A Great Story of Creating a Great Story

Rating: 9/10 (3 December 2012)

"Finding Neverland" was really an enchanting tale for the masses to enjoy. Eight years ago at the theatres, I had the pleasure of seeing this movie and it was truly something you don't see everyday from the life in the fast land pictures that has infested the screens over the past few years. It is a rare find to see an exhibition of story filled with fantasy, imagination and an original story about the inspiration of J.M. Barrie and the muses he took in creating one of the greatest classical children stories of all time, "Peter Pan".
Johnny Depp stars as Mr. Barrie, a Scottish writer who falls through troubled times because his previous work was a complete bust. As he was walking through the park, he runs into Sylvia Davies (Kate Winslet) and her four sons and they get together for a warm and friendly chat. As the film progresses, they start to get closer and it eventually leads Barrie to write his greatest work which would become a classic in the making.
The centrepiece of the film is on Barrie and his closeness to the Davies clan and by using his observation skills to understand children's behaviour, the path that led to the creation of "Peter Pan" and adding Indians and Pirates for added texture to the iconic children's story.
Marc Forster who also directed the 2001 hit "Monster's Ball" was behind the director's chair in this one adds magic towards the character of Barrie as we follow him through the whole process that led his masterpiece that is "Peter Pan". Depp was excellent in his portrayal as Barrie and the Scottish accent was spot on and his performance was quite sublime. Great performances by the cast, especially from Kate Winslet, Julie Christie and Dustin Hoffman (he played Captain Hook in "Hook" go figure!). But the real standout was from Freddie Highmore who played the youngest boy Peter Davies and his bravado materializes near the end.
I truly believe that this was one of the best films that came out in 2004. If you've seen movies like "Big Fish" than this movie will surely please you.