Finding Neverland (PG)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell, Dustin Hoffman, Freddie Highmore
J.M. Barrie: You can visit Neverland anytime you like.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: How?
J.M. Barrie: By believing Peter, Just believe.
Imagination is the key to belief in never growing up…
Finding Neverland is a fairy tale story line with twists and turns that keep you gripped and glued to your seat. It helps if you like this sort of film in the beginning, and if it wasn’t for my friends dragging me to see it, I would have never known the ‘other side’ to Peter Pan.
Directed by director Marc Forster, and probably one of the best films I’ve seen for quite a while. It made me laugh, cry, smile, want to hit one of the characters and most importantly made me understand that really, we don’t have the time to mess around when we are young, but to stay young at heart forever.
Depp is a very independent character in the film and the icy scenes we see between him and his wife (Radha Mitchell) suggest that he would much rather spend long days in the park without her, just writing. This is what he does! The play all seems quite surreal at times, with unrealistic situations that are ‘too good to be true’, but this adds to the whole atmosphere and magicalness (made up word!!) of the film.
J.M. Barrie (Johnny Depp) is the most famous writer at the time, but the film starts with his latest play being pants, so he decides to take a different approach to his next one…
One day in the park he wonders into the middle of a child’s game played by four boys and their widowed mother, Sylvia (Kate Winslet). J.M Barrie is a calm, collected person who is able to communicate with the boys and soon he befriends the family and spends more and more time with the children. Getting involved in the children’s games and Barrie begins work on his latest project, Peter Pan. He spends less and less time with his own wife and even goes on holiday with his new family.
Johnny Depp can play any part in a film and add his own attributes, sense of understanding and charm, making it all the more worthwhile to watch without getting bored. He has a Scottish accent in the film and keeps it up extremely well. Kate Winslet proves that she is still able to play the ‘english rose’ and compliments the film with her own acting experience and wit.
The real star of Finding Neverland is the young actor Freddie Highmore as Peter. He is the third child of his four brothers, but appears to be the most cautious, apprehensive and distant child from the rest of them. He is sullen and withdrawn until Barrie is able to draw the character out more. The director has worked hard with these two characters and really made the link work well in order to set the scene of the play Barrie writes.
Director Marc Forster has done a great job with this film. He really made the special effects look very convincing and his own sparkle was added to the film through the cast by the costumes that were designed, the music and the angles at which we get to see the different characters at.
I really enjoyed this film…so I brought it!
It’s magical, but somewhat realistic at the same time…I’m not sure how that works…why not watch it? - You’ll be surprised. Definitely a 5*.
We would like to thank the Odeon Cinema at Freeman’s (Especially Sally) for allowing us the opportunity to review this film.
