True Magic

Rating: 10/10 (23 May 2005)

Who would have thought the life of playwrite J.M. Barrie could be as exciting as his most famous story about a troupe of lost boys? It seems to be pretty close here, as Finding Neverland details the life of Barrie (Depp) as he writes his most famous play, Peter Pan. Barrie is inspired by watching a family of boys playing in the park, accompanied by their mother Syliva (Winslet). Barrie begins playing with the boys more and more often, as their youthful imaginations help him to remember his own, and inspire him to write a play of true magic.
Director Marc Forster couldn't possibly have made a more different film than his last, the extremely dramatically heavy Monster's Ball - in fact, just about all they have in common is that both are quality works. And Finding Neverland is indeed a quality work, with Forster throwing in little magic touches here and there (the door to Barrie's bedroom shows a vast, sweeping landscape, representing the fantastic dreams he will have) and some superb cinematography to give the audience a sort of portal into Barrie's incredible imagination. (the camera flies, fairy like, over the audience watching Peter Pan for the first time, set to a soundtrack of children's laughter)
Johnny Depp, while using a great Scottish accent, is a joy to watch as Barrie, the man who was never afraid to be a child again. He proves yet again that few actors of his generation are capable of so totally immersing themselves into a character, and playing them to the fullness of their ability. Kate Winslet is also terrific, if not quite matching Depp's level, as the harried mother of the children Barrie befriends.
Surprisingly, even Sylvia's children turn out to be excellent actors, in particular newcomer Freddie Highmore, playing Peter, an overly serious who tries to grow up too quickly after the death of his father. Julie Christie is a strong presence as the snotty "you love to hate her" mother of Sylvia, who tries to prevent Barrie from spending time with their family, because it lowers the family's social standing. But she isn't just the stereotypical evil grandmother - her character has much more depth than that, and we are actually allowed an explanation for her snide ways. Dustin Hoffman also has a brief but essential appearance as Charles Frohman, the producer of Barrie's plays who is skeptical of the magical content in his benefactor's latest. Hoffman proves his standing as an iconic actor, raising many a chuckle in a few all too brief scenes.
It's an astonishingly flawless piece of work - pitch perfect performances all around propelling a wonderful script, all handled by a terrific and capable director with a wonderful sense of story and magic. With little touches of imagination sprinkled throughout, Finding Neverland perfectly captures the tone of magic and wonder that Barrie's play was supposed to instill in the first place. It's a shame there are so few films which turn out so uniformly beautiful as this.
-10/10