One of the best of the year

Rating: 8/10 (20 October 2004)

Johnny Depp has been having a very good year. An Academy Award nomination for his role of Jack Sparrow in The Pirates of the Caribbean, voted one of the sexiest men alive in almost every newsstand magazine in 2003 and he even beat out such Hollywood heavyweights as Steve Martin, Robin Williams and Christopher Walken for the title role in Tim Burton's highly anticipated remake of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Johnny Depp has been having a very good year.
So, with the world his oyster, Depp opted for Finding Neverland, the story of Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie in a film that supposes his experiences and influences in writing the famous children's adventure.
Directed by Marc Forster as his follow-up to the widely raved Monster's Ball (2001), Finding Neverland is an enchanting tale that details the life of J.M. Barrie and his relationship with a lower classed family headed by Sylvia Davies (Kate Winslet) who is left to rear four children after the death of her husband to cancer. Finding inspiration through each of the four children, Barrie seems to draw particularly on young son Peter (Freddie Highmore) who has been forced to grow up beyond his years due to the death of the father and the illness that befalls mother Sylvia. Through the sad eyes of Peter, Barrie dreams up the details of Neverland  a place where children can go and never grow old, and asks the young lad for permission to use this name as the title character of the elaborate play.
There is not a lot going on in Finding Neverland and its simplistic approach to storytelling is greatly appreciated. There are the leering eyes of the community as Barrie spends more time with the children that with his own wife. There is the theatre owner (played by Dustin Hoffman who ironically played Captain Hook in Steven Spielberg's 1991 misguided effort, Hook) who continues to believe in Barrie even as his plays continue to weaken in content with each new opening. And where would a story lead if not for a villain, in this case, played by Sylvia's mother who thinks of Barrie's involvement with the family as intrusive and undermining. However, much to the writers and director's credit, none of these tributaries are distracting and in fact, they push the story closer and closer to the inevitable conclusion.
At the screening there were countless families  young children aged 6-8 and I would suggest to parents that this is not a movie which will keep them entertained for any length of time. Although there is no violence and stronger language can be found on any SpongeBob Squarepants episode, there is nothing really there for the young tots either. The film tries to tackle serious topics such as societal pressure, marital relationships and the death of a parent and although it might have a Peter Pan backdrop for a script, it is probably too heavy handed for the youngins on the family.
For those of us that are old enough to enjoy a period piece about an author set in early 20th century London, you are in for a real treat. The film is sweet yet powerful and Depp puts in yet another convincing performance nailing a foreign accent without the distraction of say Tom Hanks in The Terminal. Although the ending might seem hokey and reminded me too my of the Michael Keaton film My Life, it still was a rewarding experience that I would recommend to just about anyone over the age of 20 and certainly for anyone who ever thought about what it would be to remain a child forever. One of the best of the year.
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