No need for Tinkerbell, this film is simply magical - 91%

Rating: 9/10 (16 May 2006)

For the longest time, I was wary of watching this. It struck me as being quite Oscar-friendly and very much a period chick-flick. Therefore, I'd like to extend my deepest sympathies to "Finding Neverland" and everyone connected with it because this is a sublime picture that is full of zeal and enthusiasm. It is also the first movie I've seen that accurately shows what it is like being a writer (as I am one myself) with glorious flights of fancy that are both wonderful to witness and (at last!) do not detract from the film as a whole.
Johnny Depp puts in one of the finest performances in his career as the author of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie. After his latest play flops in London's West End, Barrie begins a friendship with the four children of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet) and finds his inspiration for his next play, a story about a boy who never grows up - "Peter Pan". But the relationship between the Davies' and Barrie puts a tremendous strain on his wife (Radha Mitchell) as well as Sylvia's mother (Julie Christie).
It is truly staggering how different Depp is here from his role in "Pirates Of The Caribbean" - here, he is controlled and graceful and his Scottish accent is impeccable. But Depp faces strong competition from the four child actors (Freddie Highmore, Joe Prospero, Nick Roud & Luke Spill) who are also fantastic as the Davies' children. The film also looks superb, with a relentless turn-of-the-century feel for the most part and a surreal dream-like quality during Barrie's flights of fancy when his and the boys' imagination takes over. And while a film based on how a play is written doesn't sound that gripping, it never fails to captivate and hold your attention. My one gripe is that it's a bit too similar to "Shakespeare In Love" but given how extraordinary that film was, that is hardly criticism - indeed, it is mighty praise for a film that surprised and entertained me for every minutes of its duration.
I'd happily recommend this film to almost anybody. It's imaginative, emotive and gloriously realised - such a shame that it didn't win more Oscars because this is one of the best films to be released this side of the millennium. It's one of the finest pieces of escapism I've seen and I defy anyone not to feel choked at the end. It's a great date movie as well as fabulous family entertainment, although young children may find their attention wandering. Most of all, it's an intelligent and beautifully produced "writers" movie which, if we're honest, don't come along very often. If you haven't seen it then believe the hype - this is one movie you simply have to see, even if you're not a fan of period dramas (like myself). Depp does it again.