A Moving Period Piece

Rating: 9/10 (23 July 2005)

I just saw this film for the first time last night and was quite pleasantly surprised. Overwhelmingly so in fact. Knowing a little bit about the true history of Sir J.M. Barrie and yet comparatively little about "Finding Neverland" other than its Oscar hoopla, I expected the film to focus largely on the often controversial life of a man deemed capricious, anomic, and asexual by many historians, with the inception of Peter Pan as a backdrop perhaps. Instead the film celebrates Barrie's brilliant vision of what would become a timeless tale and cultural staple for the ages, and the power of imagination that we all possess and, if willing, are able to unleash. It celebrates the whimsical, the eccentric, and the "silliness" which make life, even in the stilted atmosphere of Victorian London, worth living. The film is both an artistic period piece and a rich character study (though not a biography), and features some of the best and most convincing performances from child actors in recent memory. Depp is brilliant as usual and Dustin Hoffman as his tightly wound producer/financier also makes for one of the more enjoyable, though secondary, characters to watch. The film starts somewhat slowly but seamlessly evolves into an engrossing and emotionally engaging story which unlike many other critically acclaimed dramas wrought of style over substance, is unquestionably worthy of its high praise. It has both the substance, as well as a style all its own, and should make even the most jaded and cynical viewer well up a little bit. 9/10