Finding Neverland Review
by Ryan Ellis (flickershows AT hotmail DOT com)November 30th, 2004
Finding Neverland
reviewed by Ryan Ellis
November 28, 2004
My Tagline---Flawed, but Depp and the kids know how to play
No doubt about it, 'Finding Neverland' has a heaping helping of powerful emotional moments. I was touched, sure, but a woman sitting nearby was absolutely sobbing. I guess she believes in fairies. Anyway, maybe it was the idiot hoofing the back of my seat or the coughing I was trying to suppress, but I didn't think the movie was quite good enough to be weep-worthy. If inviting orphans to the debut performance of J.M. Barrie's most famous play (Peter Pan) and robbing other children of their mother doesn't feel manipulative to you, then cry away.
That's not to say that director Marc Forster (Monster's Ball) is a cheap games player. His work is okay and he doesn't have that common "let's show every wacky trick the camera can do" disorder. His film isn't as inspirational as it could be, though. Anytime cute children and a tragic illness are major themes in a script, there's really no way to avoid peppering the picture with at least SOME schmaltz. Rookie writer David Magee---adapting Allan Knee's play---is consistent. He doesn't commit any major faux pas, although he also hasn't authored a single great scene.
But I liked the movie. It's easy to screw up the Peter Pan story if you're not careful. Hollywood's favourite Peter Pan (Steven Spielberg) made his worst movie (Hook) when he cast Robin Williams as the boy who won't grow up. And the trailer for 2003's 'Peter Pan' bomb had that creepy moment where Pan almost seems like the Devil, propositioning an innocent kid to run away and leave the real world behind. That made me shudder and it was all in the creepy execution. In 'Finding Neverland', Pan is embodied by the real-life author. Johnny Depp has that assignment, and his acting has people talking about awards again. Since Depp is almost always pretty great and the Johnnie-come-latelies of the cinematic world have finally discovered him, Oscar buzz is not a surprise.
It's a tricky role, though. You can win kids over with manic lunacy or you can do it on the sly. Depp underplays Barrie beautifully. He even manages to sound believable when saddled with lame lines. You can certainly see why kids like the friendly Scotsman. Both Depp as Barrie and---presumably---Depp as himself have the good sense not to talk down to children. I can imagine the actor actually treating youngsters the same way in his day-to-day life.
He connects with them completely. This is the role Michael Jackson seems to want so badly...and I mean that as both sadistic irony and as a simple truth.
The children in question are the four sons of widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Kate Winslet). George, Jack, and Michael take about 6 seconds to adopt Barrie as their "uncle". Skeptical Peter takes longer to come around. It isn't until the end of the story before he finally believes in Uncle Jim's magic. We see Barrie's play developing as events in the lives of our featured characters. Even though Barrie is married to the stuffy Mary (Radha Mitchell, who was actually less tree-like in the ultra-violent 'Man On Fire'), he spends every minute with the fatherless Llewelyn Davies family.
Mitchell plays the patented disapproving wife who can't understand why her hubbie would rather pal around with someone other than her. Perhaps it's because she's as boring as crap.
Speaking of thankless parts, the dynamic Julie Christie frowns through the movie as Winslet's POed mother. It's an interesting bit of casting. Winslet might be the Christie of this era. Dustin Hoffman plays Barrie's impresario/father figure. That's also interesting casting because Depp, like Dusty, is usually spot-on while showing terrific range. Hoffman is quite funny and has most of the picture's best lines (including his reminder that they do call it "a play", after all). Christie does all she can with the stock Mean Mother role and neither she nor Hoffman grandstand or upstage the leads.
I would be overlooking an integral element not to mention that Peter Pan is performed wonderfully in 'Finding Neverland'. Kelly Macdonald (so sweet as Maggie Smith's maid in 'Gosford Park') does some nice things with Pan and reminds us that the part has often been played by girls. The opening night performance is not where the film ends, although a re-creation of that night in the Llewelyn Davies home is magical because it's handled with such grace. Macdonald has Pan down cold. I'd like to see somebody have the nerve to let her play the character in her own film, not just in a small supporting role.
Back to the plot. Oh, and a spoiler alert is coming...right now! Winslet is as sick as a dog and she eventually starts coughing more than I did during the movie. Her days seem to be numbered, but she has to be forced to see a doctor. Meanwhile, her platonic relationship with Barrie is turning into some form of love. The two leads don't get much chance to play their scenes
1 on 1 because kids are always around, but their entire relationship is handled with care and subtlety. Winslet has the Garbo disease where the sicker she gets, the more marvelous she looks. Strangely, she's nearly underused in the movie. Then again, the story is about Barrie and the boys.
She's important, but not THAT important.
Apart from Depp's work, what people will remember is that it is the coming-out party for Freddie Highmore. The 12-year-old English actor is wonderful as Peter, the tough egg of the family. He's gradually won over by Barrie and eventually starts to jot down his own stories. Highmore is new to me (this is his first major role), but I can see why Depp wanted him to be Charlie Bucket in the Burton/Depp 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory'
remake. Kid can act.
This might be a different review if Forster didn't draw the movie out with a coda that ties up too many threads. Okay, the closing scenes are necessary from a story standpoint. Too bad they rob us of a better ending where---another spoiler alert---Winslet literally walks into Neverland for eternity. Forster and Magee don't break any new ground...except in that one lovely shot. The director shows the occasional flight of fancy, but he seems a little too grounded. And he shouldn't have been such a ruthless editor because his film is too short to really establish the characters beyond a broad outline. Luckily, the actors know what they're doing and their performances are excellent.
My endorsement may not be ringing, but shell out your dough for 'Finding Neverland'. It's far from perfect, but you should see it for the acting and the climactic moments of heart-tugging emotion. Now that I think about it, that's what I said about 'Big Fish' too. Heck, the stories are even similar. Oh, and bring a few tissues. Even if you don't cry, there's a good chance that someone beside you will.
To contact me in Ryanland, write to [email protected] Check out my non-flying website at http://groups.msn.com/TheMovieFiend
More on 'Finding Neverland'...
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
