Review of Finding Neverland (2004) by Courtney D — 15 Apr 2010

"Young boys should never be sent to bed... they always wake up a day older." J. M. Barrie -- Johnny Depp.

When you think of a film about Peter Pan, be it animated or Live Action, you normally expect to see Captain Hook, Wendy Darling and her brothers, the Lost Boys, Tinkerbelle and of course Peter Pan himself. I can site off Hook, the Disney Peter Pan and the 2003 Peter Pan as different versions of the classic story, each with its own flaws and positive merits. Finding Neverland is different; it's about the man who wrote the classic story; from his inspirations to the real life events. No flying children, no fairies, no Indian tribes. As with most Biopics, I'm not certain on the absolute facts of what happened to the individual it is based on, so I can't be expected to discuss the historical accuracy of the film. Because of this, it's going to be a little harder to criticise elements of the film such as the plot and characters, because it all really happened.

Finding Neverland takes place in London, 1903. J. M. Barrie is a play writer, but we witness very early in the film that it flops. When Barrie is in the park one day, he meets four young boys and their widowed mother, Sylvia. Over the following months, Barrie shows his imagination to the boys daily, and it is their imagination that inspires him for another play. Barrie's close friendship with Sylvia causes a lack of pleasure to Barrie's wife, whom he spends little time with. Over the course of the film, it is revealed that Sylvia is ill. The plot is interesting because we get insight of how the characters that are so well known today were conceited. Like I said, I didn't initially know of what really happened and what didn't in the film, so I had to look up what the actual events were and re-watch the film in order to make a new judgement. I've learned that the death of Sylvia at the end of the film didn't actually take place in real life until 6 years after the premiere of Peter Pan. Other facts changed for the film include Barrie's relationship with the boys being earlier on in history, and Barrie not getting divorce until after the film's time period. While some of these facts could easily have remained in the final film, they don't majorly take away from the film; except for Sylvia's death in the film. Knowing that she didn't actually die puts a slight form of desperation within the film, in that it's trying to affect you emotionally by killing of one of the leads in the film. The other facts changed though are appropriate, and they work for the purpose of the film. The question I get asked by people about this film is whether or not it is entertaining. I have to say that the film isn't the most fun to sit through at times, but it's not meant to be. It's art, and it really bugs me that people say this film is rubbish because they were bored by it. If you want to be nothing but entertained, you watch a comedy or an action film. Finding Neverland does have moments where it is really fun to watch. If you have any appreciation for the Peter Pan story or display any interest in the making of the story, then you're going to love this telling of it. As much as I say though that it isn't the most entertaining film in the world, I never found myself bored.

The acting in the film for the most part is really good, especially from the Johnny Depp. Depp gained an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of J. M. Barrie, and it was definitely deserved. The way he has mastered the Scottish Accent, whilst never making it over the top. He shows the perfect amount of emotion, and he doesn't try to play Barrie as an extraordinary person. This film came out after the world knew Depp for playing Jack Sparrow (which he also received an Academy Award Nomination for in the same category), and it came as quite a shock to see that the man we saw as a drunken pirate was capable of brilliant acting. It's up there with Ed Wood as one of his best performances. Kate Winslet plays Sylvia, and she does a decent job. It's a huge improvement from her mediocre performance in Titanic. Though Dustin Hoffman is in the film, I don't really remember him. I know he was good, but the person he played wasn't too memorable. The young boys a portrayed well, but it's Freddie Highmore who is the best. We see the emotion yet lack of knowledge he has brilliantly, yet he doesn't seem like an unrealistic child.

The setting of 1903 looks brilliant. I comment often about how Cinematography in films is great, but here it isn't a big focus, which makes it all the more great. The film focuses more on the people, but in the background we see very convincing sets that seem just like early 20th Century Britain. It's a fantastic testament to Marc Foster, who has done a fantastic job at directing this film. He knows that the backdrops shouldn't be what you pay the most attention to, especially in a Biopic like this. Not only is the cinematography brilliant, but the score that accompanies it is good. On my second viewing of the film, I found myself closing my eyes and sitting back so I could just listen to the brilliance of the score. It's brilliant and deserved an Oscar.

As a fan of film, I loved Finding Neverland. It delivered on a fantastic leading performance and an interesting point of view of what happened to inspire the famous story of Peter Pan. From the superb direction to the fantastic cinematography, it's a great film to watch if you can appreciate it, and I only wish more people would give it a chance.

Andrew's rating: 8.5 out of 10.