One of the best movies I have ever seen!!!

Rating: 10/10 (4 April 2005)

Perfection
by Amber Farnham
Johnny Depp puts on a Scottish accent for his new role as J. M. Barrie in Finding Neverland. It is an absolutely fabulous movie depicting the life of the famous playwright and the family that inspired his celebrated masterpiece. Filled with an excellent cast with perfect chemistry, this movie is bound to become an instant classic. J.M. Barrie is a famous playwright who has not been able come up with a decent piece of theater in a long time. That is until he takes his dog for a walk one day in the park. There he encounters the widowed Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (played by Kate Winslet) and her sons. They play in the park for hours and their relationship was forged. As he spends more time with the family, especially young Peter (Freddie Highmore), he becomes inspired to create a play like none other, but as he spends more time with the family rumors begin to spread that Barrie's relationship with the Davies improper. Believing these rumors is Sylvia's mother Mrs. Emma Du Maurier (played by Julie Christie) and Barrie's wife, Mary (played by Rahda Mitchell), but Barrie refuses to give up his relationship with the family and treats them like members of his own family. Life is wonderful until Sylvia becomes ill.
Her sons are forced to carry the huge burden of their mother's illness on their shoulders and all of them seem to handling it well, except for Peter. He is devastated by the recent loss of his father and hates the fact that the adults are not telling him the whole truth about his mother's sickness Sylvia's mother, Mrs. Emma Du Maurier does not allow Barrie to visit Sylvia or the boys, saying that he has done enough harm, and then Barrie's wife leaves him because he is spending more time with the Davies than with her. Through all of this, Barrie is able to write his masterpiece, and pretty soon it is the night of his most unconventional production, Peter Pan. Sylvia and her boys are rushing around the house trying to arrive at the theater on time, when Sylvia becomes sick again. Forced to stay home, Sylvia sends Peter to go see the play while she stays home. The play begins. The audience is awed by what they are witnessing and soon the play is over. At the after party, the audience is even more shocked to find out that Peter Pan is a real boy, the one who is standing there with Barrie! The ending, beautifully done, presents the viewer with one of the most touching scenes in the movie and a glimpse of Barrie's land through his own eyes.
This movie is one of the most beautiful pieces of cinematography that was ever made. The cast was perfectly selected, and they all gave the performances of their lifetimes. Young Freddie Highmore was excellent as Peter in this movie, and he and all the other cast members deserve every award and praise they might receive for their performances. I would recommend this movie to everybody. From the moment you sit down to the moment the credits scroll across the screen, this movie will keep you enthralled every second you're watching it.