
Rating: Two and ¾ stars.