A Review by Phil Calabro
*** #7 - TOP 10 IN 2004 ***
2004, Miramax, Dir. Mark Forster - Starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Nick Roud, Radha Mitchell, Joe Prospero, Freddie Highmore, Dustin Hoffman, Kate Maberly, Luke Spill, Kelly Macdonald, Tony Way, Murray McArthur, Ian Hart
Peter Pan is the perennial personification for childhood youth and imagination, for he was what every little boy would want to be in life - fighting pirates, having fun all the time, and being a kid forever. The same sense of imagination is the brightest feature of 'Finding Neverland', that presents itself in the most non-pretentious style, but rather lets the film glide like a bird with the acting talents of Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, and Freddie Highmore.
Based on the play by Allan Knee, "Finding Neverland" details the inspiration that playwright J.M. Barrie (Depp) received for his hit play "Peter Pan". We watch as his last play flops, and how he meets a widowed woman (Winslet) and her four young sons, all which he bases as the family for Peter Pan. In the meantime, he must deal with the dying relationship between him and his wife (Mitchell), his American financer for his shows (Hoffman), and the evil grandmother (Christie) of the young boys who doesn't like Barrie.
I must say first that I am in no way a Johnny Depp fan; I've hated most movies that he's been in, and found his performances to be lackluster (Fear and Loathing was one of most dreadful movies that year). But Depp holds an innocence that I haven't seen in any other film of his, this need to love the young boys and his hope of handling everything that's in shambles in his life. Kate Winslet does a fine job, but nothing supremely amazing - she works well as the out-of-control single mother who finds love in Barrie. Dustin Hoffman's role, though small, is enjoyable and gets the most laughs. But the sole reason this film is great is the talent of young Freddie Highmore, who plays the inspiration for the title character, Peter. He's young, ambition, and has a real knack for jerking out needed tears. His chemistry with Depp is absolutely amazing - and brings the film to steady and sweet finish.
Director Mark Forster's invisioning of imagination combined with reality is sublime. It uses high-technique camera shots that make the audience member feel like he/she is flying around the stage. But the way he uses the British stage actors and the Peter Pan script to create a wholely different sense of imagination is incredible. It provides one of the most interesting and intrinsic scenes about a non-materialistic theme in a movie this year - whew, that was confusing. The end appears to many to be an average cheese-and-charm tearjerker ending, it really struck a cord in my heart for me, leaving me with the thought, "Imagination is a more powerful thing than we know it to be."
Forster, after his success with 'Monster's Ball', will probably gain the same amount of praise for this film. Although not perfect, it is an amazing film which will probably snag a couple nominations in the end. It holds a very whimsical touch, much akin to that of last winter's Peter Pan from Columbia, but with a great mixture of reality as well. A great film indeed.
