A Bit Dreary: Good for a snooze

Rating: 5/10 (28 March 2005)

This 20 minute film is somehow stretched out to over 1hr 40 minutes. There's little to get excited about in that time. For those who know the story of how J. M. Barrie wrote Peter Pan there's nothing new. It might hold interest for those who don't know how it was derived.
The internal demons & driving forces that spill out are undoubtedly responsible for a timeless masterpiece, unless you saw it as a dark tale, which I did even as a child. The more I find out about Barrie the more the darkness seems obvious. Just like the classic "It's a wonderful life" scratch away at the surface cheer & seemingly happy message & you will find that it is under-laid with sadness, sorrow & regret. Fear of aging, the loss of innocence & the desire to escape from the world all pervade Peter Pan.
For me these avenues are not adequately explored, although they do at least get a mention, which is something of a first.
The best part of this film was Johhny Depp, closely followed by Kate Winslet, at last shedding her the stigma of her role in the truly God Awful Titanic. Depp is almost always watchable & makes interesting films. He even shows that he's able to master a passable Scots accent, although it was decidedly shaky at times (I used to live there, I should know). Winslett is still playing the solid, dependable type, which she needs to break away from if she's not to become typecast. But again she's watchable & assuredly professional, unlike the plethora of "Stars" that crowd the screen these days who basically recite lines & can't actually act (are you listening Mr DiCaprio?).
Julie Christie, a lifetime away from her role in Dr Zhivago, is brittle & edgy as Mrs Barrie, but Dustin Hoffman's role as the indulgent theatre producer, Charles Frohman, seems to at last have found that third rank niche that he truly deserves. For far too long he's traded on his part in The Graduate, seldom rising to that level & never exceeding it. He does act with restraint, something that must have been difficult for him & there's thankfully no breathless grandstanding from him as in truly boring "Outbreak".
It is interesting that Hoffman also played "Hook" in the film that explored that character a little further in the Peter Pan tale.
Despite all the positive aspects I still can't see the attraction of the film. For me the best part were the out-takes, where Depp, Christie & Winslett, along with various members of the cast, all fool around. The scenes with the dog were surely worth the price of the DVD rental alone, Depp turns the fluffs into pure comedy, mindful of exactly how it will look on the screen even though it will never be shown. This man is a genius & you have to wonder if he will ever find a project that will fully exploit his creative talents. The mistakes with the actors flying gear are also hilarious.
This is a chick flick, so guys be prepared to be bored. If you've been forced into watching this by wives or girlfriends make the excuse to go & get some tissues (they'll need them for the weepy bits) & don't come back before the end of the film, then sit & watch the extras & out takes.