Tuesday, December 28, 2004

We went to see Finding Neverland this afternoon. After The Passion of the Christ this is my favorite movie of 2004.

The story of J.M. Barrie’s friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.

First, Johnny Depp is wonderful as the Scottish Barrie. His brogue was consistent and good. He’s a very good character actor - his range is so good. To go from something like Captain Jack Sparrow, which is pure camp, to James Barrie, who is whimsical yet deep, shows great talent as an actor. I can’t remember if he got nominated for a Golden Globe for this role or not, but he should have been.

Second, the children are adorable, especially little Peter. His big blue eyes just sucked me in. Kate Winslet as the kids’ mother is very good, but I’ve always liked her.

Third, the cinematography and editing were lovely. The way they cut the scenes between reality and fantasy was very effective. I felt that I was in Neverland in those scenes. If that was how Barrie truly imagined his Neverland world to be, I would have wanted to live there as well.

I highly recommend this movie to all. It’s not one that kids will enjoy, mostly because it’s not Peter Pan itself. There was a toddler in our showing that was not very happy - parental research was badly needed there. But it’s “safe” for kids in the sense that there isn’t any profanity, no violence, and no sexuality; it’s just written more for adults. That said, I think there’s enough of the visuals of the fantasy worlds to keep the interest of younger kids.

I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.