Good, but too simple, definitely not one of the year's best

Rating: 7/10 (3 January 2005)

"Finding Neverland" is a lot like "Ray", though not as good. They are both about men whose childhoods are practically destroyed by family tragedy but who create something magical and long-lasting in their adult lives, through the influence of others. "Ray" was about a very influential black singer; "Finding Neverland" is about the writer of "Peter Pan". Both premises could've been made into great movies. But, strangely, only "Ray" was great.
Oh, "Finding Neverland" was good, but it was just too simple too be even compared to many of this year's movies, including "Kill Bill: Vol. 2", "Collateral", "The Passion of the Christ", "Closer" and "The Life Aquatic". Not to say simple movies aren't as good as complex ones, but the solutions this movie offers seems a lot more geared for children than adults, or even all-ages. I'm wondering if this is on purpose, because the film is essentially a bio-pic, and bio-pics are generally not one of children's basic genres.
Of course I may be alone on this, everyone else seems to love it, but I find it very surprising that this film could inspire any form of adult. Its main message is "with your imagination you can accomplish anything", which we've all heard, since we were very young, from many sources. Of course maybe it takes a simple little movie to remind you of it.
So the Scottish Sir James Barrie (Johnny Depp) has writer's block, and his last play was a flop, and his impresario (Dustin Hoffman) is getting skeptical. His wife Mary Ansell (Radha Mitchell) is a little distant  he is not least at fault  and he spends his days sitting in the local park, writing in his notebook. One day he finds that a little boy is lying under his shoe, and then he meets the boys' brothers, and widow mother, Sylvia Llewelyn-Davies (Kate Winslet). Immediately he is smitten with the family, but not romantically, mind you. No, in a way Sir Barrie wants to be the boys' brother, and Sylvia's son.
But some people get in the way: Sylvia's mother, Mrs. Emma du Maurier (Julie Christie), Mary, and one of Sylvia's sons Peter (Freddie Highmore) are all fiercely against the union of James and the Davies family. Of course, to everyone but James, Sylvia and the other boys their time together looks scandalous and, well, creepy, but they understand that they are all just a big, happy family.
Johnny Depp is skillful in playing characters that are in their own element  actually, come to think of it, all of his leading characters have some strange quirk that puts them in their own world. An android with sharp hands, an illiterate Buster Keaton fan, the worst film director of all time, one of the best drug dealers of all time, a drunken fruity pirate, a deadly CIA agent, and a shadowy authortake your pick. All of them completely different, except for the similarity of being one hundred percent unique. And now another to add to the list: Sir J.M. Barrie. This character's quirky curse is that his childhood was all but stolen from him (for reasons I wont spoil), and so he spends his adult life trying to steal it back. Yes, indeed, there is no romance between James and Sylvia, because at the age James is really at, girls to him are a still unfamiliar being who are there to look nice and clean (which makes his wedding with Mary a complete mystery). But James has still the wisdom and experience of an adult, so he seems less like he has a problem than a cute quirk. Johnny Depp balances this perfectly, it's a great performance.
But not as great as that of Liam Neeson, Jamie Foxx, Tom Cruise, Paul Giamatti or Bill Murray. I seriously think this film is being over-praised. Depp was great, but not amazing, and most of the rest of the cast is underused  especially Hoffman  though Radha Mitchell shines. The movie itself isn't really a mass achievement eithersure, the costumes, sets and cinematography were great, but I think all that should be second to the writing and direction, which, I'm sad to say, isn't all that great. And there's an awkward scene at the end with Winslet, in her house, that would work a lot better as a dream or some sort of fantasy.
So it's not a must-see, but you would enjoy parts if you watched it, and Depp and Mitchell turn in some good work, so I won't discourage you from seeing it. Just watch the other movies I mentioned first.
7/10.