Finding Neverland

-Directed by: Marc Forster

Starring:
Johnny Depp - James M. Barrie
Kate Winslet - Sylvia


Peter Pan is the boy who would never grow up. His creation in the fabric of literature came from the mind of one extraordinary man who met a group of peerless boys. This is a telling of their story, and that of the life of J.M. Barrie. In a year filled with biographies, Finding Neverland comes to us with a carefully selected cast which is led by our own version of a boy who'd never grow up. His name is Johnny Depp. Depp has made a career out of being eclectic in his selection of roles but both this one, and his turn as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, have made him both a bonafide star and an actor for our time. He has made the family film fun again, and has done so here with a witty grace that endears him to the heart.

The script itself is a carefully written one. There could be the comment made that this film is sugary or contrived, but it cannot be well said for several reasons. The top two are Depp and the always wonderful Kate Winslet. There is a certain connection between her Sylvia and his turn as Barrie that digs deep down and nestles itself into your heart. You like to watch these two interact. Winslet is the perfect straight woman for Depp's humor, and she is the perfect instrument to move you to tears. As the movie progresses, you are touched by her love for her children and a different sort of love she has for the boy who has shown her how to believe again.

Finding Neverland is not a happy movie, but thanks to imaginations and one of the most perfect stories in literature today, it doesn't have to be. It is what it should be. Bittersweet, and a classic which I recommend highly. If you believe in fairies after you see this film, be sure to clap your hands. I know I did.

Finding Neverland is on DVD now.

-Jenn Untch
Liberty, Missouri
indigojenn@earthlink.net
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