Finding Neverland

Review by Jason Donner

We all know the story about Peter Pan, right? About the boy who never grew up, took a bunch of kids to Neverland, and inspired a crazy eccentric pop star into thinking that he was him? Well, forget that last part... as a matter of fact, just forget everything about Peter Pan because Finding Neverland isn't about him... not really. This is the story of James Barrie, the guy who first dreamed up Peter Pan and the inspiration he found in a widow and her young sons.

Think of it as Shakespeare in Love... only without Shakespeare but with with flying kids.

Finding Neverland is a movie that could have gone for convenient emotional shlop and easy manipulation of your feelings and, to tell you the truth, it does come close to doing it. Thankfully, this movie has a quiet sincerity about it that keeps it from descending into a touchy feely quagmire.

This is an odd film, that's for sure. Much of it is seen through the rose-colored glasses of Berrie's imagination so it's not that unusual to find the characters sitting on a pirate ship for some reason or to see a torrential downpour coming down on an unreceptive theater audience. These imaginative forays give Finding Neverland a quirky and magical feel.

Johnny Depp gives yet another great performance in this movie only cementing his place among the greatest actors of our generation. His warm, yet strangely dark presence in this movie is really what keeps it from falling into sloppy sentimentality. Kate Winslet is also to be commended for her role as the suffering mother of three boys without a father.

Now, you may be thinking that this is a kids movie. Honestly, it may be a little too grown up for them to enjoy. Personally, I liked it even though it does tend to ramble and wander at times at a frustratingly slow pace. Still, Finding Neverland is an odd yet subtle movie that is a treat to sit through once. It's sincerity is something that we don't see a lot of these days and its a welcome feeling.